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It’d been crooned with false love and accoers and breath

I’d learned to run when a man softened his voice and murmured those words

I’d learned to kill when they trapped me, so I couldn’t flee

Black clouds swa into a ball like I used to, now I just shoved the clouds back Back into the recesses of my compartmentalized brain where locks and chains kept my bad history archived and secure

Clue stood frozen to the spot She didn’t know much about my past, but she knew my issues with those tords She’d seen, "Can I buy you a drink, baby doll," inbetween us "Did I say soenuine re a reassuring s But please, call Clue anything you want, but avoid that one pet na "Urabbed her hand and squeezed before disappearing into the shadoorld of atheringas I opened e of , chocolate hair stood up in clumps with frizz from her pillow Her apple cheeks were flushed fro--but it was all a lie

"I thought you weren’t going to be here for a little while Aunty Clue said you had to help soed a lock of ht before grabbing her with tight argling as I tickled her

"Stop! Muhter was rhapsody to ht, I hoisted her into a sitting position as her face turned purple scarily fast Her dark eyes bugged as her throat closed

No No No

Shoving her aside, I dashed across the sh dose inhaler I’d told her that it was a special forave us for her asth only available to those who met a certain criteria Unfortunately, we’d only been able tooutover every scrimped penny and saved dollar I’d earned

If it wasn’t for Clue paying my share of the rent until I could find another job, I would’ve had to file for bankruptcy

Holding the back of her head, I placed the inhaler in her rily

Slowly the ic and a rosy colour replaced the blue-purple ringing her lips Giving me a wobbly smile, she hiccupped once "Sorry"

My stoive her a solution

Fightingfate every dirty cuss word I could think of, I said, "I o to any extre as the attack faded, leaving her short of breath "Yep You really should know by now Your tickling sucks"

I plastered an annoyed look on my face "Well, I’ll just have to find another way to torture you"

Her eyes flared wide, then we laughed, bowing our heads together My heart ripped out of hter’s hands She literally heldto survive without you? Hoill I find the courage to tell you you’re leavingback the weakness and sorrow His eyes, filled with his own deether Just the thought of granting retribution for what he did gave

"I wish I didn’t have to go to school today," Claramy heart skip a beat I restedher fruity shampoo and soft, innocent smell "You like school Didn’t you tell me Mrs Anderson allows you to pretty much pick what you want to work on?" Like raphic memory

She see It was both a blessing and a curse as itShe sensed lies as easily as I did, but she had a knack at reading further Almost as if her eyes saw past the restraints of a body and saw right into a person’s soul

No matter what I tried to keep from her, she knew She always knew

"She’s super nice I like her We’re designing a sculpture of Ronored the sculpture comment as it reminded me too much of Fox and his crazy collections all around his hoic love story a bit too heavy for a class of eight-year-olds?"

She rolled her eyes "We’re mature, mummy I know about death and stuff"

I froze, but she didn’t notice Her body bounced up and doriggling out ofto use a dead rose that I found on the sidewalk and dip it in glue toto paint it black and red and then…" she reeled off her project in inti her pink My Little Pony pyjareens of her school unifor but sit and stare at the ind of life that was ate, watching Clara disappear a of loss rounds, I hid in a bush as I balled my hands and shoved thes ached, and the helplessness was expunged

My body racked with silent sobs, purging theto murder someone did I step from my prison of brambles and plan my next step

Clara would be occupied for the next seven hours Clue had agreed to collect her after school That meant I had a full twelve hours to return to Fox and show hiht of his broken, secretive, non-touching ridiculousness

It was tiain" The bouncer with the face between a bulldog and a shark eyed ar tits?"

Fox’s oyles and block work soht than it did in the dark It spoke of abandonment, of misplacement No other house in the fa