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ToI tried to preserve: innocence, fragility, trust, and unconditional acceptance

I deserved none of it, therefore I wasn’t fit to be around the on my space I didn’t knobrave and inquisitive Shouldn’t she be tier?

"You look scared What happened? You can tell me I won’t tell anyone" She drew a cross over her heart "I pro about her intoxicated me until I couldn’t move an inch She came forward another step "You’re not like the other adults You look like one, but I don’t think adults get scared You shouldn’t be scared My ers flew to her lips "Oops She said I wasn’t allowed to talk to strangers Uets real mad when I talk to people I don’t knohy I knohen they’re bad, and you’re not bad Muh which is so silly" Her eyesfriends with strangers?"

She moved until she stood directly in front of me My body shuddered and vibrated Medeep into ht to

"Whoa What happened to your cheek?" Her little hand pointed upward, eyes squinting in the sun behind me "It looks like a bad man hurt you" Her eyes narrowed "Did the bad man hurt you? I hope you o around ly"

Every word laceratedhacked at with an axe Every syllable and consonant chipped away at an to snap

My left leg gave out, sla joined until I kneeled before the one thing in round before her, undone by her pristine innocence

Every organ howled against conditioning, every bone bellowed in agony-- orders, aed by er needed fists to find rede into the eyes of soirl asked, htly higher than h I should bow to her, obey her, worship her

I didn’t knohat compelled lish"

She sht you did seeing as you toldjust now?"

"Russian"

"And your cheek Did a bad man do that?"

"Yes"

Her ser that shouldn’t be seen on a little girl’s face crossed her features "Did you kill him? I would’ve killed him"

Who was this child? This perfect, brilliant, brave, little child

I hung my head "No He’s still alive"

She tutted "Well, I would kill hi her hair over her shoulder, she announced, "I like you" Her face scrunched up as if I’d passed her test of likeability and stuck her hand out "I’m Clara What’s your na the trees ringing the periirl dressed in a purple sweater and black leggings Her hair hung loose, strands kicking in the breeze A single purple ribbon twirled around her jaw

My vision blurred around the edges

This girl was everything I needed Everything I was running from and to, and I didn’t even know it

Her sweet fearlessness clutched my heart and in a ravity shifted

I fellin love

I knew I shouldn’t do it

I knew I should run and never look back

But I didn’t

Holding out ers squeezed around ratitude Gratitude for being able to retain ratitude for this perfect creature

Her touch shattered me

Her touch awoke me

Her touch destroyed me

"Hello, Clara" I looked up into her liquid eyes "I’m Roan"

Chapter 13

I’d always known life had its favourites Like a parent soifts galore on the ones it favoured The ones it didn’t care for were forgotten Allowed to survive, but given no special treatment

I was one of the ones allowed to survive--to carve my own journey with no help

But Fox, he was someone else entirely

He was the child that every parent hated The one no one understood The one everyone pretended didn’t exist

Not because he was evil or aard or cruel--but because he was danorance and hatred pushed that child into the dark and their only chance was to turn inward, suffer silently