Chapter 111 – Orphan Gang

Ella

“Cora tell me what happened.” I demand, crossing my skinny arms over my chest. I’m eight years old, glaring down at my surrogate sister with a stern expression. It’s always been this way between us. She’s a year older, but I’ve always had the dominant personality.

“It was nothing.” She insists, averting her gaze from my own.

“You’re lying.” I counter stubbornly. “I can always tell, you know.”

“No, you think you always know.” Cora answers sullenly, though we both know I’m right. I can read my sister like a book.

“Would you just tell me?” I press, sighing with exasperation.

“Fine, it’s not even a big deal, it was just some of the big kids being jerks.” She explains gravely.

“Which ones?” I respond immediately. “Point them out.” It could be anyone, considering the fact that even children our own age tend to be bigger than us. It seems like the orphanage physician labels us undersized and undernourished every year, though nothing ever changes.

Reluctantly, Cora points toward a familiar gang of kids, ranging from age eleven to fourteen. The ringleader is a beefy thirteen year old who always wears a cruel leer, as if he’s ever on the lookout for someone to bully to tears – just for the fun of it. “You see, there’s nothing we can do about it – they run this place.”

“I beg to differ.” I answer, tilting my chin up defiantly. “We don’t have to be bigger than them – just smarter. Now tell me what they said to you?”

I almost can’t hear her speak. She stares at the ground, her shoulders slumped in defeat. “They called me a worthless gutter rat and said no one would ever adopt me cuz

know what it’s like to be wanted or unconditionally loved, and the only thing that keeps us going is the hope that we might

how it is. Parents only ever want the babies. I mean you might have

do, but I’m not gonna leave you for anything.” I vow. I’d like to see any grown up try to take me away from the

easy for you to say that.” Cora offers me a hesitant smile.“You adopt all the outcasts.” This isn’t the first time she’s said this to me. I do have a way of taking the most skittish and rejected of our peers under my wing, but it’s not as if I can just stand by and let them be

that no one ever picked them and they take it out on us cuz they think we might

mean you’re going to let them

remind them that we’re in this together.” I

teeth flash in a pearly grin. “And if

turning on my heels to march up to the bullies in question. Cora trails along behind me, whispering anxiously about

you, didn’t anyone ever teach you to pick on someone your own size?” I

see I’m the one who spoke. The ringleader rises to

account for brains.” I bite back. “You shouldn’t be mean to Cora just cuz you’re unhappy. That isn’t fair and she doesn’t deserve

about it, brat?” He stalks forward, looming over my small body with malicious intent. “A scrawny little thing like you? You’re even more useless than she is.” He

me, something powerful and fearless. I snarl and pounce, scrabbling up the older boy’s body and attacking him tooth and nail. He screams and flails his arms. “What – hey! Get her off me! What is this!” I don’t relent. Hands grab for me, but I dig my nails into his flesh, biting and scratching

behavior had been that day. Normal human girls don’t

the

nod, “The way Cora tells it, that’s the day I became the de facto leader of the orphanage, just by being scrappy enough to take on the big kids. When it was over I

made your own pack.” Sinclair observes, massaging my tense shoulders. His words sink into my mind slowly, but I gradually recognize the truth in them – not only the wolfish group I formed, but the fact I was able to wrangle the other children in the

sure I wouldn’t have been any

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