Chapter 20 - Calliope Flores

Callie POV

The darkness brings back to memory all the horrible words Jagger said to me, plus all the nightmares I have ever had all at once. I can feel Carson’s hand on mine, but as people walk past us, they break our bond, and I lose his touch. It’s so dark I can’t even make out shapes. Another loud bang makes me recoil into a corner. I don’t really know where I am or what is going on, but all I know is that I am terrified of the dark. I don’t sleep in the dark. I hate the dark.

When I was a kid, someone broke into our house, and it was very dark. I remember hearing my mom screaming and my dad shouting at the man. My dad took a terrible beating, and my mom was strapped to a chair. They made me watch as they hit my dad. All those memories come crashing down as I haven’t thought about it in years.

I remember them calling us filth because my parents are not American. I remember them spitting at my mom’s face while she cried and called for my name to run. I wrapped my hand around my rig