Page 58 of Winter’s Teeth

“She’s seven, Clara! Be reasonable.”

“She’s not my problem. You had the affair. You figure it out. Send her back to her mother if you have to.”

“You already know that’s impossible.”

“Why? Because she’s a hot shot doctor with no time to parent? She’s more important than me, is that what you’re saying?”

“Because she doesn’t want to be a mother. We’ve had this conversation a hundred times, Clara. When is enough going to be enough—”

“When she’s not in my house any longer!”

“You should have said this years ago! You should have spoken up when I brought her home from the hospital!” Slams punctuated my father’s words, like he was beating his fist against a table or the wall. The impacts reverberated through the house, making the floor shake beneath me.

I shivered, wondering where I would go if they kicked me out tonight. I could go to the park maybe, and Everly could visit. She could bring snacks. I just hoped I would have enough time to pack my stuffed animals.

The front door opened, followed by the sweet, sing-song voice of my half-sister. “I’m home!” Everly called out, oblivious to the fight going on. “I finally nailed my solo tonight, and my teacher said if I sing like that on opening night, she’ll give me the lead in next year’s play for sure!”

No one answered.

“Where’s Rae?” Everly asked a heartbeat later. All the excitement was gone from her voice, replaced with dread when she realized her parents had been fighting viciously over something again. It was the fifth time this week.

Clara scoffed. “Even you’ve fallen prey to that little goblin of a child. I don’t get it! Why does anyone care what happens to her when I’m the one who was wronged?”

“She—She’s just a kid,” Everly argued, even if she was barely a few years older than me. “She didn’t have a say in being born this way.”

“Well, I’ve had enough of it.” Footsteps followed Clara’s declaration, thudding up the stairs. My bedroom door down the hall swung open, hitting the wall with a thud that rattled my bookshelves. “Where are you!” Clara shrieked. More angry footsteps in the hall. Then Everly’s bedroom door flung open.

I squeaked, curling myself further under the bed to escape the light coming from the hallway and the waft of alcohol rippling off Clara.

“You little leech. What were you doing in here? Stealing my daughter’s things, were you? Come on. Come out. This isn’t your room. I’ll drag you out by your ankles if I have to.”

“Stop it!” Everly cried. She threw herself in front of her mother. Beneath the bed, all I saw were her socked feet with hearts on them.

A sharp crack rang out, and Everly yelped in pain before she rocked sideways and fell to her knees. Hand clutched over her cheek, she started to cry.

“Clara!” my father roared. He grabbed his wife by the arm, hauling her back. “Don’t hit her! She did nothing wrong!”

With no memory of leaving the safety from under the bed, I found myself standing in front of my sister, arms stretched out wide like a shield.

That hit was meant for me. Not Everly. I was the one with shortcomings. Not her.

Clara glared viciously at me as my father dragged her out of the room. Down the hall, the fight continued after their bedroom door slammed shut.

Without turning around, I clutched my shirt over my rapidly beating heart in a clenched fist. “I... I’m sorry...” I started to say. It was all my fault.

Everly grabbed me by the arms, whirling me around to face her. I gasped in fright, fearful for a moment that she was going to take out her anger at being slapped on me, but all she did was drag me in for a fierce hug. There was one flash of her tear-stained face, then darkness wrapped me up once more when she smushed my face against her chest.

Stiff as a tree, I accepted the hug with no small amount of confusion.

“Don’t ever do that again,” she ordered shakily, pressing her lips to the top of my head as she smoothed my hair with trembling strokes of her hands down my back. “Don’t you ever try to take a hit like that for me again. I’m supposed to be the one protecting you.”

I didn’t understand her fury, but I at last melted into the hug.

At least one person loved me.

As my senses came back to the dark woods, I could almost hear Everly shrieking at me for being so foolish. For taking hits that would hurt me ten times worse than they would hurt her.

I crawled out from under Everly’s bed a long time ago. I started taking my own hits and doling out my own as soon as I was old enough to understand I wasn’t wrong for being born. This creature—this bully—would not see me cower now.