Prologue
I shut the door quietly in an attempt not to disturb grandma and Seraphine, who had finally slept. and went out to get the mail. Seraphine had finally fallen asleep after nearly two days. All the poor girl had been doing since then was crying. "I want mommy and daddy!" Was all she would say. She wouldn't eat. She wouldn't drink. She wouldn't talk.
I was lost, to be honest. What was I supposed to do when my twelve year old sister cried for my dead parents? How was I supposed to console her, especially when there was no way I could tell her the reason? And I was supposed to care for her now? How was I supposed to do that when I myself was only fifteen?
It didn't matter how. I would do it. I had to. Because the only other option would be to send us both into foster care. And under no circumstances was I to be separated from Seraphine. I didn't care what we had to go through to stay together. I didn't care what I had to do to ensure we stayed together. I would do it.
That's why we moved into Grandma's, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to care for us. Because we would then legally be staying with an adult. That was enough. I would still be with Seraphine.
I reached the mail box and yanked it open, pulling out the multiple magazines my Grandma subscribed to, seeing which could go into the trash. As I went through the pile, my eyes landed on an off white envelope. Written on it in bright red ink in cursive, was my name.
Wondering who would send me mail, I flipped it over, tearing open the seal. Inside was a neatly folded piece of paper. Pulling it out, I unfolded it.
Dear Danielle Carter,
Your father made a big mistake in trying to come after us. We told him to stay away. He should have listened.
So beware. Cause we're coming for you
~♠️
The second my eyes landed on the symbol, the letter fell from my shaking hand. I took a step back from it, feeling cold sweat dripping down my spine. No, no. This could not be happening. They... They couldn't come after us.
I stared at the floor, telling myself I was dreaming. That I would wake up and realize it was all just a nightmare. That this letter had never arrived.
But the letter stayed right there, fallen on the floor, the black spade glistening in the sunlight.
Ooh, I have a special place in my heart for a well-done teacher-student romance. From the summary alone, I already have high hopes for it...
Good on Danielle for being such a trooper. Losing one's parents at that age is hard. I'm half a decade older than she is here and even I can't fathom the thought of losing mine. She also seems to be smart, outmaneuvering the foster system like she did just to stay with her sister, the poor thing. That makes me assured that she's not the type to be easily manipulated: a common danger in teacher-student relationships, fictional or not.
That letter slapped me out of nowhere. I love it! (I mean, I love the twist, not the fact that she's being threatened by whoever. That's cruel.) No wonder she wouldn't let people get close to her...