Page 24 of Hush 3: Hidden Family

“Stop crying, little one. It will grow back. We will make this better.”

“I don’t want to go back there. I have grown tired of them and their treatment of me.”

“Then you will not return there. You never have to go back to that school.”

“Really?” I sob into his neck.

He passes a hand over my head. I begin to hiccup as my tears subside. Suddenly, I become aware of the fact that I’m sitting in his lap and his strong arms are around me.

“Yes,cara. I mean it. You will not go back to that school.”

“Thank you.”

“Where did the knives come from,bella?”

“I ordered them online. They were the most suitable for my hands. I can throw them easily.”

“Would you like to train with Uri and me? It is your choice.”

“Yes, I would like this. I would like to fight and be strong.”

He kisses my forehead. “Good. You will train, but first, we will get revenge,” he murmurs while stroking my back.

CHAPTER 12

Little Meanies

Michael

“This is the last one,” I whisper to Sim as we step in front of the house of Sandra, her bully from school.

“She is the worst of them all. I am ready.”

I nod and we begin to move forward. It gutted me to hear Symphony crying like that. She’s a sweet girl and only wants to be treated like a human.

They had no right to cut her hair. I’m still livid. There is no way I was going to allow this to go unanswered.

Uri asked me to be her moral compass and yet here we are. Instead of training Symphony to protect herself, I’m teaching the girl to sneak into the homes of others to exact her revenge.

We enter the bedroom of Sandra, and I go to stand in the corner of the room of the last girl we will visit tonight. From the shadows, I watch Sim move with stealthy precision. She is a quick study.

Symphony had this down by the second girl. Five bullies in all. All five will pay for what they have done.

Sim pulls her blade and swiftly cuts the girl’s ponytail off, leaving the severed locks lying on the pillow. Then she reaches for the tub of pig’s blood from her backpack and pours it onto the girl’s sheets. A grin comes to my lips as she comes to me for the cat carrier I’m holding for her.

She takes the carrier with the skunk inside and creeps back over to the bed. The skunk races out of the cage onto the bed and climbs up the girl’s body. I wish we could stay to watch how this all plays out, but we need to go.

Sim runs to me and places her hand in mine. I lead her back out of the house safely and we climb into our waiting car. Adriano pulls off quickly as the lights from the house we just left begin to come on.

Symphony wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me tightly. My anger finally begins to dissipate. I can breathe without seeing red.

“Thank you, Michael. I do feel better now. They will all wake and find their hair lying on their pillows.

“When they return to school, they will know my embarrassment and hurt,” she murmurs, causing my heart to squeeze.

“Put them out of your mind. They can never hurt you again.”

CHAPTER 13

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