Page 1 of Castle

PROLOGUE

MILLIE

I stared at my backpack.

Inside there were some clothes, a toothbrush, toothpaste, some makeup, my almost empty wallet containing fifty dollars, and a hairbrush.

I looked around my room, knowing I wouldn’t miss a thing about being in this place. The past six years here had been nothing short of a nightmare, and every corner was a grim reminder of that. I descended the stairs, hoping to put it all behind me.

Nothing in this house was worth remembering. If it was possible, I wanted to forget everything; starting with my uncle Mark and his son, Ray.

The only reason I stayed for as long as I did was for my aunt, who was ill and passed away last week.

Now, I had no reason to live in this house.

After my aunt’s passing, not a day went by that I didn’t plan on escaping.

I tiptoed down the hallway and threw a glance at the living room. Mark was seated on the raggedy old couch. A puff of smoke permeated the air, and the ashtray was decorated withcigarette butts. For a forty-five-year-old man, he looked at least ten years older.

He was intently watching something on the TV and chugging a large can of beer when his eyes landed on me. His face twisted into an ugly smile.

“Where are you going,honey?” His words were slurred.

I dropped my bag on the floor out of his sight as I answered him, “I’m just going to Perry’s house. Forgot my notebook there.” I said, letting the lie roll naturally from my lips.

“Alright, but don’t be late. I hate to be kept waiting.” He sneered at me before looking back at the television screen.

I masked the look of pure disgust as I pocketed some money lying around on the table. I opened the door to the old rickety house and sniffed the air of freedom as soon as I stepped outside. My cousin Ray’s old beat-up truck was parked out front, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight. I assumed he was working on one of his useless cars in the garage.

The trees whooshed as I walked past them. I looked once at the cornfields and tried not to think of all the vile stuff that happened back there.

The scarecrow standing alone in the dark looked like a prop right out of a macabre horror movie, like it was going to follow me.

Cars zoomed past me, some men passed dirty comments, and others offered me a ride. I’d dressed appropriately in jeans and a loose fitted tank top. I’d also pulled on a jacket to cover myself, so there was nothing scandalous to look at here. I guess it didn’t matter, just as long as a woman was walking alone on the street; men were going to whistle and cat-call.

Twenty minutes later, I found the bus stop that was going to take me to my final destination. I had to wait for another thirty minutes before a bus pulled up before the station. I climbed in and took the very first seat that was vacant by the door.

Goodbye fucked up past, and hello bright future!

This felt like an adventure as if I was letting fate decide what was in store for me. I tried not to be too upset about not having much cash or losing a permanent home—especially since, if I wasn’t hired for this job as planned, I would be practically homeless.

I opened the app on my phone and checked all the jobs I’d marked important and only one of them was in the same location I was heading towards.

One ad read:

NEED A FULL-TIME BABYSITTER.

Should be beautiful with curves and no scars. Interested candidates kindly send your details ;)

I rolled my eyes. Am I supposed to take this seriously?

Why did a babysitter need to have curves? I knew this ad looked sketchy as hell and there was no doubt in my mind that this man was a perv trying to catch unsuspecting teenage girls. I reported the ad and scrolled through more. A few minutes later, I finally found the one that I was looking for.

The advertisement on the app read:

Looking for a dedicated live-in nanny to join our family an a full-time basis.

Requirements:

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