Page 70 of Dollhouse

No surprise that King is already staring at me with pure amusement. I was learning quickly that the fucker liked death and blood just as much as I do.

With the sweetest smile I can muster, I climb off Eli’s desk and walk toward the door. “You know what, you’re right. You three should discuss this privately, I’ll just be in the living room.” King extends his arm, wraps it around my waist and quickly pulls me to sit on his lap.

He locks his arms around me, holding my back against his chest. “Butterfly, did you set your foster family on fire?” I’m not answering that. I wriggle against his grip.

“Did Ace have anything to do with it?” Rowen asks. I don’t miss the venom he spits when he says Ace’s name.

“Why would Ace have anything to do with it?” I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. These motherfuckers are not going to blame Ace for my actions.

“Explain yourself, angel.” Rowen looks at me.

They’re not looking at me with judgment. Curiosity dances in their eyes.

Even though I am not going to be judged for my actions, I don’t want to tell them what led me to setting the house on fire.

Up until that point, I have never killed anyone myself, though I was no stranger to death. I’ve seen death too many times in my life. It doesn’t scare me.

I turn my head and look Rowen in the eyes, hoping the look I am giving him would express everything I couldn’t say.

His eyes soften, and he reaches across to take my hands in his, tightening his grip. He pulls me out of King’s arms and into his lap. He turns me so that I’m straddling him.

Whoever’s t-shirt I’m wearing rides up on my thighs. His hands trail up my exposed thighs and keep going until he’s shoving his hands into my hair, tangling my dark locks around his fingers, pulling me closer to him to rest his forehead against mine.

“Did they hurt you?” His voice is low, in a whisper for only me to hear.

I don’t respond, only nod my head.

They didn’t record me like Greg did, but Bill and Colton liked to sneak into my room after Willa passed out after taking one too many sleeping pills.

Then they’d take turns raping me.

They made me a victim once again after escaping Greg. They lured me into a false sense of security.

They enrolled me into a good school and into ballet, and they took good care of me.

Out of all of the homes I’d been in, theirs was my favorite at first.

I’d been living there for nearly a year when Colton came home from college to stay for the summer.

The night after driving lessons with Bill was the first time Colton snuck into my room.

The next time he came into my room, he wasn’t alone.

I’m not sure if Willa knew or not.

They’d only come into my room after she was asleep, and when she was awake during the days, they’d act as if nothing had ever happened.

If she did know, she was great at pretending she didn’t.

She might’ve been innocent, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that she would’ve blamed me had she known. It went on long enough, and the week before I turned eighteen, I snapped. I couldn’t take it anymore.

I was so fucking tired of being a victim.

“Remember,Lee, this is our secret. We’re not blood related, so it’s okay that we do this, but still, no one would understand our connection,” Colton said as he undressed himself. He was home from college for the summer again, which meant he was back to making his nightly visit to my room.

Bill had his visit last night, so tonight was Colton’s turn since he wanted “alone time” as he told his father.

My queen-size bed had dipped with his weight as he climbed on top of me. I closed my eyes once I started aching between my legs.

---