AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Anyways, the guy was a piece of shit. In his fifties, he only ate canned meat and fish, and definitely took advantage of the foster care system the same way he took advantage of little girls placed in his care.”
My neck bristles, my eyes snapping to hers.
“You got out of there?” I ask.
Her head bobbles back and forth as she moves her knight to a4. “I got out ofthere,only to be placed in another.”
My heart hurts.
My pawn to c5, hers to e5. My knight to d5, and after a moment of hesitation, Jerry switches her king and rook.
My pawn moves to d4, taking one of hers.
“That happened a lot, actually,” she says. “But when I met mom for the first time, she was apologetic. She wanted to help. She made me feel loved. She said she’d bring me home one day. She told me I had a little sister that looked exactly like me.”
“You were born first?”
“I was born first.”
A small smile creeps up the corner of my lips, disappearing as she moves her knight to d4, capturing my pawn.
“For the first time in my short life, I felt like things could look up. I mean, how many people are able to be reunited with their real family?”
My pawn to g6, hers to f4. Mine to a6, hers to f5.
“Did you tell her what was happening?”
Jerry nods her head as I move my queen across the board to h4.
“What did she say?”
Her pawn takes mine at e6. My queen slides over after, taking her pawn. Her king moves to h1.
“She said that sometimes things in this life aren’t fair,” she tells me as she studies the board. “She said that sometimes it’s important to just close your eyes and go to a happier place. That you can’t help what happens to you in this world.”
My stomach drops.
It’s the same thing she told me.
I move my rook to d8, moving my king to c8 at the same time.
“I assume she told you the same?”
I nod.
Her pawn to d7, taking my knight. My king to b8, getting out of its way.
“It’s interesting how it all works, isn’t it?”
“What’s that?”
“The system.”
“Mom and dad belonged to a cult for a long time.”
She nods. “I know. But it’s more than that, isn’t it.”
“What do you mean?”
