“That’s great kiddo. But have you brushed your teeth today?” Ellie nodded eagerly, but Ruby raised an eyebrow. “And your hair?”
Ellie hesitated, flashed a sheepish grin, and sprinted off toward the back of the house faster than any kid her age should be able to run.
Jonah stood beside her, watching the girl disappear down the hall. “What’s the plan?” he asked, the question softened with an implicit trust that warmed Ruby’s heart.
“The TCA will take her in,” Ruby said. Jonah’s eyes were filled with questions but no judgment as he waited for her to explain. Kavya scoffed. “They’re enrolling her in the training program, one like I went through—but she’ll be safe.” Ruby stared at the ground, the memory of what the agency had put her through too fresh. “They’ll keep her away from Edward and make sure she learns to control her abilities.”
Ellie winced, hand on her stomach. “My tummy hurts,” she whispered, and Ruby’s heart dropped. She led the girl to the bathroom, holding her steady as she retched, her face pale.
“Feel better?” Ruby asked, gently brushing Ellie’s hair back as she caught her breath.
Ellie managed a nod, leaning into Ruby’s touch.
Kavya hovered in the doorway. “Why don’t you go ahead and start getting some stuff together, Ellie?”
“Can Jonah help me? I want to bring Billy but he’s on the top shelf and I can’t reach him.”
Jonah appeared over Kavya’s shoulder. “Of course.”
The women fell silent as the child left the room. The small sounds of Ellie gathering her things echoed through the house. Ellie laughed from the other room and a pang of grief hurled through Ruby for the parts of herself she’d had to bury, the waysshe’d been taught to hate her own kind. Ellie shouldn’t have to grow up fighting a war against herself.
A few cartoons later, Kavya’s phone rang. Ellie popped up from the couch, releasing the braid she was attempting in Jonah’s hair.
“Elle, I need you to listen to me.” Ruby’s chest tightened. She spun the girl around, looking her in the eye. “Some friends of mine are going to help keep you safe for a while, until I can come back.”
Ellie frowned, clutching her hand tightly. “But I want to stay with you.”
Ruby forced a smile. “This is just for a little while, I promise.”
They both turned at the sound of tires on gravel as a black TCA van pulled into the driveway. Two agents stepped out. Ellie shrank back, her fingers gripping Ruby’s hand with renewed urgency.
“Ruby?” Ellie trembled, her small face pressed into Ruby’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, Ellie,” Ruby whispered, pulling her close, feeling the girl’s heartbeat racing. “These people are here to help keep you safe.”
But as the agents approached, Ellie’s face twisted with sudden panic. “No!” she screamed, surprising Ruby with her strength as she pushed one of the agents backward. He stumbled, shock flashing across his face as he hit the ground.
Ellie’s scream cut through the evening air, her terror raw and unfiltered. “These are the bad men! They’ll hurt me!” She struggled against Ruby’s arms, her small fists pounding as she tried to break free.
Ruby knelt, scooping Ellie into her arms, her heart aching with every sob that shook the tiny girl. “These are friends of mine, Ellie. They’re here to help, I swear. I’ll come back for you as soon as I can. You have my word.”
But Ellie shook her head, her fists clutching Ruby’s shirt. “No! Please don’t let them take me.”
One of the agents stepped forward, producing a small vial and a syringe. Ruby tensed, her instincts flaring, but this was protocol. She wanted to scream, to tell them to stop. Jonah’s hand clapped on her shoulder, grounding her.
“It’s only temporary,” the agent said softly, looking at Ruby with a mix of apology and duty.
Ruby nodded, her jaw clenched as she watched the agent inject the sedative. Ellie’s cries softened, her eyes blinking heavily as the sedative took effect. She reached out, her hand brushing Ruby’s cheek. “Please,” she murmured, her words slurred with sleep. “Please, Ruby. Help me…”
Ruby held her close until the last hint of awareness faded from Ellie’s eyes. She pressed a kiss to Ellie’s forehead, whispering, “I’ll come back for you. I promise.”
As the agents carried her to the van, Ruby and Jonah stood side by side, silent. The van’s engine rumbled to life, and they watched it roll down the driveway and disappear into the night, carrying the small girl away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
RUBY SAT ONthe edge of her hotel bed, staring at the dark void of her television screen. Her reflection stared back at her, distorted, pale, barely illuminated by the light in the bathroom that she hadn’t bothered to turn off.
The silence pressed down on her, thick and suffocating. Every time she blinked, Ellie’s face stared back at her—her wide, terrified eyes, the way her hands clung to her before the agents took her away.
