NINE YEARS OLD

Serefina raised her eyebrows as she looked at Hope. The little girl was covered in blood and mud. 

"What in the hell happened to her?" Serefina crossed her arms. She didn't appreciate the sight of Hope right now. 

"Mrs. Mason, please mind your words…" Ariel, Hope's homeroom teacher, whispered to Serefina timidly. She was still afraid of this woman after all these years. 

"Oh, this is the way you talk." Mrs. Ramirez, Drake's mother, sneered at Serefina. She raised her chin and crossed her arms haughtily. "I don't have to wonder why your daughter is very rude any longer."

Serefina shifted the focus of her lime green eyes toward the woman who was talking with hostility just a second ago.

Even that small gesture, managed to make Ariel gulp hard. She felt like she was watching a thriller movie, where the murderer was gazing down at their victim.