Dangerously Mine

Chapter 1

JHANNARA’S POV

The tray was heavy. That’s the first thing I felt, but I also felt the cold, sharp edge of the silver digging into the calluses on my palms. I’ve spent eight years scrubbing floors I’ll never own, and these calluses are the only thing I have to show for it.

I looked at them through the crack in the door. Theodore, Tina, and Shaina. A family. A real, wealthy, messy family. And then there’s me. I call them "Mom" and "Dad," but we all know the truth. I’m the help. I’m the girl they picked up from the orphanage when I was eleven and my brain was a blank slate.

They say they’re my family, but they hate me. I see it in the way they look past me, or the way they only look at me when they want something cleaned. I never ask why. If I ask questions, I get hit. Simple as that. I stood in the hallway, listening to the grandfather clock. Tick. Tock. It sounded like a heartbeat.

My heartbeat.

Deep breaths, Jhannara. Don't let the cups rattle. If she hears them, she’ll have a reason to get mad.

The air in the hallway was gross, thick with the smell of floor wax and those expensive lilies Tina loves. It’s a smell that always makes me feel like I’m suffocating.

Crash.

The sound of breaking glass came from inside the study. I jumped, and my heart started thumping against my ribs like a trapped bird.

"Bankrupt? Theodore, look at me when I’m talking!"

Tina’s voice was like a blade. High, sharp, and mean. I leaned my back against the silk wallpaper. Bankrupt. The word felt like someone had punched me in the stomach.

I thought about the day the nuns handed me over to them. The sisters looked so happy for me. They thought the owners of Black Label wine were taking me to a palace. They didn't know they were handing me over to people who would treat me like a slave.

Eight years later, I thought.

Eight years of being nobody. If the money is gone, what happens to me? Am I just going to be thrown out like trash?

"It’s the creditors, Tina," Theodore said. His voice sounded different. He sounded small. "If we don't get a huge amount of cash by the end of the month, they’ll take everything. The cars. The hotel. This house. The business. It’s all gone."

"The house?" Tina screamed. "What about Shaina’s debut? The invitations are out! You want our daughter to have her birthday in a tiny apartment? Think about our reputation!"

I looked down at the two cups of coffee on my tray. The liquid was shaking.

What about me? The thought popped into my head before I could stop it. Where do I go if the house is gone? I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. Just when I thought I’d figured out how to survive in this house, the walls were falling down.

I couldn’t stay in the hall forever. I took a shaky breath and pushed the door open. It made a loud creak that made me winced.

The room was hot and smelled like old paper. Theodore was slumped at his desk, his hair a mess. Tina was by the fireplace, her face red and her eyes full of a scary kind of anger.

Eyes down. Don't look at them. I walked across the rug, trying to be silent. I could feel Tina’s eyes on me like a physical heat. I leaned down to set the tray on the table. My knees were shaking.

I gave the first cup to Theodore. He didn't even notice me. His hands were trembling so much he had to hide them under the desk.

Then, I turned to Tina. I held the second cup out. The silence in the room was so heavy I felt like I might snap.

"Must you be so slow, Jhannara?" she whispered.

Before I could pull back, she didn't take the cup, she pushed my hand away. The hot coffee splashed over the side, right onto my thumb.

It burned. A sharp, stinging pain that made my eyes water. But I didn't move. I didn't scream. I just stood there, my heart hammering, the coffee soaking into my skin.

"I’m sorry, Mom," I whispered. My voice sounded like a little kid’s.

"Sorry," she mocked, stepping closer. Her perfume was so strong I felt dizzy. "You’re always sorry. You’re just another mouth to feed when we can’t even afford the lights. You’re a waste."

She grabbed the cup, spilling more on the rug. She didn't care. The rug was expensive, but I wasn't.

"Get out. Don't let me see you until dinner. You make me sick."

I gripped the tray against my chest. The cold metal felt good against my burning thumb. "Yes, Mom."

I backed out with my head down. But at the door, I looked up. Just for a second.

Theodore was looking at me.

But he wasn't looking at me like a person. He was looking at me the way he looks at his watches before he sells them. There was something dark and desperate in his eyes.

He’s going to sell me, I realized. My stomach dropped into my shoes.

I hurried out and shut the door. Click.

"Bad day, Jana?"

I jumped. Shaina was leaning against the wall in her silk robe, smirking at me.

"You look like a mess," she added, looking at the burn on my thumb. "Maybe try being more useful. Dad’s losing it because of the money."

I didn't answer. I just nodded and tried to walk past, but she blocked me.

"Did you hear? About the billionaire in the city?" she whispered. "Dad’s looking for a way out. And you’ve always been so... obedient. I wonder how much an orphan is worth these days."

She laughed and walked away.

I stood there, frozen. A way out. I walked to the kitchen and turned on the water. I stuck my thumb under the cold stream.

They’re my family, I told myself. They saved me. I have to be grateful.

But as I watched the water go down the drain, I couldn't help it.

Who was I before they found me? Was I loved? Or was I always just a thing for people to use? I grabbed a sponge and started to scrub the sink. I scrubbed until my arm hurt, trying to make my brain go quiet. But I could still see Theodore’s eyes.

I looked out the window. The sky was turning purple and grey, looking bruised. It was going to rain.

Just like it did eight years ago.

When my memory of my past starts to fade.