The memory of the foster home rose up - the smell of too many unwashed bodies, the sound of crying in the night, the constant fear of being sent somewhere worse. I'd promised myself I'd never go back. I'd do anything to stay in this perfect world I'd built.
"I did what I had to do," I said, but the words sounded hollow even to me. "I earned my place here. Those other girls, they're weak. They'll never appreciate what you gave them. They'll waste it, just like they waste every chance they get."
But even as I said it, I knew it wasn't true. I'd been one of those girls once. Before I learned to hide my past. Before I convinced the Lewis family to adopt me. Before I made myself into someone who belonged in their world.
My rage drained suddenly, leaving me empty. I looked around at my ruined
