Fighting For A Goddess

Mornings were Jade's favorite. She used to be the furthest thing from a morning person. But in the last few years, mornings were the only time home felt peaceful. She set her book down on the bedside table, pulled on black athletic leggings and a sports bra, and tied her long dark hair into a ponytail. Her room was in the attic. The smallest space in the house, but she didn't mind. Being up here felt like an escape. She carefully pulled the white comforter over the small boy snoring softly on her bed. Aidan was her six-year-old brother, though he looked even younger, especially when he slept. The serious expression he usually wore melted away, making his face round and childlike. Jade leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. She tiptoed around the stacks of old books covering the floor and clicked off the string lights draped across the ceiling. Aidan struggled to sleep without them. She’d never let him catch on that she was afraid of the dark, too. He needed her to be a monster slayer, not another scared kid. Slipping on her white tennis shoes, she paused in front of her full-length mirror, its frame littered with faded Polaroids of Aidan’s dimpled face. Among them, a single photo of Xander—her older brother’s friend. He had smiled at her when she took it, and even now, her heart stuttered looking at it. He had no clue about her crush. Not that it mattered. He was five years older and saw her as nothing more than Kyle’s kid sister. It was the last week of her senior year. She hadn’t had the typical high school experience, but she couldn’t care less. Her eighteenth birthday was a week away, and all that mattered was saving the last bit of money she needed to leave. For three years, she had planned her escape. It wasn’t easy finding a place far enough that her father wouldn’t be able to track her down and drag her back. Would he go that far? She wasn’t sure. But her gut screamed that if she stayed, something terrible would happen. Her dreams had only made the feeling worse—visions of a silver-haired woman whispering the same warning: Run. Fairview was a quiet, small town, surrounded by forests and lakes. From the outside, it seemed like the perfect place to live. No one would suspect this sleepy town was the backdrop to her nightmares. Too many nights she had fallen asleep clutching Aidan to her chest, covering his ears to block out the sounds of breaking glass and drunken shouting. Her father’s drinking had only worsened over the years. She struggled to recall a single happy memory with him. Not a word of encouragement, not a warm embrace. He wasn’t Father of the Year to Aidan or Kyle either, but he reserved a special kind of hatred for her. Or at least, he enjoyed hurting her the most. Her mother was no better. A walking ghost, barely present, locked away in her room. She never intervened, never shielded Jade from their father’s wrath. No warm meals on holidays, no cheers at school events, no arms to hold her when she cried. Her mother’s absence wasn’t enough to haunt her—because to be haunted, something had to have been there in the first place. Aidan was the only light in Jade’s world. He was her reason. And that was why she had to take him with her. It had taken months, but she had found someone who could forge the documents she needed to become Aidan’s legal guardian. Getting him out wouldn’t be easy, but she was prepared. Jade crept past the basement door leading to Kyle’s room. She had never understood why he stayed. He was twenty-two, free to leave anytime. Their father left him alone for the most part, but even free rent wasn’t worth living in a war zone. She had never been close to Kyle—he was moody, short-tempered. The only upside to him still being around was seeing Xander. She used to wish Xander was her brother. He had always looked out for her and Aidan. But those brotherly feelings had long since faded. She was sixteen when she realized Xander wasn’t just kind—he was drop-dead gorgeous. When they first moved to Fairview five years ago, Kyle had befriended Xander almost instantly. Jade had been jealous at first. Kyle had made a friend in two days. Meanwhile, she had spent nearly a year feeling like an alien before Lindy moved to town. They had quickly bonded over their shared status as outsiders. Jade slipped out the front door and stretched before jogging down the road. She ran the same route every day. It was mostly uphill, a brutal twenty-minute workout for her calves. But more importantly, it took her past Xander’s house. Not that she was hoping to see him. That would be pathetic. Still, she slowed her pace as she neared the house. It was a mansion in the oldest, wealthiest neighborhood in town. Xander lived there with a few other guys his age. She had only been inside once, a few months ago, when Kyle had locked his keys in his car and made her drop off his spare set. She had taken Aidan with her—both parents had disappeared for the weekend. Kyle had barely acknowledged her when he grabbed the keys. But before she could put the car in reverse, Xander had come running out, grinning like an i***t and waving his arms. "You’re just gonna drive away without saying hi?" he had asked, leaning on her open window, his face way too close to hers. She had tried to play it cool. "Didn’t want to interrupt your party." "Trust me, you wouldn’t be interrupting. Come inside, I want to show you something." He hadn’t waited for her to agree. He had just opened Aidan’s door, scooped him up onto his shoulders, and walked inside. Jade had followed, her heart in her throat. Xander had led them to his study, where he and Aidan had spent hours talking about space and astronomy. He had shown them his new telescope, igniting Aidan’s obsession with the stars. A sound pulled Jade from the memory. The front door to Xander’s house opened. Her breath hitched as she glanced over, hoping to see familiar blue eyes. Instead, a tall blond guy with golden-brown eyes walked down the driveway. He was built like Xander—leaner, but still broad. He caught her staring and grinned. She blushed, embarrassed to have been caught checking him out. She forced a small smile before picking up her pace and running past the house. She needed to get a grip. This crush was ridiculous. She had real problems to worry about. Xander was just a fantasy—one she couldn’t afford to indulge.