The hitman's wife

CHAPTER 1: BEFORE (Angel)

For as long as I could remember I had been just one of hundreds of kids stuck in the foster system. Unlike most of the kids i had met, I didn't remember anything other than being in care. My parents had died when I was young and I didn't even remember them. What I did remember was the numerous foster homes and the families I had lived with. Unfortunately I had been one of the victims of the system and I had a run of bad luck that meant none of the placements ever worked out. I learnt from an early age to be wary of everyone and to look out for myself. I had grown up too quick and had to be self sufficient and a fighter. The homes i had been placed in had not been good homes. Although, there had been one, once. The majority of homes came with alcoholic moms who needed the foster money, abusive dad's who took pleasure in backhanding a child and in reveling in their power and children that took delight in tormenting foster kids. There had been one placement that had given me hope. Lizzie had been awesome. She had genuinely cared and had wanted to adopt me. She had been beautiful and smart and funny. And for a few months I had really thought that I had found an actual home and someone who cared about me. That hadn't lasted long though. I was happy for the first time in forever and was even doing better at school. And then I'd been called to the principles office and it had all fallen down around me. Lizzie had been in an accident they said. Even then I still had hope. A little bit of time to recover and we could be back to that happy state. And then they broke all my hopes and dreams when they told me Lizzie hadn't made it. I was numb and couldn't take it all in. I was alone again and now I didn't even have hope to keep me going. I was 12 years old and I had another 6 years before I could escape the system. I just had to keep my head down and make it through and not let myself get too attached. 

I was taken to another foster home. This one had more kids and I suppose they thought I would prefer it to have other kids around  I didn't. There were 4 of us in all. Alice was about the same age as me and was quiet, always walking around with her head bent and acting like she didn't exist. Kim was the oldest at 17 and she was loud and brash and always getting in to trouble though nobody seemed to care. Then there was Theo. He was 15 and was handsome to look at. He had the bad boy vibe going on and was always dressed in jeans and a black top. But it was his eyes that stood out. They were mesmerising and i couldn't help but stare at them. Theo didn't seem to like me much and he hadn't spoken more than a few words to me since i had been there. From the outside it seemed to be a nice home but i could feel the atmosphere and the wariness that suggested something else. Kim was forever acting out and nobody said a word, it made me wonder just what she was acting out against. Alice continued to walk around the house like a wraith and it disturbed Becca to see someone acting like a ghost. The mom appeared happy and caring on the outside but other times she was so quiet and withdrawn and a shadow of her former self. It was only a couple of weeks before the truth started to show. It started with an accidental brush of fingers to my ass as i walked by and then a deliberate grope and then came the lewd comments when i was alone. The dad was the worst one in that house and i realised that he was the lowest of the low, the kind that got fixated on the young girls and maybe even did more. I started to feel uncomfortable in the house and started to see Alice and Kim's behaviour in a different light. I was genuinely afraid to be alone with him and I had nobody to turn to. I would lie in bed at night and cry myself to sleep at night thinking of Lizzie and wishing that she was here with me even as I flinched at the slightest sound, afraid that tonight he would come for me. It was when I was going to the bathroom one night that I heard a noise coming from Alice's room. The door was slightly ajar and through it I could see Alice laid prone in her bed with glazed eyes while the dad laid on top of her. His grunts filled the silence and I could only stare wide eyed while revulsion swept through me. Then abruptly the dad turned his head and saw me. He didn't stop. Instead he focused on me with those glittering eyes as he continued. I felt sick to my stomach and I didn't know what to do. Did I wake the mom up? Did I call the police? What did I do? Before I could decide another door nearby opened and Kim stepped out. She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to the bathroom. "Keep your mouth shut," were her parting words. I didn't know what to say. Surely she couldn't be serious. She turned to walk away and the dad appeared behind her. He offered a smile that didn't reach his cold eyes and a finger stroked her cheek. When the eyes lifted to me again I swallowed nervously and stepped back in to the bathroom. Closing the door firmly I made sure the lock was in place before collapsing next to the toilet and throwing up. Afterwards I could only sit on the bathroom floor and stare in to space. What the hell was I meant to do? I was disgusted, both with what I had witnessed and with myself for not doing anything. He'd abused Alice and I had just stood there and watched it happen. I wasn't sure how long I sat there with my arms wrapped around myself while I shivered with the memory and the disgust that swept through me. I only stirred when a knock sounded at the door and I gasped as my eyes went wide. Oh god, he was here for me. He was going to hurt me.