Chapter 11

The classroom sparkled.

No one talked to Ivy. She didn't mind. Three years locked away in the Shaw family's house, in her past life, had left her hollow inside.

Back then, they'd shut her in a dark room. Alone. Now she sat in an actual classroom.

Her brother sat next to her.

Ivy sat in the corner. She looked around. The room looked different today.

Colorful balloons hung from the ceiling. Glittery streamers draped everywhere. A three-tiered cake sat on the teacher's desk.

A chocolate deer perched on top. A cherry balanced on its antlers.

Every kid looked like a store window mannequin. The boys wore little suits and bow ties. The girls wore puffy skirts and leather shoes.

Crystal hairpins caught the light in their hair.

"Chloe looks so pretty today!"

"Chloe's dress is a limited edition! My mom said it costs a fortune!"

"Chloe, is your crown real crystal?"

Chloe's little fan club swarmed around her as they walked into the classroom.

Chloe had gone all out. Her golden hair was pinned up in an elaborate style. A tiny diamond-encrusted crown sat on top of her head.

She wore a pink-purple puffy skirt. Her chin was tilted up. Her skirt swayed with every step.

But if you looked closely, one side of her updo was noticeably shorter than the other. Gel held it down, barely hiding the shaved patch underneath.

Chloe's eyes swept through the crowd and landed straight on Ivy in the corner.

The two bodyguards she'd sent to rough Ivy up had been found.

They were discovered by the trash cans behind the preschool alley. Still alive. But their tendons had been completely cut.

They lay in the alley like two heaps of mud. Couldn't crawl. Couldn't move.

The doctors said the tendons could be reattached. But even after they healed, they'd never be the same.

Chloe hadn't believed it when she first heard. That poor, crazy girl had actually made it out.

Chloe took a deep breath. She walked into the classroom in her shiny little shoes, chin tilted even higher than usual.

She stopped at her desk and looked down at Ivy. There was a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Ivy. Do you know what today is?"

Ivy looked up. "What day?"

"Today is Sacred Sprouts Preschool's annual Summer Party."

Chloe spread her arms wide, showing off the balloons and streamers filling the room.

"Every kid got an invitation. They wore their best outfits. They brought gifts to share with their friends. But..."

Chloe stretched out that last word on purpose. She tilted her head with an exaggerated look of confusion.

"It seems like someone didn't get invited. Can you guess who?"

The room went quiet for a second. Then little laughs started bubbling up from the corners.

"They don't even have party clothes. So sad."

"My mom told me not to play with kids in raggedy clothes. Being poor is contagious."

Chloe was loving every second of it. Her arms were crossed. A huge smile spread across her face.

She'd been waiting a whole week for this. She wanted Ivy to know who the real princess of this preschool was.

Ivy ignored her.

Chloe's face twitched for a split second. Her voice jumped up a notch.

"Ivy, are you deaf? You weren't invited. You and that mute who can't even talk. Neither of you were invited."

Ivy's brows pulled together slightly. Chloe could say whatever she wanted about her. Not her brother.

She hopped off her chair and stood up straight. Those green eyes went ice cold.

Ivy dug a finger in her ear. Her voice was flat and impatient.

"My ears work just fine. Why are you screaming? Nobody invited us? Even better. More cherries on the cake for us."

Chloe's face went red. Her fingers trembled.

"Shameless. This is our party. You two beggars don't belong here."

She turned to face the class. "Right? We should kick them out."

A few of her little followers jumped in right away. A chubby boy ran over and reached for Silas's shoulder.

"Didn't you hear? Chloe said get out!"

Silas looked down at the pudgy hand coming toward him. His amber eyes narrowed just a little.

He was already running the numbers. Which angle would pop this kid's joint with the least effort? Elbow or wrist. Which one would hurt more?

But Silas didn't get the chance to move. Ivy had already handled it.

She stepped sideways, putting herself between the boy and Silas. Her right hand came up in one smooth motion.

She grabbed the boy's wrist and pushed outward.

The chubby boy stumbled back two steps and crashed into the kid behind him.

That kid crashed into the next one. Then the next. Like dominoes, they went down one after another.

Chairs and tables flew. Confetti and glitter scattered all over the floor.

Ivy pulled her hand back and looked at her palm, genuinely puzzled.

"Why couldn't you keep your balance? Did you skip breakfast? No wonder you need a party invitation just to eat. So sad."

The kids on the floor rubbed their heads and backsides. A few had already started crying.

Chloe's face had gone a sickly shade. Her lips were shaking. She jabbed a finger at Ivy.

"You... you hit them!"

"I didn't hit anyone." Ivy's face was completely innocent. Her green eyes were wide and clear.

"I barely touched him. He just couldn't keep his balance. The teacher always says kids need to eat enough to grow up strong."

"Look at me. I eat everything Mom cooks every single day. I'm very strong."

In the corner, the corner of Silas's mouth twitched. If Mom's cooking could make people strong, he and Dad would've turned into superhumans by now.

Chloe was shaking with rage. Her carefully planned script had gone completely off the rails.

In her head, Ivy was supposed to be shunned by the whole class. Crying. Then slinking out of the room. Not this.

She bit her lip. Her fingers curled tight. Her eyes drifted to the three-tiered cake sitting on the teacher's desk. A new idea was forming.

"Ivy, you talk so much. Is it because you're too poor to afford a decent dress?"

Chloe walked over to the teacher's desk. She picked up a cup of orange juice and took a slow, elegant sip.

"You showed up to the party without even bringing a gift. Is your family really that poor?"

Ivy tilted her head. "I brought one."

Chloe froze. "What?"

"My gift." Ivy said it like it was obvious. Then she started walking toward Chloe.

Chloe felt a sudden, uneasy feeling she couldn't quite explain.

But Ivy kept coming. She walked right up to Chloe, her expression completely serious and innocent.

"You don't look so good. Your face is all green. Let me put some foundation on for you."

Then she lifted the small cake she'd just grabbed off the table. The whole thing, cream and strawberry jam and all, smashed straight into Chloe's face.

Chloe shrieked. "You... you... you're insane!"

Cream covered her entire face. Her fancy updo was half knocked loose. Her little crown tilted sideways.

A blob of pink strawberry cream dangled from her nose. She looked absolutely wrecked.

Before Chloe's scream had even died down, Ivy picked up a cup of water from the table. Her face stayed completely serious.

"Hold still. Warm water opens up your pores. The foundation will go on much better."

She splashed it right onto Chloe's face.

Chloe screamed again from the heat.

The cut from the scissors last time hadn't fully healed yet. The hot water hit it hard. Red and stinging. Little blisters were already rising on her wrist.

"Help... she's crazy..." Chloe was sobbing as she stumbled backward.

Cream was blocking her eyes. She couldn't see where she was going.

Her foot landed on a chunk of fallen cake. She slipped and went down onto the floor, surrounded by confetti and smeared cream.

Her carefully pinned updo completely fell apart. Her golden hair hung in a messy tangle over her shoulders. The shaved patch was right there for everyone to see.

Every kid in the classroom had backed into the corner. Nobody made a sound.

Ivy stood where she was and brushed the cake crumbs off her hands.

The rest of the day passed without a word. Not a single teacher asked any questions. Nobody else came anywhere near her.

After school, Ivy came through the front door, kicked off her shoes, and ran barefoot into the living room. She threw her arms around Vivienne, who was sitting on the sofa looking over a menu.

"Mom!"

Vivienne put the menu down. She looked at her daughter's dirty, beaming little face and gently ruffled her hair.

"Ivy, why are you so happy today?"

Ivy bounced around and started acting everything out as she told Vivienne the whole story of what happened at preschool.

Vivienne's eyes lit up. Those amber eyes filled with something close to wild, gleeful pride.

"Ivy, you were incredible. Mom was so worried you'd get picked on at school. But you already know how to take care of yourself."

"Mom taught me well."

Ivy said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Mom said the best defense is a good offense. Make people scared of you first. Then they won't dare mess with you."

"Now that I've smashed cake all over her face, she definitely won't dare come at me again."

Vivienne's eyes went warm. She was so proud she almost cried.

Her Ivy. Her Ivy who wasn't the sharpest but had a natural talent for fighting. Growing up little by little.

Vivienne wrapped both hands around Ivy's small one. Her voice was soft but carried something quietly terrifying underneath.

"Next time anyone gives you trouble, you do exactly what you did today. Don't hold back. Mom's got you."

"Mom is a chef. Her knife skills are top notch."

"Right!"

Silas cut in with a completely straight face. "Let the whole school know. Even though she orders takeout every single day, she could still take them all down."

The second he finished, a pair of silver chopsticks shot past his ear and buried themselves in the wall. Still vibrating.

Vivienne shot him a look and fired back.

"Silas, Mom personally picks out every meal for you. Carefully chosen. Nutritionally balanced. Full of flavor."

"How is that not cooking? Well?"

Silas was quiet for three seconds. His survival instincts kicked in.

"It is."

"Good boy."

---

Meanwhile, at the Shaw mansion. Chloe had locked herself in her room and swept everything off the table, dolls and jewelry and all.

The blisters on her hand from the hot water had been treated and wrapped up. But the burning on her skin wouldn't go away.

The maids stood outside the door, not daring to make a sound.

Chloe cried until the room started spinning. Her vision went dark.

She slipped off the chair. Her forehead caught the corner of the table on the way down. She blacked out.

When Chloe came to, it was deep into the night. She sat up in bed, clutching her head, shaking with pain.

Fragments of images and memories were crashing into each other inside her mind.

She saw herself in her past life. Dressed in beautiful clothes. Standing in the Shaw family's living room.

Looking down with contempt as the skin-and-bones Ivy was thrown out of the house.

She watched Ivy die on the street.

And then she saw those two people. Vincent and Vivienne. Dressed in black.

They walked through the Shaw front door on a rainy night. Then there was blood. Everywhere. Blood.

Every member of the Shaw family was tied to a chair. Vincent held a knife. Vivienne held a needle and thread.

One peeling. One stitching. Working together like a perfect pair.

Her parents begged and screamed for mercy. More pitiful than dogs. And she herself...

Chloe's whole body convulsed. She saw what had happened to her. Hands bound behind her back. Not a single patch of unbroken skin left anywhere on her body.

She had thrashed and struggled. Her fingers knocked a lit candle off the table.

Hot wax poured over her hand. The pain ripped through her. She screamed.

That pain. And the pain from the blisters Ivy's hot water had left on her today. Exactly the same.

Chloe pulled her hand to her chest and curled up on the bed. Her teeth were chattering.