There were no windows in this room, so telling the time was nearly impossible. Being a light sleeper, the front door slamming close woke me up, scaring me. My heart pounded in my chest, and I remembered where I was. Those people aren't here. I drug myself out of the comfortable bed, despite my exhaustion. Peeking out the cracked door, I could see black shadows and smoke springing around in the living room. Maybe being curious wasn't a good idea.

"Celty, calm down," Shinra said. Celty… that's the woman he told me about, his roommate.

Creeping out of the room, I took slow steps. This was a new layout. At the foster house, I knew each and every board that creaked. No one had answered Shinra. From the doorway, I could see a black orb floating in the center of the room, and Shinra wasn't in here. Should I be afraid of it? Slowly walking up to it, I reached out to touch it. It doesn't look dangerous.

The orb disappeared and in its place, stood Shinra and a lady. As my eyes trailed upwards, I saw that she had no head. Her neck spouted black smoke. I rubbed my eyes. Is this a dream? Shinra laughed nervously, scooping me up. No one picked me up at the foster house…

The headless lady typed on her phone and held it up. I'd been taught to read by some other kids at the park once. "Who is that?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you. Celty, this is Kuro. She's going to be staying with us for a while," Shinra said with a smile.

A while?

"Shinra, we can't keep someone else's kid like she's a pet," Celty typed, shaking her neck and shoulders. She acted like a regular person… except missing the head.

"Don't worry, Celty. Kuro isn't a run away. Well, she kind of is, but she wants to stay here, right Kuro?" Shinra asked.

I nodded my head. If it meant a comfortable bed, warm baths, and real food, I would stay here. It wouldn't be long before my foster parents came looking for me. To them, I was a paycheck. They got so much for taking care of me, but none of the money ever went toward me.

"See! She's perfectly comfortable here. I'm going to take her back to bed," Shinra said, still holding me. He swung me around a little on the way back to my room, making me smile a little. I hadn't laughed in quite some time but he was funny. "Kuro," Shinra started, setting me back down on the bed, "You can stay here for as long as you like."

I didn't answer him, but covered my head with the comforter. He laughed and told me goodnight before leaving again. Stay as long as I like? Was it too hopeful to want to stay here forever? The real world didn't work like I wanted it to. Falling asleep, I worried about what tomorrow would bring.

The next morning, Shinra cooked breakfast for me. Biscuits, gravy, and eggs. It made my mouth water just from the smell. I can't remember the last time I had a warm breakfast meal. Celty had come in with a bag full of kid's clothes. She helped me get dressed into black leggings with hearts on them, a long sleeve sweater shirt and some white socks. A small pair of black boots sat by the front door. Now, sitting at the table, I felt sad. New clothes, new home. How long would it be until I was taken away from here?

Shinra had just sat down when the doorbell rang. "Wonder who that could be," he mused, leaving us to go answer it. Silence filled the room until Shinra said, "Well, yeah, she's here but… hey! Wait-"

"Kuro, dear!" My heart sank at the voice. My foster mom, Mrs. Otogai, waddled into the room, fake relief plastered all over her overly make-up stained face. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

My whole body went rigid. If she's here… then he is too. All the food I'd eaten started to turn sour and I thought I might throw up. The heavy smell of cigarettes didn't help my sick feeling. The closer she got, the worse I felt.

"Taki, in here! Our little Kuro is safe and sound." She stopped beside my chair, bending down to engulf me in a sweaty hug. Her lips hit my ear. "If you cause one problem, you won't eat for a week," she hissed.

"Um, Kuro didn't seem like she was feeling well. I'm a doctor so I could stop by-"

Mr. Otogai cut him off. "We have a really good doctor. She'll get taken care of." His icy stare cut through me. Taken care of? I'd never seen a doctor more than twice since I'd been in their "care."

"If you're finished eating, we have some errands to run before we go home." She said, petting my head. There wasn't an option to finish eating even if I had the stomach for it. They wanted to leave before someone said something to cops about me. "Everyone misses you."

Lies.

Liar!

I wanted to scream. Someone listen! Adults never listen. No one would do anything. Sliding out of the chair, I took Mrs. Otogai's outstretched hand. Her grip hurt my hand, bringing tears to my eyes. Shinra knelt down. "Can I have a hug before you go?"

Normally, any kind of affection made me angry. It never meant anything. It was all empty. But my legs moved before my mind. His arms wrapped around me tight. Hold in the tears. If you cry, you'll be in trouble. My voice came out so quiet, I wasn't sure I'd said it out loud. "Don't make me go."

Shinra hugged me tighter. "It's only temporary." His words confused me.

The Otogai's ushered me out with lots of fake smiles and thank yous. Once I was buckled into my car seat, everything got quiet. The hum of the old car was the only things I could hear for the whole car ride. Through the window, I watched the streets become familiar. The sick feeling returned my stomach as the car turned into the driveway.

The silence remained while they unbuckled me and walked me to the front door. The overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke and rotting food filled my lungs. It had only been about five days since I ran away, but the smell still got to me.

Mr. Otogai locked the heavy deadbolt. "Guess I'll have to check the locks more often," He said as his wife waddled up the stairs. His rough, calloused hand slid into my hair so that he got a good grip before lifting me off the ground so that my feet barely touched. "You're almost not worth the paycheck. Joben made a mess this morning with the trash. Clean it up," he ordered, throwing me onto the linoleum floor.

I slid further than I thought I would. Something slimy and wet soaked my new clothes. It smelled old. Swallowing back the puke, I tried to find somewhere around me that wasn't covered in the soupy mess. It made my skin crawl. So dirty… The trash can had been set back up, but nothing else had been cleaned.

"Your mom is making dinner in an hour. It better be spotless."

Mom? She isn't my mom. I hate her. I hate you. All of you! But I could never say that. I never talked here. They would hurt me. My eyes filled with tears as I scooped up the gunk with my hands. It squished through my fingers. A little sob escaped my lips.

The chair sprung as Mr. Otogai stood up again. "Are you crying?" His hand went to his belt. He undid it and slid it out of the loops.

I shook my head fast. Just get it done. If I hurry, I might be finished before Joben and Michio get home. Joben was their actual son. Michio was a foster kid like me. He used to be nice to me, but now he's changed. Now I hate them all. Hot tears slid down my cheeks.

"I'll give you something to cry about you worthless little rat!" Otogai shouted, bringing the belt down on my shoulder. It flicked and also hit my cheek. The stinging pain made me yelp and fall back, knocking the trash can over again. Everything I'd cleaned up had been spilled again. "Useless! You're fucking useless! I ought to beat the life out of you and burry you in the backyard! A dog is more useful than you! We give you shelter, food, and clothes. And this is how you repay us? Ungrateful," His hit me again with the belt, this time the buckle struck my back. Ignoring my scream, he continued to strike with every adjective he describes me as. "Worthless. Waste of human life!"

"Dad! You'll kill her," Joben dropped his backpack and ran over. He grabbed the belt before I was hit again. "She isn't worth the jail time. Michio, take Kuro outside and wash her off. I'll clean up this mess." He looked down at me with pity in his eyes.

"Come on, Kuro," Michio pulled me up onto my feet from my fetal position. He made disgusted noises but took me out into the backyard. Turning on the water hose, he sprayed me down. The cold water numbed my skin. "You should just die." Michio said as he turned the hose off.

I wanted to die.

If that meant getting away from this hell.

Joben met us at the back door with a towel. "Mama says you have to go up to the punishment room. And no dinner." He walked with me up to the room. It wasn't a room. It was a closet. Dark. Musty. Cold. Joben didn't smile when he shut the door in my face. I heard the loud click of the lock.

I sat down in the corner with my knees pulled up to my chest. My clothes were still soaked, making me cold. Tears slid out of my eyes. Why did I end up here? I am worthless. I should have never been born. I deserve everything I'd been handed in life. That's what Mr. Otogai would tell me. It was my fault. I was bad. I was wrong. Why else would I be here? And after the year of being here, I began to believe it was true. Worthless.