❝You have ice powers?❞ Adam asked shocked.
Taelyn turned around, laughing as she looked back at her hand. She looked at him, confused. ❝What? You've never seen a girl with ice powers before?❞
Leo is an ordinary teenager who has...
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Taelyn never had a good childhood. After losing her scientist parents in a tragic accident, she was abandoned by everyone who was supposed to care for her. She spent years alone, unwanted, and abused—until she met Leo. He was the first person in a long time to make her feel like she mattered. When Tasha found out the truth, she immediately took Taelyn in, fulfilling a promise she had made to her parents. For the first time in years, Taelyn felt safe.
But safety didn't erase the nightmares.
She bolted upright in bed, heart pounding, a scream caught in her throat. The room was dark, but shadows of her past seemed to lurk in every corner. Her breathing was sharp and uneven, hands trembling as she clutched her blanket.
A soft knock at the door. Then—
"Taelyn, honey?"
Tasha's voice was gentle but firm, cutting through the panic. The door creaked open, and the light from the hallway framed her worried face.
Taelyn swallowed hard, quickly wiping at her eyes. "I—I'm fine," she croaked.
Tasha didn't buy it for a second. She stepped inside and sat on the edge of the bed, placing a warm hand on Taelyn's back. "Nightmare?"
Taelyn hesitated before giving a small nod. "It felt real," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tasha sighed, rubbing slow, comforting circles on Taelyn's back. "I know, baby. But it wasn't. You're here, with us. You're safe."
Taelyn clenched her jaw, trying to hold back the tears. "What if I'm not?" she murmured. "What if—what if it happens again? What if I lose everything again?"
Tasha turned to face her fully, taking Taelyn's hands in her own. "Listen to me," she said, voice steady. "You are not alone anymore. You have me. You have Leo. And even Donald, for all his craziness."
That got a tiny, shaky laugh out of Taelyn.
Tasha smiled softly. "We're not going anywhere. I promise."
Taelyn blinked hard, then, hesitantly, leaned into Tasha's side. Tasha didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around the girl, holding her close.
For the first time in a long time, Taelyn let herself believe it.
Taelyn's life before moving in with Leo and Tasha was anything but easy. She didn't like talking about it—not because she was ashamed, but because no one ever really cared to ask. And if they did, she didn't trust them enough to answer. She had learned long ago that people only wanted to know just enough to be nosy, not enough to help.
She lived with her aunt, though "lived" was a strong word for it. The woman who had taken her in after her parents died wasn't cruel in an obvious way, not the way people expected when they thought of bad guardians. There were no bruises to show, no dramatic punishments, nothing that would make people look twice. But Taelyn knew how to read between the lines, knew how cold indifference could hurt just as much as a slap.
