Princes of the Underworld (Angels of the Underworld:Book Two) (✔️)

Chapter Three

(Val's POV)

Enzo and I sat in the library working on one our first assignments. It sucked ass but we were powering through.

"You go to the printer and I'll hit print." Enzo said.

"Alright."

I got up and made my way to the printer. I grabbed the papers and was on my way back to Enzo when I saw her walk in.

She had a bunch of books in her arms and her bag hanging off her shoulder. Her caramel colored hair was a bit messy and her glasses were right on the edge of her nose.

I then watched as some asshole walked past her and hit her with his shoulder causing her to drop her stuff but he kept going.

I rushed forward.

"Let me help." I said bending down cautiously and picking up some of her stuff.

"Thank you." She mumbled.

F*ck, she sounded like an angel.

"No, problem." I said.

She looked up at me and a light shade of pink instantly covered the creamy beige color of her cheeks. I was a bit starstruck at the sight of her emerald green eyes.

"I'm Val." I said as we both stood up and she organized her things.

"Audrey. Thanks again."

I nodded. "Of course."

Then she was gone.

"Where the f*ck you been?" Enzo asked once I made it back to him.

"I'll tell you later. We ready to go?"

"Yeah. Can we get some lunch? I'm starving."

"You're always starving."

"So are you."

It was later on that evening when I was sorting through the papers we'd printed when I found one of Audrey's. It must've got mixed with mine when I helped her.

I grabbed my laptop and did some...research. A bit later, I found her address.

"I'm going out for a bit."

"Where the f*ck to?" Enzo asked.

"I'll be back before midnight." I said ignoring him and walking out.

I walked since it wasn't that far away.

I was very surprised when I got there and found it to be a group home. The kind of place you end up in when there no place else for you to go.

I knocked on the door and waited.

A minute later, a woman opened the door.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She asked.

"I'm in class with Audrey. We're working on a project together and she left this in class." I lied holding up the paper.

"Wait there." She said annoyed.

I waited and waited until eventually the door opened again and Audrey came out.

"Val? How did you.....What are you doing here?" She asked pushing a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

"I found this amongst my papers." I said.

"Thank you. I was afraid I was going to have rewrite that part." She said taking the paper from me.

"So you're a literature major?"

She nodded. "Liberal arts."

"May I ask how old you are?"

I asked because I was confused by.....things that I found.

"Seventeen." She said blushing.

"And you're in college?"

"I graduated a year early from high school." She said and then pointed to her brain. "Bit of a genius. Thanks again for the paper."

"No problem. I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Yeah." She blushed.

I walked back to the apartment a bit happy about seeing her and actually talking to her.

If only I had known what my showing up at her doorstep had cost her.

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(Audrey's POV)

He was so handsome. Black hair, dark blue eyes, and tan skin. He was well build too. Tall and looked to be nothing but solid muscle.

I'd surprised myself earlier when I spoke to him at library. I usually don't speak to people I just meet, but there was something about him.

For an odd reason, he made me feel safe.

I shut the door after he left and took a deep breath to prepare myself.

"Who was that?" Ernie asked grabbing a handful of my hair.

"Some guy from class. He had my paper." I said.

"You know the rules." He growled throwing me to the floor.

I hit my head on the coffee table. Hard. Tears instantly came to my eyes but I couldn't let them fall. He loved it when we cried.

"Go to your room." Ernie said giving me a swift kick to the stomach.

I grabbed my paper and flew up the stairs to my room where Ruby was.

"What happened?" She asked coming to my aid.

"The guy I was telling you about came to return my paper."

"Oh no."

"Yeah." I nodded.

Ruby and I have known each other since we were babies. We grew up in the system together.

Our parents were best friends. When mine died, we were both four. Ruby's parents took me in.

Then her mom was diagnosed with cancer. Not long after that, her Dad was killed in a hit and run.

To try and make sure we stayed together no matter what happened, her mom had my last name changed to theirs. Her mom died a year later and we were put into the system.

To say that our life has been a shit show would be an understatement.

We were separated for about a year before we were put in home together. Since then, we have been together. We've been in about three other homes before we came to Ernie and Patricia at the age of 15.

We can't legally go out on our own until 18. We're both seventeen and graduated early from high school. I did it because my big nerd brain and Ruby did it with enough credits so we would still be together. Our birthdays are a few months away so we have to wait.

It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't beat us.

You see, Ernie has a thing for young girls but we are too old for him. That being said, he sticks to hitting and kicking us.

He hurts Patricia too. She tried to run once but he broke her arm.

He's been reported but no one believes troubled and abandoned children over a well respected community man.

"How did he find where we live?" Ruby asked.

"I have no idea. My first and last name are on this paper, so maybe that's how he found out."

"Maybe."

That night as I laid in bed unable to sleep, I daydreamed. I daydreamed of a world where we were free from this hellhole.

Funnily enough, a certain blue eyed guy made an appearance and I didn't mind. Not one bit.