Sun Forged - Gifting #3 - Sample - OUT NOW!

Prologue

Earth

The oldest street in West Haven

Year of 2242, August

Ava cowered under the stern gaze of her foster mother, Mrs. Wheeler. She curled her butter-coated fingers into fists, trying not to wince. Seven-year-old Ruby, too mature for her age, gave the slightest shake of her head. Beside her, unaware of the tension in the stylish kitchen sat five-year-old Saira, stuffing her face with the food Ava had shared—a house rule she'd broken again.

They earned their food. The completion of chores or good behavior as befitting a Wheeler foster child would earn an extra spoonful for dinner. Neither the age nor the abilities of the child affected the chore allocation. Just yesterday, Ruby had to wash all the windows of the house, inside and outside. Little five-year-old Saira had to clean the oven. Ava at thirteen had mowed the lawn and weeded the garden, which she didn't mind doing since it kept her outdoors. But she didn't reveal this to Mrs. Wheeler who would reassign an enjoyed chore to a girl less willing. Ruby and Saira weren't strong enough to push the mower.

Which was why the three of them were always hungry, never completing their tasks within the time frame or to Mrs. Wheeler's satisfaction. Ava shivered, unfurling her fingers to pluck at her threadbare dress. The winter breeze sneaking under the back door along with the meager internal heating kept her cold. The only time she was warm was at night when they shared their cot.

Without a word, Ava rose to her feet, standing tall on trembling legs, struggling to keep herself upright while her vision spun. She turned to leave the kitchen.

Mrs. Wheeler's aged face mottled in anger, and spittle splattered her bottom lip. "And where do you think you're going?" Her shrill voice lodged Ava's heart in her throat.

"To the bedroom, mistress, to undress for my chastisement." She climbed the stairs, placing each foot with care. Through Mrs. Wheeler's bedroom, she trudged to the walk-in closet that was their shared room. With trembling fingers, she removed her dress, twitching as her skin chilled further. Willing her hands to settle, she shook them. A glance confirmed the weathered belt hung on a hook—its threat ever-present.

She felt no fear, had long ago given up on that emotion. It had served no purpose. Begging hadn't softened the monster's heart, crying either. Ava simply didn't respond anymore. Pain had no control over her, not since she'd discovered her happy place. It was returning to the real world she dreaded. She suffered from the pain then. Pulling her braid over her shoulder to trap it there, she dropped to her knees, bending over the cot. Resting the top half of her body on the thin mattress, she waited, her fists clenched and hidden under the cot.

Drawing in a deep breath, she let the warm sun call to her as it drenched the rolling green hills with the bright pink flowers that she didn't know the name of. She'd seen an image in one of Mrs. Wheeler's travel digi-zines. It had promised Ava a pain-free escape from the hell she lived in. She was enjoying running through the hills, stopping to pick flowers, and raising her face to the sunlight when Mrs. Wheeler's heavy tread neared. Ava refocused on the pink flowers. In her mind, a dark cloud formed on the horizon, marring the bright blue sky. That was when the first strike fell across her back.

Instead of the thundercloud alarming her, she turned away from it and bolted to an apple tree at the bottom of the meadow. Sometimes, the tree was an orange tree. Sometimes, when she needed it to be, it grew cupcakes, bright white ones with pink flowers and rainbow sprinkles. She remembered what those tasted like. A church lady had given each of the girls one, once. Heaven had coated her mouth with sweetness. The vanilla aroma was one she would never forget.

But she never knew what kind of tree she would find, and on awful days, when the clouds were stormy, the tree would change from apples to cupcakes. Like today. Tears flowed as she tried to reach the lowest branch, her fingers missing the enticing cupcake by a hair. With a whimper, she gave up, sitting against the trunk to watch the impending storm.

On the top of a hill, a policeman appeared. She froze. No one had visited her before. But this was her sanctuary. She could make his disappear. He waved a fist at the cloud, anger in his scrunched-up face. With a magical lasso, he captured the clouds and dragged them away. Sunlight burst upon her meadow, with more pink flowers blossoming. But the heat wasn't on her face or her black shiny shoes. It slashed across her back, burning until she dared not move.

A man with a uniform strode through her meadows, careful not to crush the blossoms. She'd seen his kind at the church fair when the pastor's wife had to be rushed to hospital. He had a kind face and drew closer to her hiding spot under the tree, a blanket in his hands. He flicked it open, offering to wrap it around her. It looked so warm that she nodded. But when it encircled her, the fire from her back burned through her body, and she cried out. She squirmed, trying to yank off the blanket.

Amid her wails, a cupcake fell from the tree into her lap. Her cries lodged in her throat, and when she looked down, the cupcake had turned into an apple. None of this had happened before, but the sight of it smothered the pain.

"Ava?" From afar, Ruby called to her. Ava jerked her head up to scan the horizon. "She's in her happy place, sir. She goes there when she's in pain or scared."

Ava frowned, wondering if Ruby was talking to the man with the red cross? Was Ruby in danger? Was she next? Ava snapped back to reality, the pain hitting her hard enough to suck the air out of her lungs.

"It's okay, angel. I have you," a gentle voice said.

She raised her eyes to look at the kind-faced man with a red cross on his shirt. "What...what happened?"

"Mrs. Wheeler forgot to lock the phone, so I called the police," Ruby said. "They came and took the monster away."