Falling Further Read Online Free Page A

blood.
    “Now you’re all
ours,” Nancy says, laying a firm hand on my shoulder and spinning me toward the
house. “Come on. Let’s go get you introduced to the whole herd.”
    My new foster
parents march me up the porch like prison guards escorting an inmate to her
cell. I can practically hear the bars slamming behind me as we finally step
inside.
    ~~~
    The faint sound
of a TV laugh track rings out through the musty house as I step over the
threshold. The light bulb illuminating the foyer is bare, casting raw, dingy
light all through the tight space. All around me, creaks and groans betray the
presence of people—but with them out of my sight, it feels more like a haunted
house and a dwelling of the living.
    The air is thick
with the smells of cigarette smoke and beer, which have never been good omens
in my experience.
    Paul shuts the
door behind us, sealing off the gray daylight. My new foster parents release my
shoulders, suddenly disinterested in my presence. I look up at their faces in
the harsh glare of the single bulb. Is it the sharp shadows that have them
looking so transformed?
    “I’m going to go
wipe this shit off my face,” Nancy grumbles, her demeanor entirely changed. “I
hate playing dress up for that McCoy girl.”
    “You want a beer
or something?” Paul asks, moving away from me into the kitchen.
    “Vodka,” Nancy
snaps, stalking up the rickety staircase, “Double.”
    They disappear
from the cone of light, leaving me standing in the foyer with my ancient
backpack and an overwhelming sense of confusion. What the hell just happened?
Were they just playing nice for Miss MacCoy’s benefit? Suddenly, the ominous
feeling I had the moment my social worker left the scene makes a whole lot of
sense.
    “Hello?” I call
into the roiling darkness of the house. “Paul? Nancy? Should I just...put my
stuff down somewhere?”
    But they’ve
gone, already. It’s pretty clear that they’re not exactly going to be the
doting parent types. I heave a heavy sigh and let my backpack fall down to the
carpet beside me. I should have known better than to hope for a second that
this place would be anything but miserable. Haven’t I been through enough homes
by now to know the drill? Kids like me don’t get shuttled off to caring
families with snack-stocked fridges and HBO. I’ve been lost in the shuffle
since the moment my parents died, and that’s where I’ll stay.
    “Just two more
years...” I mutter to myself, “Two more years, and then I’ll be free.”
    “Only two?” says
a voice from within the shadows. “God, you’re so lucky!”
    “Who’s there?” I
say, my body going rigid with apprehension.
    “Oh, sorry,” the
voice giggles, “I didn’t mean to spook you.”
    A face swims up
out of the darkness, grinning earnestly. Two sparkling green eyes peer up at
me, brimming with spunky curiosity. Their owner is a petite blonde girl, a year
or so my junior, if I had to guess. Her hair is pulled up into a high ponytail,
leaving her thin shoulders uncovered. She’s wearing an off-the-shoulder vintage
tee and tiny cotton shorts. Her frame is impossibly small, almost pixie-like.
Next to her, I feel downright Amazonian, though I only stand at five foot
seven. The girl cocks her head to the side like an inquisitive kitten.
    “You’re the new
girl, huh?” she says.
    “That’s right,”
I tell her, “My name’s—”
    “Nadia,” she
cuts me off, “They told us you were coming. I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been
outnumbered by the boys forever. I’m Conway, in case you were wondering.”
    “That’s...an
interesting name,” I say, “Where’s it from?”
    “Beats me,” she
says with a grin, “My parents were probably high or something when they picked
it. For all I know they got it off a street sign. Or a bottle of laundry
detergent. I’d ask them, but they ditched me when I was three, so...”
    “I’m sorry,” I
offer.
    “That’s nice of
you,” Conway says, “You’re a