Chapter 2

Katniss was still riding the high of her second chance at life, but the shadows of her past were never far behind.

Outta nowhere, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. A voice she knew all too well called out, "Katniss!"

She whipped her head around and saw her dad, Oliver Manners, storming in with a bunch of rough-looking dudes.

"What the hell is going on?" Katniss asked, her eyes wide with confusion and a hint of fear.

Oliver marched up to her bed, his eyes cold and hard. His face was a mix of anger and authority.

"You have some guts to ask what's going on." Oliver's voice was dripping with rage. "You little monster, you hurt Clara! Why'd you let those jerks mess with her? Do you even get that you could've killed her?"

Katniss felt her heart drop. She'd been given a second shot at life, back in the summer of her nineteenth year.

She'd just started college, dreams and hopes all lined up. On the way home with Clara, they ran into some thugs, and things got ugly real fast.

"What do you want?" Katniss glared at the punks, ready to throw down to protect Clara.

Before she could even finish her sentence, the thugs attacked. Katniss and Clara fought back with everything they had, but they both got hurt bad.

Katniss took the worst of it, her blood shining bright in the sunlight. But her family didn't see it that way. Oliver rushed to her, with Elodie and Clara right behind. Seeing Katniss covered in blood, their anger exploded.

"Katniss! What did you do?" Elodie's voice was sharp, like she already knew Katniss was to blame.

Katniss tried to get up, but the pain held her down.

"Mom, it wasn't me." Katniss's voice was weak, tears blurring her vision.

Her forehead was busted up, needing stitches, while Clara just had a small bump. Yet, Katniss got blamed for "ordering thugs to mess up Clara."

In her past life, her so-called dad had grilled her the same way. She tried to explain, to apologize, but all she got were cold stares. No one believed her.

So this time, Katniss didn't even bother. No one would believe her anyway. She snapped back to the present, asking coldly, "So, did she die?"

Oliver was livid, his eyes blazing with fury. He looked like he wanted to strangle her. "Katniss, what's wrong with you? That was too much! How can you be so heartless, saying something like that, wishing Clara dead?"

Her older brother, Lucas Manners, was so mad the veins on his neck were popping out. He rushed over, glaring down at her.

"Katniss, how could our family raise someone as cold as you? We should've left you alone back then." Lucas spat.

Katniss just stared at Lucas, not saying a word.

The other brothers wanted to jump in and tear into Katniss, but Elodie stopped them.

She sat by the bed, holding Katniss's hand, smiling gently.

"Katniss, I get it, you had it rough growing up outside. We brought you back, tried to make it up to you, and supported your studies. Now you're in college, while a lot of girls your age didn't even finish middle or high school. You should be thankful," Elodie said.

As she talked, her eyes started to get all teary. "You shouldn't have hurt Clara. A girl's reputation is everything. Even though she wasn't our real kid, she grew up with us. I've treated you both the same. Don't hold a grudge against her, okay?"

Looking at Elodie's fake concern and remembering her words before she died, Katniss felt colder than ice.

Yeah, the Manners family let her go to school, which was rare.

But wasn't it just to shut people up and show off that everyone in the Manners family went to college?

Clara had a fancy room, while Katniss got stuck in a storage room. Everything she ate, wore, and used was Clara's leftovers.

And they had the nerve to call that fair. What a joke.

Plus, Katniss was already beat up, and instead of caring, they came to accuse her.

They didn't care about right or wrong, just blamed her.

Katniss sneered, not wanting to waste another word.

Her fourth brother, Simon Manners, couldn't take it anymore and yelled, "Katniss, don't push it. You did something awful to Clara, and you can't take a little criticism? You're always up to no good, but now you're actually cursing your sister?. What's wrong with you?"

Her third brother, Nathan Manners, chimed in, "Katniss, everything you have now is because of the Manners family. What more do you want? Do you really want Clara dead to be happy?"

Her second brother, Dylan Manners, looked like he wanted to say something but stayed quiet. His eyes showed clear disappointment.

Katniss pulled her hand away, her eyes cold and indifferent, turning her head. She didn't want to argue anymore.

For those who didn't believe her, every word was a waste.

The door opened again, and Katniss saw Dylan coming in, looking tired and helpless.

"Katniss, don't be so stubborn. Apologizing to Mom and Dad isn't hard. They'll forgive you," Dylan said. Katniss closed her eyes, not responding.

Dylan sighed, "Rest up. I'm out."

The door closed again. After all the drama, Katniss felt thirsty and decided to get some water.

The hospital hallway was busy but quiet, with different people in the rooms. This scene wasn't new to her. Katniss filled a cup with cold water from the corner dispenser, feeling refreshed. As she turned to leave, she saw a man in a wheelchair behind her.

The guy had sharp features, dressed sharp, giving off a vibe of nobility and distance.

"Hi, Mr. Hamilton," Katniss stammered, greeting him.

Maximilian Hamilton looked up at her, asking, "Who are you?"

"I'm Katniss Manners. I met you at The Boleyn Manor," Katniss introduced herself nervously.

Maximilian said coolly, "You're Desmond Boleyn's friend, from Oliver Manners's family, right?"