The Broken Home

Lila stared out her tiny window as the rain poured down. It had been exactly one year since her mother died. One whole year of being stuck with her awful stepfather, Victor, and his two nasty boys, Remy and Dominic.

"Lila! Get down here now!" Victor's angry voice boomed from downstairs.

Lila sighed and wiped away her tears. She tucked her mother's photo under her pillow and headed downstairs. The wood steps creaked under her feet.

"Yes, stepfather?" she asked, keeping her eyes down.

Victor stood in the kitchen, his face red with anger. Broken glass covered the floor. Remy and Dominic stood behind him, smiling.

"What is this mess?" Victor pointed at the glass.

"I didn't do that," Lila said softly.

"Are you calling my boys liars?" Victor stepped closer. "They said you broke it."

Lila bit her lip. This was how it always went. The boys would break something and blame her. Victor would believe them, not her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, even though it wasn't her fault.

"Clean it up. No dinner for you tonight," Victor snapped. He turned to his kids. "Come on, boys. Let's go eat."

As they left, Dominic pushed Lila against the wall. "Have fun cleaning, servant girl," he whispered.

Tears stung Lila's eyes as she carefully picked up the glass pieces. Her fingers were red and sore by the time she finished. Her stomach growled, telling her she wouldn't get any food until tomorrow.

"Mom, I miss you so much," she whispered to the empty kitchen.

Later that night, after everyone was asleep, Lila sneaked to the kitchen and grabbed a small piece of bread. She had gotten good at being quiet. She took the bread back to her tiny room in the attic and sat on her bed.

Lightning flashed outside, lighting up her room for a second. The light bounced off something under her loose floorboard – something she hadn't noticed before.

Curious, Lila got on her knees and pried up the loose board. There, hidden in a small place, was a leather book tied with a red string. Her heart beat faster as she pulled it out.

"What's this?" she whispered.

The cover was worn and old. When she opened it, she gasped. It was her mother's handwriting! But the pages were filled with strange symbols and pictures that she didn't understand. Some pages had moons and stars drawn on them. Others had weird writing that didn't look like any language Lila had ever seen.

"Mom's diary," she realized, holding the book close to her heart.

Lightning flashed again, and this time Lila noticed something weird – the red string around the book seemed to glow for a split second. She must have imagined it.

She flipped through the pages, trying to understand. Most of it made no sense, but some parts were in normal language.

"My dearest Lila," she read aloud, her finger following her mother's neat handwriting. "If you are reading this, then I am gone, and you have found my secret. You must be careful. Your blood is special. They will come for you when you turn twenty-three. The man with red eyes—"

The attic door suddenly banged open. Lila jumped and shoved the book under her blanket.

Remy stood in the doorway, his mean face lit by his flashlight. "What are you doing up here? Talking to yourself like a crazy person?"

"Nothing," Lila said quickly. "Just couldn't sleep because of the storm."

Remy narrowed his eyes. "Dad says the roof is leaking in his room. Go fix it."

"Now? In the middle of the night? During a storm?"

"Yes, now," Remy snapped. "Or I'll tell Dad you were stealing food again."

After Remy left, Lila carefully hid the book back under the floorboard. She needed to read more, but it would have to wait. She grabbed some towels and headed to Victor's room, her mind spinning with questions.

Who was the man with red eyes? What did her mother mean about her blood being special? And what would happen when she turned twenty-three, which was only a few months away?

The next morning, Victor slammed a pile of bills on the breakfast table. His face was even angry than usual.

"We're broke," he stated. Remy and Dominic stopped eating and stared at their father.

"What do you mean, broke?" Dominic asked.

"The business is finished. The bank is taking the house." Victor's eyes landed on Lila. A cold smile spread across his face that made her skin crawl. "But I might have found a solution."

"What solution?" Lila asked, not liking the way he was looking at her.

"I met with a special creditor last night," Victor said. "He's willing to cancel all our debts in exchange for something."

"For what?" Remy asked.

Victor kept his eyes on Lila. "For her."

Lila dropped her spoon. "What?"

"You heard me," Victor said. "I'm selling you to pay our debts."

"You can't sell me! I'm a person, not a thing!" Lila stood up, her chair falling backward.

Victor slapped the table. "You've been nothing but a burden since your mother died! Now you can finally be useful."

"Who would even want her?" Dominic laughed.

Victor's smile got colder. "A very rich, very powerful man. He seemed very interested when I mentioned your name."

Lila's blood ran cold. This couldn't be happening. "You can't do this! It's against the law!"

"He'll be here tonight," Victor continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Pack your things."

Lila ran up to her room, her heart racing. She had to leave. She would run away before night came. She grabbed her small bag and threw in some clothes. Then she remembered her mother's book and pulled up the floorboard.

But the book wasn't there.

Lila hurriedly searched the hiding spot. The diary was gone! She tore her room apart looking for it, but it was nowhere to be found.

A cold laugh came from her doorway. Remy stood there, holding her mother's book.

"Looking for this?" he waved the book. "Found it this morning while you were making breakfast."

"Give it back!" Lila lunged for the book, but Remy stepped back.

"Dad!" he called. "Look what I found in Lila's room!"

Victor appeared behind his son and snatched the book. He flipped through it, his face turning darker.

"So your mother was one of them," he mumbled. "I always suspected..."

"One of who?" Lila asked. "What are you talking about? Please give it back, it's all I have left of her!"

Victor shoved the book in his pocket. "No wonder he wants you." He grabbed Lila's arm roughly. "You're not going anywhere until he arrives."

Victor dragged Lila downstairs and locked her in the basement. She pounded on the door until her hands hurt, but no one came.

Hours passed. The small basement window showed the sky getting dark. Lila had tried everything to leave, but the window was too small and the door was solid.

Then she heard it – car tires on the dirt driveway. A car door slammed. Heavy footsteps approached the house.

The doorbell rang.

Voices drifted down to the basement – Victor's nervous talking and another voice, deep and cold that made Lila shiver even through the floor.

The basement door suddenly opened. Victor stood there with a tall man behind him. The man was dressed all in black, with pale skin and dark hair. Lila couldn't see his face clearly in the darkness.

"Here she is, as promised," Victor said.

The tall man stepped forward into the light. Lila gasped.

His eyes were bright blood red, just like her mother's diary had warned.

"Hello, Lila," the man said, his voice smooth like silk but cold as ice. "I've been waiting a very long time for you."

In his hand was her mother's notebook, open to a page with a drawing that made Lila's blood freeze – it was a perfect drawing of this man's face, with the words "The Blood King" written beneath it.