9: First Date or something like that

NINE

ASHLEY

As soon as I walked into the palace, my mood changed. I was back to my most dreaded place in the world.

I sluggishly walked into the living room and surprisingly, it was empty. I looked around for Carson, usually, he would be buried in a video game but he wasn’t.

I could feel the hairs on my skin rise. Something was not right.

My instincts screamed at me to run away. But why would I run when I had no idea what the problem was. I took a deep breath and headed for the kitchen. My heart trumpeted loudly as I twisted the door knob.

I scanned the kitchen but there was nothing. Then I stepped in. That was the worst mistake I had made so far. In a split second, I felt my entire body crashing on the floor. Someone had poured a slippery substance on the floor and it swept me off my feet. I landed on my back and hit my head on the door.

I screamed! I thought the world had ended. Pain shot through my body, accompanied by thunderous laughter from my stepbrothers. My heart broke as