Shattered Assassin (26 page)

Then they had tried for six years to get pregnant again. Doctors said it wasn’t possible. They had done all the fertility treatments, all the procedures. And when they had given up, Lil Bit finally decided to come along. So, knowing that Lil Bit was “special”, as Scout’s parents called it, upset them quite a bit. It upset Scout, too, but not for the same reason. She hated to see how being different hurt her adorable little sister. Lil Bit didn’t understand. She only knew whatever she was it was the wrong thing to be. Scout was determined to chase that thought away for good.

Scout went to bed after dinner. She was too tired and in too much pain to do her homework — the thought of sitting in her office chair made her back scream in horror. She was mostly on the sleeping side of asleep when she heard the door creak and seconds later the shuffle of rapid steps across the carpet. She forced an eye open, trying to read the clock in the darkness. It was just after midnight. She felt her bed sag and then bounce. “Are you awake?” Lil Bit asked in a tiny, frightened whisper that made Scout’s heart ache worse than her back ever could.

“Yep.” She tried not to sound like she’d been sleeping.

“Can I sleep with you?”

“Of course. Snuggle on over here, Lil Bit. But keep your cold toes to yourself.” Scout mumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Lil Bit, finally taking shape in the darkness, burrowed into Scout’s side, taking care not to nudge Scout’s back in the process. Scout pulled the covers up to Lil Bit’s chin, tucking them tight. “I’ve got you now. Sleep, little one.” Scout murmured. She knew with Lil Bit in her bed that there would be no more sleeping for
her
, because she couldn’t lie so still for so long without her back acting up. But Lil Bit had stopped shaking, and Scout liked to believe that the terror was gone from those huge brown eyes. It was worth it.

Lil Bit escaped back to her room when Scout’s alarm went off. Scout dragged herself to her feet and headed for the shower, stopping to tuck Lil Bit back into her own bed on the way. Her parents, thankfully, didn’t get up until Scout was almost ready to leave, so they didn’t know about Lil Bit’s late night visits.

She was half-through with her shower before it finally warmed up. Her teeth were still chattering when she got out, and her pick broke trying to comb through her baby fine curls.

It was going to be a long day.