Toddler's Telepathy Tango Chapter 2

A wave of overwhelming despair crashed over my tiny body.

I thought, just like all the other times, my bad luck would get me abandoned again.

But they still took me to the car. They still took me home.

My brother, Liam, sat in the front passenger seat. He shot me a cold look through the rearview mirror. I flinched and immediately looked down, my fingers twisting the rough fabric of my dress.

[Is brother looking at me?]

[Does he think I’m dirty? Does he hate me?]

“Yes, she is annoying,” Liam muttered under his breath.

I looked up, confused, but he was already staring out the window, as if he hadn’t spoken at all.

When we arrived at the house—no, the mansion—my eyes went wide, my mouth falling open slightly.

[Wow.]

[It’s just like the castle in a princess storybook!]

The car glided to a stop under the grand portico of the main house. The driver quickly got out and opened the door. My father stepped out first, followed by my mother. Liam vaulted out gracefully, turning to help our sister.

And that’s when it happened.

As my sister, Monica, was getting out, the delicate satin ribbon on her shoe somehow snagged on a small, barely visible hook under the door, a hook meant to secure the floor mat.

“Oh!” she cried out as her balance gave way, and she pitched forward.

“Monica!” my mother screamed, her voice thin with terror.

Liam moved like lightning, lunging forward and grabbing her arm just before her face could smash against the hard marble steps. Even so, the shock of the fall left Monica pale and trembling. She collapsed against her brother, her eyes instantly welling with tears.

“What happened?!” my father, Marcus Vance, demanded, his voice sharp.

The driver, sweating profusely, knelt to inspect the car. “Sir! It’s this hook for the mat. It’s never exposed like this! I don’t know how…”

Inevitably, everyone’s gaze fell on me as I was the last one to get out of the car. I stood frozen, my heart pounding with fear.

[Why is sister crying? Seeing her cry makes me so sad. But why is everyone looking at me? Did I make her fall?]

My father’s heavy gaze rested on me for a few seconds.

“Forget it. Let’s go inside. Mr. Kingston, take her to her room.”

The butler stepped forward. “This way, little miss.”

I was given a room at the far end of the third-floor corridor. It was large and beautifully furnished, with a soft white rug, a corner piled high with stuffed animals, and a large bay window overlooking the garden.

But it was too empty, too quiet, and too far away. A long, silent hallway separated me from my parents’ master suite, from my brother’s and sister’s rooms.

Mr. Kingston’s voice was polite but distant. “Little miss, this will be your room. The washroom is over there. Someone will call you for meals. You are not to wander the house without permission, and you are especially not to disturb Mr. and Mrs. Vance, or the young master and miss.”

He then exited, closing the door softly behind him.

Click.

The sound echoed in the silence. It felt like I was the only person left in the world.

[Don’t wander… don’t disturb them…]

[Is it because… if I get close to them, I’ll bring them bad luck?]

Used to being bullied at the orphanage, I buried my face in the thick duvet and began to cry, muffling the sobs. I scrubbed at my eyes with the back of my hand, but the tears just kept coming.

No! Stop crying! Crying doesn’t help. It only makes people hate you more.

I sniffled, forcing the tears back.