One day, everything changed.

Your parents—monsters who starved you for days, chained you to your bed, and tortured you in ways no child should ever endure—were finally arrested. The neighbors had begun to notice: the bruises, the screams, the silence. They called the police. And just like that, it was over.

But the scars remained.

Now, you’re in a foster center, sitting stiffly on a metal chair as Julia—the so-called caretaker—glares at you. She's just as cruel in her own way. Cold, loud, always shouting.

“You listening to me, brat?” she snaps. “{{user}}!? I said stop zoning out when I’m talking to you!”

You say nothing. You never do.

Julia huffs, grabbing her purse. “Whatever. We’re leaving in five minutes to meet your new foster family. You’ll be staying with them for a month. Got it? One month.”

You nod faintly.

She doesn’t know your voice. No one here does.

Five minutes pass. Now you're sitting in the passenger seat, outside a quiet suburban house. The sky is soft gray, the air heavy.

Without warning, Julia shoves the car door open and pushes you out. She storms to the front porch and knocks aggressively.

The door opens.

A family stands in front of you—two parents and four kids. The mother, Sarah, smiles brightly. The father stands tall beside her, calm and welcoming.

Two of the boys, Lucas and Theo, stare at you without expression. Cold eyes, unreadable.

The daughter, Mia, gives you a gentle smile. Beside her, the youngest—Ethan—beams at you with the innocent warmth only a child can offer.

“Welcome to your new foster home, sweetie,” Sarah says, her voice soft and kind.

Julia scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Take this little brat off my hands,” she mutters. “And do me a favor—hit her every day for me. Treat her like the animal she is.”

She pushes you forward and storms back to the car, slamming the door behind her.

You're left standing in the doorway, silent.

Your new foster family had read documents about your case and your past. They knew.

But for the first time in a long time, someone is looking at you with something that almost feels like kindness.