You Are Mine Little Sister (by Syra Tucker) novel Chapter 175

RALI

The shop sign still said "Closed."

Morning light sifted through the stacks and laid quiet stripes across my shoes. A lace of frost veined the window where snow kept kissing the glass, blurring the outside to watercolor.

It was beautiful. Peaceful. Furtuiousl

"So, it's that time of the month where I make you work a little harder," My boss said, addressing all three of us over the counter.

Steam climbed off her coffee; her eyes did the same to us. "It's just my own way of making you good sales reps. By week's end, whoever racks the most sales gets a special reward. All you have to do is convince a customer that wanted two books to get four. Let them see reasons why more is better"

She sipped her coffee.

"We stock a whole flock of business-strategy titles," she added, one brow arched. "I trust you've been reading those and not just chapters on boyfriends. Good luck."

"Yes!" Brielle clapped as soon as the door swung shut behind our boss. "I can feel it. I'm winning this."

"Keep dreaming," the third rep huffed, already smoothing a stack that didn't need smoothing.

Me? I just shook my head and slipped into the aisles.

I'd love to get that money. God knew my wallet was on life support. But I was the least social salesperson on the floor. An upsell felt like tightrope without a net.

'You deserve to live, Rali. There is no one restricting you anymore. Right now, you're your own prisoner,' my therapist's voice threaded in.

Okay. Maybe I could do something about the socialization.

By day three, Brielle and the other rep were far miles ahead. I kept rearranging shelves and practicing courage, telling myself the week wasn't over and neither was I.

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

VOID

12 Years Old.

The shooting had ended.

It was over.

I slid the panel aside and climbed out of my hole—the one Mama built for situations like this, a fox den fitted beneath my bed.

My room was a mess. It'd been turned upside down. They were probably looking for me.

Downstairs, the house was a red map. Every step drew me past more bodies, more blood. It was a massacre. For the first time, Mama's enemies succeeded.

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