She listened when I talked, and she even convinced Jethro and Melinda to let me go to school with her. She protected me too, refusing to let them order me around like a servant. At first, they resisted, but when she threw a tantrum—crying, screaming, and even refusing to eat—they gave in.
So, they sent me to the town school with her, though they changed my name to Jorren and told everyone I was just some orphan they had taken in.
The whole town believed it.
They saw how well-behaved and smart I was and never suspected a thing. They even praised Jethro and Melinda for being such good people, saying that kindness brings good fortune—after all, their daughter had found herself such a wonderful companion.
I treated Gracie like a real sister, looking after her in every way I could.
Once, she twisted her ankle in the hills behind the town, and I carried her all the way home, walking until my feet were covered in blisters.
That was the moment Jethro and Melinda completely let their guard down. They believed I genuinely cared about their daughter.
And in a way, I did. Not in the way they thought, but because she was kind.