Skateboard girl.

He turned to look back—a pretty cool little girl, but it was a pity her hair had been shaved off.

He wondered if that was really her brother. If her hair was cut badly, wouldn’t it be easy to just go to a barber and tidy it into a short cut? Why did they have to shave it all off, especially in this cold weather... huh, a green hat?

Brian Carter turned his head again, wanting to check if he was seeing things, but Ashley Bennett had already skated away, leaving only a tiny black dot in the distance.

Before he could turn his head back, three more bicycles shot out from the intersection.

They were pretty beat-up, rattling and clanging, but all were being ridden fast.

“Damn, riding so fast!” someone on one of the rattling bikes shouted.

Brian Carter was stunned for a moment. Judging by that... was Ashley Bennett being chased and bullied again?

He didn’t even have time to feel sympathy, just felt a sudden, inexplicable irritation.

What the hell kind of crappy place is this!

When he got back to his new “home,” David Thompson was still sleeping. He wasn’t snoring much anymore, but as soon as Brian Carter entered the room, he started coughing, a gut-wrenching, tearing cough.

He couldn’t help but go over to check twice, but David Thompson had his eyes closed, looking like he was sleeping soundly.

Sleeping while coughing—he didn’t have that skill. If he coughed while sleeping, he’d definitely wake up. This must be one of David Thompson’s unique talents.

After changing his clothes, Brian Carter found a towel in his suitcase, wet it, and wiped his dirty clothes clean.

Then he sat on the bed, spacing out.

He didn’t know what to do.

Next door, David Thompson had stopped coughing, but the snoring started up again.

He couldn’t describe how he felt. This man was his biological father, the same blood ran in his veins.

He was actually born into a family like this. Even though he hadn’t met the other family members yet, David Thompson was already a capital-letter warning sign.

He’d been forcing himself not to think about this for a while, but now, sitting here, looking at the decay inside and outside the room, he really couldn’t avoid it anymore.

A long time ago, he’d discussed adoption with his mom and dad.

It didn’t mean much—some things are written in your genes, and no amount of upbringing can change that.

He couldn’t remember how his parents had answered him back then, only remembered the things he’d said. Now, those words felt like slaps landing hard on his own face.

His two younger brothers were a lot like their parents—serious, quiet, fond of reading—while he was completely different, even though he didn’t talk much either...

Even the neighbors had said it: they really didn’t seem like a family.

Yeah, that was the sense of not belonging written into his very body.

David Thompson suddenly had a violent coughing fit, like he was choking, and didn’t stop for a long time. He must have woken up this time; Brian Carter heard him cursing under his breath.

After a while, the snoring started up again.

Brian Carter was suddenly gripped by fear.

A suffocating, overwhelming fear.

He stood up, went to the living room to get the keys, planning to go out and get a set made, and maybe find a hospital to get checked out. He really wasn’t feeling well—probably had a fever.

Eric Bennett was squatting by the flower bed outside the shop, watching as Ashley Bennett zoomed past him for the third time, showing off, her face red from the cold.

The fourth time she passed, Eric Bennett waved at her. She stopped abruptly, turned around, and slowly skated over to him.

“Time to go home for dinner,” Eric Bennett stood up. “Go put your things away.”

Ashley Bennett dragged her skateboard into the shop.

Eric Bennett lit a cigarette, thinking about what to have for lunch.

A minute later, a shriek came from inside the shop.

He tossed the cigarette and rushed inside.

The scream was coming from the back bathroom. He ran out the back door and pushed open the bathroom door. Ashley Bennett was covering her eyes, facing the sink, screaming nonstop.

Eric Bennett reached out and turned off the faucet, then scooped her up and carried her out of the bathroom, gently patting her back. “Shh... it’s okay, no more water, no more water...”

Ashley Bennett stopped screaming, clung to his neck, and whispered on his shoulder, “I’m hungry.”

“I’m hungry too,” Eric Bennett said, holding her with one arm and picking up her skateboard with the other. “Let’s go have a feast.”

Chapter 4

Eric Bennett rode his motorcycle to the shop entrance. Ashley Bennett, clutching her skateboard, nimbly climbed onto the back seat, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her face against his back.

“Let me see your face.” Eric Bennett turned his head.

Ashley Bennett lifted her face to look at him.

“You’ve still got tears, wipe them off.” Eric Bennett said.

Ashley Bennett rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, then wiped under her nose with her sleeve.

“Hey,” Eric Bennett sighed, “if you were a boy, you’d be the rough type.”

Ashley Bennett smiled and pressed her face back against his back.

Eric Bennett started the bike and headed straight for the downtown shopping mall. For Ashley Bennett, a “feast” only meant the all-you-can-eat barbecue at the mall.

This little girl was unusually stubborn in some ways—only willing to eat at that one place when eating out was one of them.

The best thing about a small city was probably that there was only one center, and it didn’t take long to get there from any district.

But at this hour, the barbecue place was the most crowded. By the time they arrived, there were basically no empty tables left.