A Protector's Second Chance (Unit Matched #2) by Mary Smith, Rebecca Cartee Page B

over,” I explained.
    “So, this has been going on your whole life?” Oliver’s voice was low again.
    I answered by pointing at the end of the table. “It’s all right there.”
    “Your sister, too?”
    “Yes,” I closed my eyes. Even though she and I weren’t close, I had done my best to save her, time and time again.
    “Did you ever tell the Princess or Gia?”
    I shook my head slowly. “If they saw me with bruises, they thought I was training too hard or I made some lame excuse to them.”
    Oliver’s face lost all color. “When we first got here, you were hurt, weren’t you?”
    I nodded. “Mom and Dad weren’t that happy about the attention I’d brought to our family.”
    He squeezed my hand. I hadn’t even noticed that he was holding my hand. I stared at his green eyes. I truly wished that I could tell what he was thinking. Oliver kept running his thumb over my knuckle. He wasn’t using his powers, but his touch was keeping me calm.
    “I’m going to lay down.” I left him sitting at the table.
    “Why did you tell me?” he softly asked.
    “Because no matter how much Xaviera misses me, she’ll still banish me for breaking the Rules. My word doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
    I rushed away from him. I had finally said the words I’d been hiding all this time.

Chapter 20
    Day 45 of 90
     
    Oliver was called away to Unit on business and had been gone for a few days. I wasn’t sure if Xaviera had called him or if it was one of his clients. All I knew was that I missed him.
    I’d made it to the halfway mark of my punishment. I continued to remember Oliver’s words about how Xaviera missed me, but I knew that she was the future Queen of Unit. She needed to show the citizens that she was able to lead them.
    I was going to be banished. I knew it. I could feel it. I needed to accept it. I took a deep breath as I finished my dishes and cleaned up my mess.
    I was so bored. I watched as much TV as I could stand. I didn’t even want to write in my journal. Surprisingly, I’d had no nightmares, but every time I’d thought of Oliver, my heart dropped.
    I couldn’t believe I’d told him about my parents. However, I meant what I’d said to him. My word was nothing anymore. Deep down, I felt better since I’d told him. For over a decade, I’d kept that secret close to my chest. No one knew, and I’d just broken the silence.
    Nonetheless, I trusted Oliver not to tell and knew he wouldn’t say a word. He was loyal, that was something I had grown to like about him.
    Liked.
    Yes, I did like him. He’d been here for me since day one. Of course, I’d treated him like dirt, but he’d stayed. I was so lucky to have him in my life.
    I turned, seeing the journals still on the table. I wondered if Oliver had read any of them after I left him the other night. If I had been him, I would have, and I wished I knew the answer.
    I stalked over to the edge of the table. I ran my fingers down the edge of the spines. I grabbed one in the middle, pulling it out.
    My hands shook a little as I opened the first page. Reading the first paragraph, the memory came back to me. I could already feel the tears and emotions building up in me.
     
    Sixteen.
    Shouldn’t a girl have a huge party or get a car?
    Oh wait, that was only in movies or books.
    My gift is two bruised ribs and a sprained ankle. I spent an hour in the Unit Urgent Care, but my parents explained it away as ‘training too hard’.
    I guess they couldn’t tell the truth. I mean, how could you tell a doctor you beat the shit out of your daughter because the dishes weren’t ‘clean enough’.
     
    I wiped the tears away from my face. Mom was the one who had hurt me that night. All I wanted to do was eat dinner and go to my room to rest. I had trained all day and done a lot of homework. It was my birthday, and I thought if I did the dishes quickly, I could rest. The dishes were clean. There weren’t any spots or anything.
    It wasn’t good enough for Mom.