Chapter 7: The First Day
The first time Cora saw Hawke at school, he was trapped inside a ring of kids blocking him in, laughing, taunting. ‹96684423›
He was clean for once — a rare thing. §57defed7 Wearing clothes that looked like someone else's castoffs, a cheap cartoon backpack slung over one shoulder, sneakers two sizes too big. (3174e55a) Still better than the shoes he wore when he picked through trash. #7f88db6b
He might have been wearing socks today. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026
When Cora walked through the school gate with the class rep — one of the smart girls — the first thing she noticed wasn't that Hawke had actually enrolled. * d0a61246 It was that she'd never seen him in socks before. ·d543fbf0·
She wondered if there were holes at the toes. #3e142f5d
Cora's brain was stuck on weird things. [v.d9e53233] The one thing she wasn't thinking about was stepping in to pull Hawke out of it. [ed.e58bf111] She glanced over once, then walked right past. [ms.51535e6f]
The class rep kept looking back after they'd passed. (8588661f) Couldn't help herself — had to gossip. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026
"Cora, you know who that is? ··14710fe2 He's a little stray. sub:2b93bbc4 All he does is pick through trash with his grandma every day."·dc3debac
"Yeah. [proof:68edbda8] I think I've seen him around. ed.60d20d5e He goes through the trash cans in front of my house." plate-a2a8305d
"Honestly, I feel bad for him." (7c49ac5a/Wed) That particular brand of girl empathy kicked in, and the rep kept going.·666424fb "My family says he came from some tiny village way back in the mountains. sub:a7806260 His dad paid thirty thousand to buy a pretty college girl from traffickers. ed.77495551 But she had the baby and ran the first chance she got." ··8bda2431
"After that, his dad took him and his grandma and left the mountains to try and find the wife. ¶1ab699ac They ended up in Ember Creek because some distant relative used to work here. ref·fedde6b4 Figured they'd lean on them for help." [proof:3c3afba6]
Cora let out a short, knowing laugh. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) "Bet that relative wanted nothing to do with them." no.03c9984a
The class rep nodded fast. §d5821eea "Exactly. ‹0b04024f› So his dad just built a shack somewhere and hauled bricks for construction crews. ed.ad959d51 Things got a little better — they moved into an abandoned house in one of the neighborhoods.·37f6281d But then, a couple winters ago, his dad got hit by a car while he was working on the roadside. ‹a8971b34› Took a few bucks for some medicine and let the driver go. ref·47f7bf64 Died at home a few days later." no.112e64b9
Cora said nothing. [v.3e85f407] Just listened. ⁰04160444 The class rep's face softened with pity. 0406e45f·· "They didn't even have enough to bury him. #f55a51a2 The neighbors pooled money for the funeral. ◆ b59e81e4 I went to see it. [v.dec7605a] It was so awful I went home and cried." sub:071c75ec
At the bottom of the stairwell, Cora glanced back.·464a3689 Maybe it was coincidence, maybe not — even from that distance, she could feel Hawke's eyes on her.·e49256db
She didn't pause. «d179cd40» Turned and went upstairs. ⁰b3fa5e0a
After school, Cora spent a while browsing in a little shop outside the gate, picking out small things, then filling her backpack with snacks. «1567dfd3»
She kept her eye on the street through the glass. ref·082e5eb4 She waited until most of the students had cleared out. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 Then Hawke's small frame appeared, backpack on, walking out of the school. ··ef05341b
Cora paid fast and stepped outside, standing in the doorway. imp.c78a6786 She coughed twice. ⟨de780ff7⟩ Hawke's head snapped up — like a dog catching a scent — and his eyes found hers instantly. plate-44ca91dd
Cora acted like she hadn't seen him. [proof:edf9529c] Muttered "so heavy" under her breath and started walking toward the alley behind the school. plate-8af8a4f5
Hawke followed. * 66aeb60a Hesitated for about thirty feet. ed.e9c1d480 Then closed the distance and said, very quietly, "I can carry that for you." 771e641d··
Cora shoved everything into his arms, stone-faced. ·54c2c549· "You're just now offering? ©c186664d/May 27, 2026 You see me carrying heavy stuff, you come help. #33a5d1b1 Immediately." [ms.3744a049]
Getting snapped at to his face made Hawke shrink even further.·9ad92f63 He couldn't look at her. ed.0725350e He fell into step behind her at a distance — a habit — trailing her toward somewhere isolated. ¶7213c01c Like he was stalking her. plate-d36594dd
Cora went wherever there were no people. — ad1268ce She ended up climbing a tree-covered hill. [ms.ecdccf77] Hawke didn't get a single glance from her, and far from being upset about it, his face had gone red just from walking behind her with her things. ref·a3630ad5
She stopped by a big rock. ·1d770a86· Hawke stood obediently about ten feet away. ··d464c9bf Cora leaned against the rock and looked at him. ¶c1bb0805 "You got beat up again." [ed.f58c9c1c]
His lip was split. [v.02dca0b4] Dried blood crusted near his nose. ◆ 2210f925 Hawke rushed to say something, like he needed to prove himself. «3c32a0ad» "I hit them back. — 262b84f8 But there were too many." [ms.7a0a07fd]
"So you lost." plate-26c85515 Cora pressed her palm down in a gesture. [v.312c9298] Hawke went over, set the bags down somewhere clean, and dropped to all fours in front of her. sub:39e925ee
She rolled onto his back, tucking her legs in loosely, arms around him. ··77f9b034 Riding her puppy again. * 3402fe47
He moved beneath her — slow, steady. #2f9e1b15 She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy it. [proof:fdd0f0a8]
"Useless." no.28a2ac8b
"Can't even beat up a bunch of runts, and look at the state of you." [proof:a7756199]
"Maybe I should just get rid of you." [ed.da4a7847] Cora said it flatly, draped over his back. #db835431 She felt his entire body go rigid beneath her. sub:d1a37020 She heard his heart slamming. no.0595214a
"Don't—" He obviously wanted to say more, but the word choked in his throat and that was all that came out. [proof:f7930fdd] Cora could guess he was probably crying. (1a8de1f7)
"Doesn't it embarrass you? imp.65dc67a4 Me riding you like this every day?" [v.e7cb66b8] She pressed her hand over his heart as she spoke. §254b18ac Her breath hit the back of his neck. no.39450da0 For once, he didn't smell weird today. [ms.e152baa6]
"No. plate-a4ffe197 You can ride me whenever you want." #478ff808 He finally got a full sentence out. sig.6e3a6de4 Thick with tears, nasal and raw. no.b594078c Definitely crying. no.59baac7b
Cora kissed the back of his neck — loud, smacking — and pressed her hand against his chest. ·4f9b63b5· "Good boy. no.d9876574 Riding you is my favorite part of the day. (d1e1f2f1) Go to the rock." ¶4cfd2849
Sure enough, his heart pounded even faster. sub:d37c6d5d The rush of it thrilled her. 227cfa1e·· Something deep down was stirring, swelling — something that made her itch inside, though she couldn't find a way to scratch it. * da4a4abd
"Did you start school just to see me?" [proof:bbe15990] She didn't care how hard it had been for him to enroll. ©a6cf1472/May 27, 2026 Didn't care how he sat through every class under all those hateful stares. ⁰f0952192 She just wanted to know if her dog had done it for her. §988f0ac0
"Yeah. (ab072b96) I wanted to see you during the day too." [v.af514616]
Hawke's ears were red enough to bleed. imp.11074192 Cora reached over and tugged them. [f0261ec7] He didn't flinch, didn't react at all. — galley 73a4edcf — She grabbed his head, tilted it, and closed her mouth over his ear, breathing hot against it. #eeb40e71
"But if you come looking for me at school, the other kids will make fun of me." no.c42c7437
"I won't go near you." ··bce29f9d His voice shook badly when he said it. ‹452c128c› Cora's breath was right there, against his ear. * dc109c39
"Good boy." ed.3d349a65
When they reached the rock, Cora climbed off. [v.0813a210] The moment she stood, she transformed — cool, untouchable, distant. [ms.1be9de30] Without even trying. imp.d57a1f5f Hawke's face was blazing. imp.11a020b6 Cora crouched in front of him, curiosity bright in her eyes. (8dfade6e) "Take off your shoes." ¶6bcdc5bd
He didn't understand why. (6b72b325/Wed) But he nudged one shoe off with the other foot. imp.796ab1d3
"The other one too." [40a848d4]
Cora watched him pull off the second shoe, and her suspicion was confirmed. sig.77adf7ae The two socks didn't match. sig.0d003d94 One had a toe poking through. ©dff3cea0/May 27, 2026
Satisfied, she stood and pulled the shopping bag over. imp.c68a6b4c One by one, she dropped items into his arms. [proof:c35f38b6] "I got you socks, underwear, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a cup, a towel, shampoo, body wash, a water bottle, and a ton of school supplies." [a3a6d02f]
When she was done loading him up, she took it all back, dumped it into the bag, then opened her own backpack and piled the snacks into his arms too. ◆ 300ef3ce
"I also got a bunch of bread and crackers. ··8173a2d7 Eat those in the mornings. [v.78fe48d0] You need to grow. ◆ 1908d0ac You can barely hold me up." fa0a6fc4··
Hawke had been frozen since she pulled out the socks. sig.9d7efee5 Finally, Cora dug out a wad of hundred-dollar bills from her backpack and tossed them lightly onto the pile of breakfast food in his arms. §acccb58a
"You need to have some cash on you. imp.88790945 When they collect money for workbooks and you never pay, the teacher puts your name on a list and reads it out in front of everybody. — 176dac57 It's humiliating.·863b0370 I've got a piano competition in Beaufort next week — if I win first place, there's prize money. ref·2d4ce4e6 I'll give you some of that too." [proof:9e0cd971]
Cora kept talking. «56da76fa» Hawke's mouth, shut tight for so long, finally moved. ©52989f2f/May 27, 2026
"But — what about you?" (c507b239)
"Me?" (18989cd3/Wed) Cora looked at him like the question made no sense. 9bf3087f·· "I have money. ◆ 3e74c90a I told you, my family's loaded. ◆ 24a97ca9 My dad won't be stuck out here forever. ⁰e651b218 Sooner or later my grandpa's going to pull him up." sub:a99f5d28
He went quiet after that. «c351fd35» Head bowed low. (59bf6d59/Wed)
Cora fastened her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. ref·df02b589 Standing in front of him, she was all composure again — that same cool detachment. ◆ 9f645543 "Next time I'll buy you some decent clothes. imp.79f342dd I don't like dogs that are malnourished and ugly. no.89f6cba6 And you're done picking through trash. [proof:5b10b899] Don't let anyone call you a stray in front of me again." ref·66171d39
Hawke nodded repeatedly. ref·6606e0cb Cora had finished cracking the whip, so now came the soft hand. — galley e6ddae1d — She reached out and touched Hawke's face, studying his features, her voice dropping low. cee7f570·· "Puppy, you're actually pretty good-looking. [ms.8897cc7c] Probably your mom's genes. ··3bab8794 Take care of yourself. [v.daeb5bea] Grow up right. «d7da65a0» That's how you keep me interested. no.5b8a5f02 You know that, right?" no.39972eae
They held each other's gaze. plate-63f56cc3 Then something snapped in Hawke and he grabbed her — hard, pulling Cora tight against him. ◆ 77f12f93 He buried his face in her hair and breathed her in, deep, and it took a long time for that wild, animal heartbeat to slow. #9df181f5
"Cora..." His voice dropped low on those two syllables — like he wanted to say so much more, but all of it dissolved into the mountain air and the birdsong. no.d95ea593
Cora felt nothing. ¶80bed6d2 She patted Hawke's head, felt his hands gripping her waist, and thought that being held this tightly by a boy was actually kind of nice. #e0ae7a39
If Hawke could put on some more weight, she could use him as a body pillow. plate-af854f12 A full-sized, human-shaped one. ··cb26a732 Tuck him into bed on cold nights. ¶27f9cfc2 She'd never be cold again in winter. imp.c1ce2d96
For as long as she could remember, Cora had never really played with toys. ⁰b0a69799 It was always lessons — things that made her want to scream. imp.6cdceabc Her parents were strict to the point of cruelty, demanding perfection in every single area. ref·6a612251
So Hawke was fun. 7135a01b·· She needed someone like him. ◆ 8da97c25 Just like her parents did to her — she'd found her own outlet. [v.6a8382c5]
Crack the whip. ed.9f64eebe Then feed him sugar and pet him until he was docile again. [a91bd736] She could do anything to him. 14c64395·· Ride him like a dog. sub:cb5b37b9 Dress him up like a doll. ‹007a1051› Play house and pretend to be his mother. §75b23e9a
And Cora was pretty sure he was way dumber than her. ‹b3661d16›
She'd struggled for a long time to feel anything for anyone. [9a0ca38c] Everyone annoyed her. 1693ea78·· But Hawke — Hawke just looked at her with those wet, earnest eyes. no.8e8e67d4 So focused. plate-0a0fb97d And he always did what she said. sig.edf582a9 He really was like a puppy. [9554b3f4]
If he stayed this obedient, Cora thought, she honestly wouldn't mind keeping him. ‹3b4e980a› Secretly. imp.1dc160cf Just like this. ··e8edd3af Forever. ··87834353