"They Know about you"
Those words haunted me long after Jodie let them spill like a secret that had slipped too soon.
She laughed when I stared at her in horror. A light, careless laugh that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I'm kidding, Elle. God, you're so serious sometimes," she said, rolling over in bed and tugging the blanket over her shoulder. "It's just a dumb name some of the older kids throw around. I swear."
"I'm not buying it, Jodie," I said, narrowing my eyes. "I remember exactly what you told me...'It's underground. It's everywhere. They don't take just anyone. You gotta be cut from the right kind of fucked-up.' Those were your exact words."
Jodie blinked, then let out a laugh, half amused, half stunned.
"Yo, what the hell, Elle? How do you remember stuff word for word like that
"Didn't I tell you I was magic?" I teased, and we both burst out laughing.
But then I leaned in, my voice low. "Seriously though, Jodie… that symbol.. the crown with the daggers...you showed it to me in that notebook, the one with all those names. Was that just something you made up?" I asked searching her face.
She looked me dead in the eye.
"Bitch, I told you, I was joking. I made all that up. Doesn't it sound like some Scooby-Doo crap to you?" she said, laughing.
"The Coups?" She snorted. "Seriously, Elle, I just made it up to freak you out."
"Yeah it did sound like shit, but Why'd you try to scare me?" I asked
"Let's just say I wanted to scare you enough to make you run out of the room but not enough to make you hate me. I value my privacy," she smirked.
"You're unbelievable," I muttered, shaking my head.
"Privacy? In foster care? Really, Jodie?" I added, raising a brow.
We both burst out laughing.
She said she was joking and I tried to believe her. Soon after Jodie slept off but I couldn't .
But I didn't sleep that night. I just lay there, staring up at the dark ceiling above our bunk, her words echoing in my head.
Something felt off.
There'd been a flicker of something real in her eyes when she first said they knew who I was too real to be a joke.
I didn't believe her.
But now she was laughing it off like it meant nothing.
Maybe it was just a joke.
Maybe it wasn't.
I didn't know what to believe anymore, I decided to sleep.
My morning started with a disgusting looking bread. Not from the kitchen, no. From a dirty fucking tray.
"You gonna eat that?" Jodie had asked eyeing the half-squished bread roll like it was gold.
I was period sick. I just stared at her, too tired to talk, and pushed it across the table. I couldn't believe she was going to eat that.
"You're holding up pretty well. Most new girls get all stiff and awkward when it's that time of the month around here," she said, eyeing me.
"So, what did the old lady give you… a tampon?"
"No. I've never used one before," I replied casually.
"Oh, really? You should," she mumbled, mouth half-full of bread.
"Seriously, Elle, I'd rather use tissue paper than a tampon," I said, resting my head on the table.
"Oh, come on, Elle, if you just....."
"Can you both not talk about period stuff right now?" someone cut Jodie off.
"It's the dining table, and we're all trying to eat."
That was Candice...sassy, sharp-tongued, and definitely a bit of a bitch. I could already tell.
Jodie shot her a glare.
"Rude bitch," she muttered, then went right back to eating.
"Yoo Jodie I think she heard you, she's killing you with her eyes right now" I whispered to Jodie,
"Trust me Elle, She can't do nothing other then looking".
Candice kept glaring at us but that was it, she did nothing. She flared until she got tired.
I and Jodie eventually went back to our room, I got really tired from doing nothing. I was starving but I couldn't and didn't want to eat that dirt bread.
I didn't realize it at the time, but I was starting to like Jodie.
Back when my parents were alive, I never really liked anyone at school. Never had real friends...not after what happened with the first one.
She knew I was allergic to peanut butter.
Still, she gave me cookies loaded with it.
I almost died.
Since then, I've kept to myself.
Luckily, in foster care, we don't have to deal with local schools. We're taught right here...different teachers come in for different grades.
And honestly? They're pretty good.
But yeah, I like Jodie.