Fractured Innocence (#2 IFICS) Read Online Free PDF Page A

floor, hunched over, working on a clay vase. She looked up and smiled when Aaliyah walked through the door. “Hoe was jou dag liewe?“ 
    “The usual. Pretty boring.” With a thud she dropped her bag on the floor. The books weighed a ton. It felt good to get the weight off her shoulders. 
    Her mother refused to talk in English at home. Aaliyah loved her native tongue, Afrikaans, but really wished her mother would try harder to learn English. She wasn’t always around to help translate. 
    “ Hoekom is jy so laat? Het jy weer daai seun gesien?”
    Aaliyah looked down at the stained carpet that might have once been a pretty peach color. “I’m not late, and if by that boy you mean Noah then yes, mamma, I was with him.” 
    Her mamma gave her a slight smile, before her focus went back to the clay in her hands. 
    “I’m running to get Darrius.”  
    “ Moenie vergeet om melk en brood terug te bring nie,” her mamma said without looking up. 
    “All right. I’ll stop at the store on the way back.” She wasn’t even sure she had enough money to buy milk and bread. Aaliyah shut the door and ran back down the stairs and out into the cold air. By now, the sun was fully set. She didn’t really like walking in the dark, but what could she do? It wasn’t as if they could afford to get a second car. 
    The misty streetlights were almost useless. The pale yellow light did nothing to illuminate the sidewalk other than to cast creepy shadows on the ground. The tree branches looked like they wanted to reach out and grab her. Aaliyah picked up her pace. The school was only five blocks away. 
    Occasionally, a car would drive by with loud music, startling her. Stop being such a baby.  
    To get her mind of the fear of being alone in the dark, she thought about her and Noah, schoolwork, and wondered what they were having for dinner. Before she knew it, the school appeared ahead. She was early as usual. She never wanted Darrius to be the last kid waiting. 
    As soon as she entered the gym, she went over to the little stand that always had coffee, tea and hot chocolate for the parents. She poured herself a styrofoam cup of black tea. The heat felt amazing after being out in the cold. 
    Standing on the sidelines, she watched as the kids ran up and down the court, kicking the ball back and forth in a fast-paced game of soccer. It seemed like a senseless sport to her, but Darrius loved it. As long as he was happy, that was what mattered. Oh, how she loved that little boy! 
    The coach blew his whistle, and the kids gathered around to receive their after practice pep talk. Aaliyah was glad to be inside; her toes were starting to thaw. She sure wasn’t in a rush to get back out in the cold evening air. Tipping back her head, she swallowed the last of tea and tossed the cup into the garbage can. 
    Darrius ran over to her with a lopsided grin. “Did you see me get that goal?” 
    “I saw! Now get changed so we can get out of here.” 
    She watched while one of the boys fell in step beside him as they went into the locker room. It made her heart swell to see him so happy with friends. 
    A few minutes later, he ran across the gym floor and stopped just short of her. She almost gave him a hug, but she knew he would not be happy if she did. He was at the age where it was no longer cool to have his sister hug him in public. 
    “Do you have any homework?” Aaliyah asked as she shouldered her brother’s backpack. They headed outside. The night seemed colder after the warmth of the gym. 
    “Yeah, just some math. Nothing major.” Darrius pulled his hat down lower over his ears as the frigid air hit them, causing his teeth to chatter. 
    “We’ll be home soon. I’ll make you some soup to warm you up.” 
    “Tomato soup?”
    “Sure. We gotta stop and get bread. Maybe we can have grilled cheese sandwiches too.”
    “My favorite.”
    “Everything is your favorite.” Aaliyah chuckled. 
    “Wanna race?” Darrius