Defeated

The house looked like it had given up years ago.

Peeling paint. A crooked shutter barely hanging on. Grass so tall, it reached Tai’s knees. It wasn’t a home—it was a warning sign.

She glanced at her twin brother and raised a brow. “Out of all the places, you chose this dump?”

Raiden didn’t seem bothered. Of course he didn’t. He was always the glass-half-full type. “It’s got what we need,” he said. “No point blowing all our money on something fancy.”

Tai crossed her arms. “I’m sure it’s got more than we need—like rats.”

He grinned. “Still better than the system.”

She narrowed her eyes, but didn’t argue. Instead, she held out her hand. “Keys.”

Raiden dropped them into her palm.

“Let’s hope the inside’s better than the out,” she muttered.

The door creaked open, revealing a one-story house that smelled like dust and regret. The living room was mostly empty. What little furniture there was looked like it came from a garage sale two decades ago.

“Home sweet home,” Tai deadpanned.

Raiden kicked the door closed. “This is it. Our place. Our new start.”

Tai wandered into the kitchen and peeked out the window. “At least we back onto the woods,” she mumbled, then scrunched her nose at the layer of dust on the counters. “This place better not have mold.”

Raiden slung an arm around her shoulders. “Stop being so miserable,” he teased, but his voice softened. “We’re out, Tai. Just us. No rules, no files, no foster homes. This is what we’ve always wanted.”

She didn’t respond right away.

“The way we got here wasn’t exactly… clean,” she said quietly.

“It was an accident,” Raiden said, his smile fading. “You didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

“But I did.”

“You lost control. That’s different.”

“That’s the problem,” she snapped. “I keep losing control. And now we’re stuck in some tiny town, in this god-awful house, starting from scratch—again.”

“Tai,” Raiden said gently. “Stop. You couldn’t help what happened.”

“Exactly!” she groaned, running both hands through her hair. “I couldn’t help it—and it’s still my fault.”

Raiden paused. “Oi. Shut up.”

Tai’s head snapped up. “Don’t tell me to shut up!”

“It’s a fresh start,” he said firmly. “You’re not going to ruin it with all that self-hate.”

“What about when I lose control again?” Her voice cracked. She wasn’t yelling anymore—just asking. Quiet. Real.

Raiden looked at her the way only a twin could. “Then we deal with it. Together.”

The next morning

Tai dragged herself out of bed, spine aching. “This mattress is made of rocks,” she groaned. “I’ve never slept worse in my life.”

“Music to my ears,” Raiden called, walking past her room like he hadn’t heard her complain a hundred times already.

She stuck her middle finger in his direction.

“Rude,” he said, grinning.

“F*ck off,” she shot back with a smirk. “So, what’s the plan today?”

“You’re going grocery shopping.”

Tai squinted at him. “Wow. Sexist much? Why does the girl get the errand?”

“Because if I pick the cheese wrong, you’ll start a riot.”

“There’s a difference between real cheddar and that fake plastic garbage,” she said, serious as ever.

“Exactly,” Raiden nodded. “That’s why you’re going.”

Tai groaned and turned back to her room, digging through still-sealed boxes. Unlike Raiden, she hadn’t unpacked. Probably wouldn’t for a while. Maybe ever.

“What are you doing?” she asked, tugging on skinny jeans and grabbing a black shirt.

“Heading to the high school.”

She turned. “Why the hell would you do that?”

“Because,” he said, “after everything… we’re going to do one normal thing.”

“Which is?”

“Graduate.”

Tai stared. “I hate you.”

Raiden grinned. “If you were closer, I’d punch you,” she added.

“Love you too.”

“Raiden,” she said more softly now, “do we really have to do this?”

“Yes,” he replied, no hesitation. “And I need you to fight with me, not against me.”

Tai sighed dramatically and clutched her chest. “You wound me. Deeply.”

“You’re exhausting.”

“You’re stuck with me.”

He turned to leave, but paused at the door. “Tai… are you okay?”

“Nope.”

He met her eyes, and for a second, neither of them said anything.

“I’ll let you know when I am,” she finally added.

He nodded, then walked out.

Tai sat back down on her bed and rubbed her eyes. “If I ever am.”

After what she’d done... she wasn’t sure forgiveness even from herselfwas possible.

Tai spat the toothpaste into the sink, wiped her mouth, and stared blankly at her reflection. Her face looked tired. Haunted, even.

She ran cold water over her hands and splashed it on her cheeks. Then, with a sigh, she tied her long hair into a messy ponytail and looked down at the silver locket hanging around her neck.

Her fingers curled around it gently.

“Morning, Ma... Morning, Papa,” she whispered.

The locket was old, scratched, and precious. Inside was the only picture she had left of their family—before everything fell apart. Before Japan. Before the accident. Before foster care became their only reality.

Their mom had died when Tai was six. Their dad dragged them to America, promising a fresh start. A week later, he died in a crash. And Tai and Raiden were alone—just two broken kids thrown into a system that never really saw them.

The locket was all that remained. A tiny, cold reminder of a life that never came back.

“Tai, you ready?” Raiden’s voice echoed from the hallway, pulling her back.

She let the locket fall back to her chest and left the bathroom without answering.

“Yeah,” she muttered, grabbing her phone and purse from the hallway table.

Raiden was already by the front door, keys in hand. “I’ll drop you off at the store, then head to the school. I’ll swing back once I’m done.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said, just glad to get out of the house.

Their truck rumbled to life, and Tai sank into the passenger seat, arms folded, eyes out the window. The town passed by in a blur—quaint houses, small businesses, too many trees. It felt too quiet. Too normal.

A diner caught her eye—packed with teens around her age, laughing, chatting like they had nothing to run from. It didn’t feel like her world. Not yet.

“What do you think?” Raiden asked, glancing over.

Tai shrugged. “It’s not... terrible.”

He grinned. “It’s a good town. Safe. I promise, it’s what we need.”

She turned toward him. “I trust you, Rai. You wouldn’t bring us somewhere that felt wrong.”

He smirked. “It might be dangerous now that you’re here, with that winning personality.”

“Watch it,” she warned, elbowing him. “Unless you want to test the crash rating on this truck.”

“Then be polite, princess.”

They rolled to a stop outside a massive supermarket.

Raiden threw her a smug look. “Don’t forget the right cheese this time.”

She rolled her eyes and slammed the door shut behind her.

Tai grabbed a cart and pushed it through the automatic doors, the wheels squeaking annoyingly. She moved quickly, not in the mood to linger, grabbing anything she and Raiden liked—instant ramen, peanut butter, snacks, and yes, actual cheddar.

She was halfway down the aisle when she reached the checkout and spotted the red-haired cashier wrestling with a block of cheese at the scanner.

“Stupid thing,” the girl muttered. “Get a job at the store, they said. It'll be fun, they said!”

Tai watched as the girl dramatically waved the cheese in front of the scanner like it personally offended her. The customer in front of Tai looked scared. They left without a word. The cashier just rolled her eyes.

Tai raised a brow and glanced at her nametag. Alice.

“You’re new,” Alice said without looking up.

“Excuse me?” Tai blinked.

“You’re new in town,” Alice clarified. “Sorry—it's just... small town. New faces don’t go unnoticed.”

Tai started unloading her groceries. “Right.”

Alice tilted her head. “When did you get here?”

Tai shot her a look. “That’s kind of personal, don’t you think?”

Alice held her hands up. “Fair. Just trying to be friendly.”

Tai didn’t reply. She wasn’t exactly known for making instant friends. She wasn’t mean—just... guarded. Cold until proven otherwise. She didn’t trust easily, and small talk wasn’t on her list of hobbies.

“Relax,” Alice said casually. “I’m just curious. New people are rare here.”

“Well, learn to be a little less curious,” Tai muttered, grateful when her phone rang. She yanked it out of her pocket and answered without checking. Only one person ever called her.

“Good news!” Raiden’s too-happy voice rang through.

“I doubt it.”

“We start school Monday!”

Tai groaned. “No thanks. I’m perfectly fine not graduating. How about you go and I skip the whole high school nightmare?”

“No excuses,” he said. “You’re going. See you soon. I’m heading back to pick you up.”

“I really don’t like you,” she muttered and hung up.

Alice raised an eyebrow. “Starting at the high school?”

Tai side-eyed her. “You’re not just curious. You’re an eavesdropper.”

Alice looked a little hurt. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“No,” Tai sighed. “I’m being a b*tch. Sorry. I’m just... not in a sunshine mood.”

Alice relaxed. “You and me both.”

She squinted at the cheese in her hand and growled at it. “Why won’t you scan, you stupid lump of dairy?”

Tai blinked. “You’re scanning the wrong side.”

Alice paused. Turned the block. Beep. “Oh. Right.” She cleared her throat. “Thanks.”

Tai gave a faint smile.

“I’ll probably see you Monday, then,” Alice added.

“Can’t wait,” Tai deadpanned.

Alice grinned. “This town’s small, but it’s messy. Like walking straight into a YA book—drama, secrets, the whole deal.”

Tai let out a small chuckle. “Good to know.”

--

Hey, lovely readers,

Sorry it took me so long to come back and for leaving you all hanging. I'm finally back.

This story means a lot to me, and I’m here to finish what I started.

I’ll be active and updating more often on this platform, so stay tuned!

Also, I’m planning to rewrite Shy (Book 1) soon, so watch out for that too.

Thanks so much for sticking with me.

—With love, always 💛

Monday morning was not Tai’s friend.

She woke up groggy, irritated, and already over it. Her back ached from the excuse of a mattress she’d slept on. Still, she rolled out of bed, dragged herself to the bathroom, and locked the door before Raiden could steal it.

Small wins.

After a hot shower—well, mostly hot—she stepped out wrapped in a towel, smirking when she found her brother standing outside with a towel of his own.

“You better be quick,” she said, flashing a smug smile. “Not much hot water left.”

Raiden narrowed his eyes. “You’re mean.”

“And you’re the one forcing me to go to school,” Tai shot back, disappearing into her room.

She threw on a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeved navy top. Her combat boots followed, and she tugged a brush through her hair before braiding it down her back. By the time she made it to the kitchen, Raiden was already halfway through his coffee, hair dripping and eyes still heavy with sleep.

“Morning,