The door to the bedroom opens. My younger sister walks in, rolling her eyes just for practice, really.
“I got rid of him,” Serenity says. “He’s so old. Kind of cute maybe. In like, an old guy way.”
“Stay away from him. He’s really dangerous.”
She rolls her eyes at me again, for even more practice. She could go to the Olympics with that shit. “You think everything is dangerous, Laura. I’m not going to go running after someone older than my dad. Gross.” She gives me a judgmental look, as if she thinks that’s what I’ve been doing.
I let her think what she wants. Serenity likes to be judgmental and bitchy sometimes, but I know for a fact she won’t say anything to anyone about the fact that I’m hiding in her room.
I snuck into the house at seven in the morning. Nobody noticed. In the middle of breakfast, I walked through and grabbed a bowl of cereal. They noticed then, I think, but not in a really deep way. My plan is to hide out here. There’s food here, a bathroom, and a bed. That’s all I need.
A knock on the door makes me freeze. Nobody knocks in this house. They throw open the door and just start complaining about a stolen top, or a missing toy, or a yogurt they think was for them.
“Yeah?” Serenity answers, her tone dripping with unnecessary attitude, as if she’s pissed off anybody dares to show a little bit of courtesy.
The door opens a crack. I know instantly who it is. The only person in this house who is respectful of the older girls’ space. It has to be my mother’s boyfriend. That’s still how I think about him, even though I guess they’ve been together for five years now. So many dad guys have come and gone through this house I don’t really take them seriously anymore.
“Laura, you in here?”
“Yes, John,” I say.
He steps into the room and closes the door behind him. Somewhere in the distance, a dish breaks. He looks at me, and I get the feeling I’ve done something wrong, which is weird because I’m not used to that from him.
“Why’s there a slime ball in a suit looking for you, Laura?”
“I don’t know,” I snort. “Who was it?”
“Some guy says he’s a lecturer at your school. I’ve seen him on TV though. I don’t like people who are on TV. They think they’re better than everyone else. Think the rules don’t apply to them. They do creepy shit.”
John’s always had strong opinions about things. Usually I tune them out. My mom listens and agrees with him, which he loves. I don’t say anything, and he just keeps talking.
“If he’s creeping you out, I can call the guys.” John mentions ‘the guys’ from time to time. We’ve never met them. I’ve always assumed there’s not really any such thing as ‘the guys,’ or if there are guys, that they’re spread across all forty-eight contiguous states.
“That’s okay,” I tell him. “He’s just really invested in student outcomes.”
“That right?” John says, his tone flat. I don’t know why, but he’s even more suspicious now. Has John been smart all along?
He’s never shown much interest in me before. Kind of surprises me. To be honest, I thought John had pretty much forgotten I existed.
“Why do you… not, I mean, not why do you care, but usually you don’t ask about my life?” I say, trying not to further rouse his suspicions.
“I never had to worry about you before,” he says. “Now it feels like I do.”
“That’s nice. Thanks. I’m okay though.”
He squints at me for a moment, then nods and leaves the room.
Serenity lets out a shriek. “My new jeans are missing too! Eva!”
CHAPTER 15
Sam
I am hunting my property again. This time she has the advantage of knowing she is being pursued, but I don’t know if she has the nerve to actually use that knowledge to her advantage, or if she’s simply gone to ground like a frightened rabbit.
My instincts tell me she’s hiding close to home. The stepfather was hostile, but from what I’ve come to understand he’s a long haul trucker, and he won’t be around to ask questions that much longer.
I don’t want to hurt her stepfather, but I won’t let anybody stand in my way. Laura is in a lot of trouble for running from me. She should have known better. She will definitely know better once I find her and deal with this behavior.
