I hurried onto the porch. “Do they know I’m here?”
“I don’t know. We can’t risk it. My car is out back. I already packed some things. See? I will keep you safe.”
We crossed through the house and Mother led me out the back door to a rusting car. The back seat was loaded with suitcases and boxes. She had been packing in the night.
“Hop in, darling. Let’s make a trip of it.”
I glanced back at the house. Something flashed in my mind—the squish of soggy cool grass. But it must have been from some other time. Today the grass was dry andcrunched when I walked. Fear crept through me. The back door was bad. Everything was bad.
I stumbled away from the car. “No. Something’s wrong.”
Mother grabbed my arm and led me to the passenger door. “Get in before it’s too late!”
I had no idea what to do. My heart beat so hard that it hurt. But what scared me? The men coming for me? This place?
I opened the door and sat on the cracked seat.
“There you go, darling. We’ll have a lovely time. We’ll get reacquainted and all will be well.”
She started the car, which chugged and groaned for a moment, but eventually fired up.
Mother let out a long sigh. “Everything will be as it was.”
She drove across the dry earth, bumping and lurching as we rounded the house.
But when we arrived at the driveway, a sleek, shiny car blocked our way. Mother slammed to a stop in the dirt.
“No!” she called. “No!”
I opened my door, panicked. “Should I run?”
She turned to me, tears on her face. “No, my darling. There is no need to run.”
But my fear blasted through me, hot and terrible. I lurched from my seat and stood by the open door, the wind blowing dust into my hair.
Tucker was in the other car. I swiveled to sprint away.
He jumped out. “Stop!”
I hesitated. What was happening here? Mother turned off the engine and sat with her back straight, tears dripping onto her pale green dress.
Another man emerged from the car. Something about him calmed my breathing. I knew him.
“Who is that?” I asked.
“Marcus Roberts,” Mother said. “Your father.”
Tucker approached. “Please, Ava, stay right there. Your dad’s here.”
“Come with us, Ava,” the other man said. “Get in our car.”
I shook my head and backed away. I almost fell on the rough terrain, broken clods of dirt and spurts of weeds tangling my feet.
“Let’s go in the house,” Mother said, sighing. “It’s long been due for us to talk like civilized people.”
“Yeah right! You were about to steal her away again,” Tucker shouted.
My father held out his hand. “She’s right. We’ll talk. Let’s sort this out to avoid future problems. Ava’s medicine isn’t settled yet. We need to all be on the same page until her condition stabilizes.”
