Her hair.
The slight curve of her mouth.
The sister I had fought with, protected, chased after, and worried about my entire life.The sister who once stole my last clean hoodie and then acted offended when I took it back.The sister who knew how to disappear emotionally but always came back physically.
Until now.
I forced myself to look away from her face.
Background.
The first photo was harder because of the wanted poster effect.Whoever made it had filtered the image to match the ghost town theme, but not enough to completely hide the original setting.Behind Erin’s shoulder, there was a dark rectangle.Maybe a headboard.Maybe a shadow.There was also a sliver of something patterned near the edge.
The second photo was clearer.
She was lying on something.
A pillow.
A bed.
There was a wall behind her, pale but not smooth.The light came from above and slightly left.
I leaned closer.
My pulse picked up.
There.
A framed print in the background.Only part of it showed, cut off by the edge of the image, but I knew that ugly faded landscape.
I had stared at it for four nights.
My breath caught.No.
I grabbed the first poster again and dragged it closer, searching the background harder.The dark rectangle behind her wasn’t a headboard.It was the same cheap motel nightstand.
The patterned sliver was the edge of those hideous curtains.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
Push straightened beside me.“What is it?”
I couldn’t answer right away.My eyes moved between the two posters.
The ugly curtains.The cheap wall art.The lighting.The bedspread.
I knew those details because I had lived inside them while losing my mind looking for Erin.
I had slept in that room.
Packed my bag in that room.
The room tilted slightly.
Not from tequila this time, but from realization.Push’s hand landed at the small of my back.Solid.Immediate.“What?”he asked again, lower now.
