Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Emily’s the one who thawed my heart. Turned my world into a vibrant landscape. And I refuse to return to the icy grip of solitude without a fight.
CHAPTER TWO
The haunting echoes of the past never truly fade. Sometimes they hover over you like a poisonous cloud, ready to drown you in pain when you least expect a storm.
Since the night I found my parents’ bloody, lifeless bodies, my biggest fear, my worst nightmare, has been something bad happening to Libby. Losing her. Anything harming her.
All I’ve wanted to do is protect my little sister and keep her safe. I never thought I’d cause her pain. Not directly, maybe, but my pursuit of my own selfish needs led to where we are right now.
The hospital. I’ve spent all night in a stiff, uncomfortable chair, drifting in and out of sleep. Replaying the events that led us here over and over…
Hushed voices. Metal clicking. The steady electronic beat of a monitor.
“…the doctor will probably release her this afternoon…vitals are normal,” a woman says.
“Such a pretty girl. Ugh. Her poor face and that bruise across her chest where the seat belt dug in…ouch.”
“She got lucky. Have you seen her friends upstairs? One of them has a long, painful road of healing ahead of her.”
The voices fade into silence as my brain slowly swims into awareness. At some point, I must’ve fallen asleep again.
I blink my eyes open and stare straight ahead. Two nurses are busy checking Libby over.
The older nurse glances in my direction, then gives me a perfunctory nod. “Morning, Ms. Walker.”
I slide myself into a more upright position, groaning at the aches radiating down my spine. Guilt pinches my forehead. My sore back is nothing compared to how Libby will feel when she wakes.
“Is she okay?” I rasp. My mouth tastes like a bag of moldy lemons.
“Vitals are good. She was awake a little earlier.”
“She was?” How’d I sleep through that?
“Yes.” The younger nurse gives me a sympathetic smile. “She didn’t want to wake you, but she seemed relieved that you were here.”
Somehow that makes me feel even worse. I can’t come up with a response, so I just nod.
Still disoriented from my sleep spell, I stand and stretch. Libby seems to be in good hands. I feel like hot garbage, so I step into the hallway in search of a sink.
The brighter light bouncing off the white walls and floors sears my still-sleepy eyes. I stumble toward the bathroom and take a few seconds to clean up. After splashing water on my face I attempt to fix my hair into something that doesn’t resemble a nest of rats living on my head.
When I return to Libby’s room, the nurses are gone. My sister’s awake, staring at the doorway. She offers a weak smile when I step inside.
Oh thank God, she’s okay.
Internally I wince at the cuts on her face. I don’t want to freak her out, though, so I keep my face neutral and my voice calm.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Tired.”
“Go ahead and close your eyes. I’m sure someone will be back to bother you soon. Might as well sleep while you can.”
She holds out her hand and I hurry to her side and take it. “Thanks for staying with me.”
“Of course. I…I’m so sorry.”
She frowns, then winces. “Ow. My whole face hurts. And my head. My arm. Oh, forget it. My whole body hurts,” she whimpers.
“Go ahead and rest. I’m not leaving.”
She nods and settles back against the pillows. “You got any good creepy stories to read to me?”
Besides our shared love of horror movies, we like to read creepy stories posted online and usually send the best ones to each other whenever we find them. “I haven’t checked out the forum in a couple days.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and navigate to our favorite site.
“Hopefully you find some new ones,” she murmurs. “Seems like the same stuff lately.”
I quickly scan the different topics. Creepy night jobs are one of our favorites, and I come across a new one fairly fast. “Okay, I think I found a winner.”
Libby’s snoring softly by the time I finish reading the first paragraph. I set my phone on the night table and watch her for a few minutes.
Someone quietly knocks on the door and pushes it open. A tall blonde wearing an emergency-bright orange sweatshirt stands with one foot in the hallway, one in our room. “Emily?” Trinity asks in a hushed voice.
I sit up straighter. “Hey, what are you doing here?” How’d she even find us?
“You mind if I sit with you?” She crosses the room, takes the chair next to me, and drops into it before I answer.
Come on in.
Stretching her long, black legging-covered legs in front her, she crosses them at the ankles, almost blinding me with her neon yellow sneakers.