Page 301 of Taken Away

It moved.

Only an inch.

Maybe two.

But enough.

Anne froze.

The mattress creaked.

Footsteps crossed the room.

The bedroom door opened.

Anne listened as Mabel moved into the hallway.

A door opened.

Then another.

Mabel was checking the rooms.

Anne pressed herself deeper into the closet.

Her heart beat so hard she was certain Mabel could hear it.

Then Mabel came back.

The mattress shifted again.

Silence.

Anne should have stayed hidden.

She should have waited until Mabel slept.

She should have slipped downstairs and disappeared through the cellar.

Instead, Anne stepped from the closet.

Mabel saw her.

Her breath caught.

Then her hand flew to her chest.

Anne watched her face change.

Fear.

Then pain.

Mabel stumbled against the bed.

For one terrible second, Anne saw the girl who used to crawl beneath the covers beside her during thunderstorms.

Her sister.