AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kara’s skin crawled and though she wanted to argue, she didn’t. The tone of Marlie’s voice, so unlike her, made the ever-rebellious Kara obedient as she was prodded up the stairs. Marlie was holding the small flashlight, its weak beam illuminating the path.
At the top of the stairs, under the sloped ceilings where Kara was certain bats roosted, Marlie stopped, leaving Kara standing on the floorboards of the attic, while she hesitated on one step lower, so they were eye to eye, nose to nose. She shined the flashlight near her face, distorting her features in shadow, causing the small dimple on her chin to shadow and creating an eerie mask much like their brother Jonas’s face when he held a flashlight beneath his face for a macabre effect as he told ghost stories.
But tonight was different.
Tonight wasn’t a game. That much Kara knew.
“You need to stay here and wait for me to come back.”
“No!”
“Just for a little while.”
Kara shook her head. “I want Mama.”
“I know, but I already told you that’s not going to happen.”
“Why?” Panic welled in her heart. “You’re not leaving me here alone.”
“Just for a little while.”
“No!”
“Kara—”
“I’m not staying here. Why would you even say that?” Kara demanded.
“I just have to make sure it’s safe, okay—?”
“No, it’s not okay.”
“Then I’ll come get you. I promise.”
“Safe from what?” Kara cried, freaking. Anytime her siblings added an “I promise,” it was because they weren’t telling the truth. “You said there were bad people here. Who?”
“I-I don’t really know.”
“What’re they doing?”
“I’m not . . . I don’t . . . I’m not sure, but I know this, there’s something . . . something really bad, Kara.”
“What . . . what’s bad?”
“I don’t know.”
“And it’s here.”
“I . . . yes . . . please, just do as I say.”
Kara suspected her sister was dodging the truth. “Where’re Mama and Daddy?”
A beat. “Out.”
“Liar.” Why was Marlie lying to her?
“Kara—”
“What about Jonas and Sam and Donner?” Kara asked frantically. Her older half brothers. They’d all been here earlier. She’d seen them at dinner and after. Donner and Sam had been listening to music and playing video games, maybe even drinking, and Jonas, the loner, had been in his room practicing his ninja moves or whatever it was he always did. Sam had kidded him, calling him Jonas Joe-Judo. Which Jonas hated.
