AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Think for a minute, will you? Marigold’s sleeping on the floor by the double bed because it’s the only place to keep her contained, so it’s not hard to figure out that Mat will make sure he sleeps in the front. The banquette makes up into a small bed. The couch makes up into another bed. You can either sleep back here in the double bed with me or up there with him.”
“That’s so gross. How do you know he’s not one of those kiddy porn creeps or something?”
“Instinct.”
“Yeah, well, that’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one who might get overpowered.”
Why did the idea of being overpowered by Mat Jorik not seem all that awful? But sex was one thing she absolutely never let herself think about, so she looked around the kitchen for some cleanser.
“Let him sleep with you,” Lucy said. “He wants to.”
Spray bottle in hand, Nealy turned back to the hostile teenager with the small, perfectly proportioned features. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. He only likes me marginally more than he likes you, which isn’t saying much. Now I’m taking a shower. Sleep anywhere you want.”
Nealy didn’t have much experience cleaning, but she couldn’t stand using the bathroom as it was. It took her a while, but when she was done, she felt reasonably satisfied with the result. Afterward she showered, then reluctantly fastened the padding back around her middle. It would be uncomfortable for sleeping, but in such close quarters, she didn’t have much choice.
She’d picked up the inexpensive long blue cotton nightgown she’d bought at the discount store. She was accustomed to silk, and the fabric felt strange as she settled it over her head.
When she emerged from the bathroom, she was relieved to see that Lucy had fallen asleep. Still wearing her clothes, she lay sprawled across the double bed. The smeared makeup formed a mask over her delicately innocent face.
Marigold lay on the bed Nealy had made for her on the floor. She was curled on her side, her plump, baby lips parted, fragile lashes lying in dainty half-moons on her cheeks, the Beanie Baby walrus under one knee. For the first time Nealy noticed that all ten of her tiny toe-nails were painted iridescent blue.
She smiled down at Lucy, then opened one of the back windows. As the night breeze touched her skin, she instinctively gazed toward the shadows outside for the guards who were always there. But tonight she saw only the gentle sway of tree branches. She felt completely isolated from the rest of the world and absolutely safe. Cornelia Case had vanished.
Lucy felt something poke her, heard a soft noise. It was too early to get up, and she didn’t want to open her eyes, especially when she knew exactly what she would see.
“Gah?”
The word was soft, almost whispered. Lucy forced open one eye and then the other. For a moment, she simply stared at her sister as she peeked over the edge of the mattress. Little blond tufts stuck out here and there, most of them stiff from yesterday’s meals, and a big smile, full of love and trust, was spread like peanut butter over her face. It made Lucy’s stomach hurt.
“Gah,” she whispered back.
The smile beamed brighter. Lucy lifted her head and saw a purple stain on her pillow from the color she’d sprayed in her hair. She also noticed a wet spot where she’d drooled while she slept. Gross.
Nell was asleep, and Lucy felt a stab of jealousy as she saw how pretty she looked lying against her pillow. Now that Nell was here, Jorik was paying attention to her instead of Lucy.
She didn’t like thinking about how muc
h she wanted him to pay attention to her. It reminded her of all those years she hadn’t been able to get Sandy’s attention. The only things her mother had cared about were booze and her boyfriends.
As Lucy sat up, she caught sight of Jorik sprawled face down on the couch, legs hanging off the end, one arm dragging on the floor. Fourteen years worth of resentment against Sandy churned inside her. Why couldn’t Jorik have been her dad instead of some drunk Carnegie Mellon fraternity guy Sandy’d never seen again?
“Gah?”
Sharp little fingernails dug into her legs. She gazed at those dirty blond curls and grubby knees. Nell and Jorik thought they were so smart, but neither one of them seemed to know that babies needed a bath before they went to bed.
Freeing herself from her sister’s grip, she stood up and began pulling some clean clothes from the pile she’d tossed on the floor yesterday morning before they’d taken off. When she had everything, she leaned down and grabbed the baby, too.
The digital clock on Mabel’s dashboard read 6:02. Just one time Lucy’d like to sleep in late like other kids her age, but she never got to.
Her sister was heavy, and Lucy banged into the table on her way to the door, but Jorik didn’t move. Then she saw the half-empty whiskey bottle lying on the floor. Betrayal burned inside her. Was he going to turn out to be a drunk, too?
The only time in the past four years when Sandy hadn’t gotten drunk was when she was pregnant. Lucy’s eyes filled with tears. That had been a pretty good time. Even though Sandy’d been with Trent a lot, sometimes it had just been the two of them laughing and talking about stuff.
Sometimes Lucy felt guilty for not being more sad about Sandy dying, but in a lot of ways, she felt like Sandy had died right after her little sister was born, when she’d started drinking again. All she was interested in from then on was partying. Lucy had sort of started hating her.
Outside it smelled like bacon and fresh air. She’d been to a place like this once with Sandy and Trent, and she knew there was usually a rest room with a shower for people who didn’t want to use the one in their motor homes. She had to set the baby down in the grass a couple of times so she could rest her arms. Finally, she spotted a wooden building painted green. She hoped it wasn’t too crappy inside.
She picked the baby back up. “You’d better start walking soon. I mean it. You’re getting too heavy for me to carry. And stop poking me in the eye, will you?”
