had gotten so bad that it ran down the side of the house like massive bloody streaks, adding to the illusion.
Several joints were broken, and the old welding spots had sharp edges. As Ember stared into the vicious mass of thorns and torn metal, and looked from the ground up at Thalia’s window far above her, she considered it a small miracle that she was still alive. She laid one had on an exposed, rusty grip, but still couldn’t remember any of it. She looked at her palms, but there weren’t any cuts.
Shaking her head, she was just turning to go back inside when something in the dark broke from where it had been standing stock-still and made for the trees. Ember’s heart broke into a panicked race as the creature, whatever it was, tromped back into the wilderness.
As she stared after it, wondering what had just been standing not even thirty feet away from her, a speck of something bright on the ground caught her eye. She warily scanned the tree line, but anything that had been stalking the yard had been scared off. She took two steps forward, toward the one lonely bit of white that wasn’t in the sky, and then turned and ran back to the front door, not caring a damn about how much noise she made.
As luck would have it, she had managed to lock herself out of the house. As she frantically pounded on the door, screaming at the top of her lungs, she knew in the pit of her stomach that her mother would never open the door for her, and her key was still sitting on the nightstand.
When the door did pop open, and Ember saw her mother wielding a butcher knife and her grandmother swinging a meat cleaver, she tripped over the shoes she was wearing as she took a shocked breath in and a quick step back. Shutting her eyes in anticipation of the impact, she felt someone catch the front of her shirt, and then her back slammed against something hard.
When Ember’s eyes reopened, she was staring at a blade against her throat as Gina kicked the front door shut.
“You damn fool!” Ethel hissed as she leaned in closer to Ember’s face. “You damn, stupid little girl!”
“Mom!” Gina said, pulling at the older woman’s shoulders as her knife clattered to the floor. “ Mom! It’s Ember, put the knife down! She doesn’t know what she’s doing, put it down! ”
As they continued to struggle, and Ethel continued to hold Ember against the entryway wall, it was the sound of sobs from the top of the stairs that finally made everyone stop.
Ethel’s grip loosened enough that Gina was able to pry the meat cleaver out of her hand, and she tossed it onto the couch. She ran toward the stairs and the sound of Thalia’s breakdown, hissing under her breath. “She’s never going to sleep again. Both of you go to bed—I don’t want to hear another noise until daybreak. Go .”
Ember stared into the crazed eyes of her grandmother as Gina disappeared up the stairs. As the sounds of Thalia’s panicked, short breaths and Gina soothing her drifted down the stairs, Ethel slapped Ember across the face. Then she hugged her. Not knowing what to do, Ember stared at the floor as her cheek stung.
Eventually, the sounds up the stairs quieted, and a door closed, muffling them for good. Ethel walked away like she couldn’t remember where she was or what was happening. Ember sank to the floor with her back against the wall, hugging herself in a stranger’s coat, and still not knowing whose shoes she was wearing.
The knife her mother had been gripping with white knuckles when she threw the door open was lying on the floor a few feet away from her. She frowned, wondering what her mother had expected to find when answering the door. A monster, presumably, to warrant such a use of force.
It made Ember smile ironically; the only monster on this island was already inside the house. It was Gina.
The next day, no one talked about it. Thalia sat at the breakfast table with puffy, red eyes, twitching at every loud sound and sudden movement.
Several joints were broken, and the old welding spots had sharp edges. As Ember stared into the vicious mass of thorns and torn metal, and looked from the ground up at Thalia’s window far above her, she considered it a small miracle that she was still alive. She laid one had on an exposed, rusty grip, but still couldn’t remember any of it. She looked at her palms, but there weren’t any cuts.
Shaking her head, she was just turning to go back inside when something in the dark broke from where it had been standing stock-still and made for the trees. Ember’s heart broke into a panicked race as the creature, whatever it was, tromped back into the wilderness.
As she stared after it, wondering what had just been standing not even thirty feet away from her, a speck of something bright on the ground caught her eye. She warily scanned the tree line, but anything that had been stalking the yard had been scared off. She took two steps forward, toward the one lonely bit of white that wasn’t in the sky, and then turned and ran back to the front door, not caring a damn about how much noise she made.
As luck would have it, she had managed to lock herself out of the house. As she frantically pounded on the door, screaming at the top of her lungs, she knew in the pit of her stomach that her mother would never open the door for her, and her key was still sitting on the nightstand.
When the door did pop open, and Ember saw her mother wielding a butcher knife and her grandmother swinging a meat cleaver, she tripped over the shoes she was wearing as she took a shocked breath in and a quick step back. Shutting her eyes in anticipation of the impact, she felt someone catch the front of her shirt, and then her back slammed against something hard.
When Ember’s eyes reopened, she was staring at a blade against her throat as Gina kicked the front door shut.
“You damn fool!” Ethel hissed as she leaned in closer to Ember’s face. “You damn, stupid little girl!”
“Mom!” Gina said, pulling at the older woman’s shoulders as her knife clattered to the floor. “ Mom! It’s Ember, put the knife down! She doesn’t know what she’s doing, put it down! ”
As they continued to struggle, and Ethel continued to hold Ember against the entryway wall, it was the sound of sobs from the top of the stairs that finally made everyone stop.
Ethel’s grip loosened enough that Gina was able to pry the meat cleaver out of her hand, and she tossed it onto the couch. She ran toward the stairs and the sound of Thalia’s breakdown, hissing under her breath. “She’s never going to sleep again. Both of you go to bed—I don’t want to hear another noise until daybreak. Go .”
Ember stared into the crazed eyes of her grandmother as Gina disappeared up the stairs. As the sounds of Thalia’s panicked, short breaths and Gina soothing her drifted down the stairs, Ethel slapped Ember across the face. Then she hugged her. Not knowing what to do, Ember stared at the floor as her cheek stung.
Eventually, the sounds up the stairs quieted, and a door closed, muffling them for good. Ethel walked away like she couldn’t remember where she was or what was happening. Ember sank to the floor with her back against the wall, hugging herself in a stranger’s coat, and still not knowing whose shoes she was wearing.
The knife her mother had been gripping with white knuckles when she threw the door open was lying on the floor a few feet away from her. She frowned, wondering what her mother had expected to find when answering the door. A monster, presumably, to warrant such a use of force.
It made Ember smile ironically; the only monster on this island was already inside the house. It was Gina.
The next day, no one talked about it. Thalia sat at the breakfast table with puffy, red eyes, twitching at every loud sound and sudden movement.
Similar Books
