Read Online The Missing- Volume II- Lies by A. Meredith Walters, A. M. Irvin - Free Book Online Page A

thought of Maren’s similar design and my gut twisted into complicated knots.
    I remembered . . .

    “What is this?” Maren pointed at my bandaged foot. I grinned, excited to show her what I had done.
    “Do you want to see?” I teased.
    Maren rolled her eyes. “Stop playing around, Nora. Either show me or don’t.”
    She sounded exasperated. I frowned. Maren’s patience was running thin lately. Particularly where I was concerned. I wasn’t sure what had changed. What I had done. But I was determined to get things back on track.
    Starting with this one thing that would bind us together always.
    I slowly peeled away the bandage and watched her face for her reaction.
    “What do you think?” I asked eagerly.
    Maren’s mouth thinned and her eyes narrowed. “When did you get this?”
    I swallowed, my throat feeling tight. My eyes burned, but I wouldn’t cry. “Uh, yesterday after class. I thought—”
    “I don’t understand what you’re doing, Nora.” Maren sounded sad. So sad. And troubled too.
    I lifted my hand and softly stroked her cheek. “How can you not know?” I baited, trying to lighten the mood. I covered the tattoo with the bandage again. The tattoo just like hers.
    Maren seemed angry. “What did you think would happen because you got this? Please, make me understand!”
    I clicked my tongue. “You have one and I have one. It’s ours.” Why was she getting so upset? I thought she’d be happy. She cared about me. She said so.
    “Did you think that by doing this we’d be together or something? That it meant we were a . . . couple?” she seemed to spit out that last word as though it were dirty. My heart split open. A deep chasm.
    “I th-thought—” I began to stutter.
    Maren quickly rose to her feet, her soft brown hair blowing around her. I wish my hair were that soft. I wanted it to be lovely as it blew in my face.
    She seemed so angry. So disgusted.
    For the first time since we met, I hid my face from her. Ashamed.
    “You can’t force love, Nora! You can’t demand affection! You’re squeezing me to death, and I just want you to let me go!”
    The air left my lungs and I almost collapsed.
    “It’s just a tattoo—” I tried to make it insignificant.
    Liar!
    “No, it’s not. It’s not just a tattoo,” Maren whispered, her fury disappearing and turning into something that looked like fear.

    I rubbed at the infected skin, scratching it with my nails. I wanted to get rid of it. I wanted it gone!
    I scratched and scratched but still it remained.
    I was branded with a deep, impenetrable love. A love that was killing me.
    “Maren,” I moaned.
    “Where’s Bradley?”
    “Stop asking me that!” I shouted, covering my ears with my blood coated hands. “Just stop it! This has nothing to do with Bradley! I just want to go home! I want to get out of here!”
    “It has everything to do with Bradley.”
    The heat became overwhelming, and I was incredibly lightheaded.
    “And you’ll never be able to go home. Never again . . .”
    “Please, just don’t!”
    “The dark has eyes, the shadows have teeth. Always doubt the truth underneath.”
    She sang me the song. It was ours. I should have known.
    The voice. The melody. That’s why it was so familiar.
    “Those words were the most honest thing about you, Nora.”
    “Why are you being so cruel, Maren? What did I ever do to you?” Why was she hurting me? All I had ever done was love her. All I had ever wanted was for us to be together. If I was guilty of anything, it was that I adored her completely.
    Bradley had been right. Love was every painful, horrible thing in life. I should have listened to him.
    “You let this happen. You won’t get us out!”
    “I will! I will get us out of here! I promise!”
    “But where’s Bradley?”
    I crawled to the door and felt around the cracks, looking for a way out. I would get free if it was the last thing I did.
    And it just might be.

The Past
    Three Months Ago
     
    I stood over my mother