the sky every few minutes. Something flickers overhead, and I stop. Squinting into the sunlight, I catch the distinct flap of wings.
Stupid hawk.
But I can’t help wondering if Graham will check the desert. When I don’t show up tonight, will he suspect I’ve made a run for it? Probably. And he’ll be pissed.
When I find the boulder from my first run, I plop down in the shade and pull out the phone, waiting for service. It kicks in just as I’m starting to cool off. Miles doesn’t answer, so I leave a message. “This is Brittney. I need you.”
My phone rings not a minute later.
“I think you should be in counseling, Brittney,” Miles says.
Even his voice isn’t enough to calm me. “Graham’s here.”
He curses. A lot. “Did he see you?”
“No. I ran—I’m out in the desert. I’m gonna stay in this old ghost town I found.”
“I’m coming to get you. You’re not allowed to argue.”
“I wasn’t going to. I called to tell you we’re in Madison, Arizona.” I give him our address and directions to where I’ll be hiding. “I’m sorry I had to drag you into this, but I don’t know what else to do.”
“Don’t be sorry. Let me look this up.” The line goes quiet, save the faint tapping of keys. He lets out a soft whistle. “Jeez, Mom sure knows how to find the middle of nowhere, doesn’t she?”
“And yet it’s never far enough.”
He sighs. “I’m sorry, Fi, but you could hop a plane to Mongolia and it still wouldn’t be far enough.”
His words hit me like a baseball bat. This will be my life, and whoever I let in will be dragged into this mess, too. It’s a never-ending nightmare.
“Fiona?”
“How will I ever get away?” I choke back tears. “This is impossible, Miles.”
“It’s not.” He says it so softly I can almost feel the hug that goes with it. “We’ll figure it out. I promise. You’re about two and a half hours from me. That’s pretty good luck, all things considered.”
I let out a wry laugh. “Maybe Mom was trying to move closer to you.”
“Hey, maybe. I’ll just tell my boss I have a family emergency. She’ll give me a few days—she totally loves me. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
“Okay.” The rock’s shadow is getting longer, so I stand and prepare to go. “I need to run more before it gets dark.”
“I’ll find you, sis. I won’t let Graham take you anywhere.”
“Bye, Miles.” I appreciate his words, but there’s not much Miles can do against Graham. Even I have a better chance, since I can at least hide. Miles may be able to give off a nasty skunk scent, but that can only take him so far.
It’s dusk when I reach what seems to be half of an old strip mall. The windows are broken, but it’ll be decent shelter. I scan the horizon, surprised to find yet another structure in the distance. More like the skeleton of something. The desert is weird like that, with its cracked monuments to failed civilization. The call to explore it is strong, but it’s too late today.
I hurry through the first window, hoping to find something comfortable to sleep on before the sun sets. The place is covered in fine red dust. Treading lightly, I keep my eyes on the floor in search of living creatures. The last thing I need is a scorpion friend visiting while I sleep.
It has to have been some kind of convenience store. There are a few intact shelves, sadly empty of Twinkies, which I hear last forever. The counter is still there, except half of it is missing, revealing a dark hole I don’t dare investigate. Other than that, it’s mostly broken plywood and twisted metal.
I brush off a few planks of wood, since that looks like my only option for sleeping, minus the floor. The dust sticks to my skin, giving a faint outline of where my arms are. Normally I wouldn’t mind, but the idea of being seen right now is dangerous. I brush it off as best I can, leaving streaks thanks to my sweat. Hopefully it will absorb and become invisible soon.
My
Stupid hawk.
But I can’t help wondering if Graham will check the desert. When I don’t show up tonight, will he suspect I’ve made a run for it? Probably. And he’ll be pissed.
When I find the boulder from my first run, I plop down in the shade and pull out the phone, waiting for service. It kicks in just as I’m starting to cool off. Miles doesn’t answer, so I leave a message. “This is Brittney. I need you.”
My phone rings not a minute later.
“I think you should be in counseling, Brittney,” Miles says.
Even his voice isn’t enough to calm me. “Graham’s here.”
He curses. A lot. “Did he see you?”
“No. I ran—I’m out in the desert. I’m gonna stay in this old ghost town I found.”
“I’m coming to get you. You’re not allowed to argue.”
“I wasn’t going to. I called to tell you we’re in Madison, Arizona.” I give him our address and directions to where I’ll be hiding. “I’m sorry I had to drag you into this, but I don’t know what else to do.”
“Don’t be sorry. Let me look this up.” The line goes quiet, save the faint tapping of keys. He lets out a soft whistle. “Jeez, Mom sure knows how to find the middle of nowhere, doesn’t she?”
“And yet it’s never far enough.”
He sighs. “I’m sorry, Fi, but you could hop a plane to Mongolia and it still wouldn’t be far enough.”
His words hit me like a baseball bat. This will be my life, and whoever I let in will be dragged into this mess, too. It’s a never-ending nightmare.
“Fiona?”
“How will I ever get away?” I choke back tears. “This is impossible, Miles.”
“It’s not.” He says it so softly I can almost feel the hug that goes with it. “We’ll figure it out. I promise. You’re about two and a half hours from me. That’s pretty good luck, all things considered.”
I let out a wry laugh. “Maybe Mom was trying to move closer to you.”
“Hey, maybe. I’ll just tell my boss I have a family emergency. She’ll give me a few days—she totally loves me. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
“Okay.” The rock’s shadow is getting longer, so I stand and prepare to go. “I need to run more before it gets dark.”
“I’ll find you, sis. I won’t let Graham take you anywhere.”
“Bye, Miles.” I appreciate his words, but there’s not much Miles can do against Graham. Even I have a better chance, since I can at least hide. Miles may be able to give off a nasty skunk scent, but that can only take him so far.
It’s dusk when I reach what seems to be half of an old strip mall. The windows are broken, but it’ll be decent shelter. I scan the horizon, surprised to find yet another structure in the distance. More like the skeleton of something. The desert is weird like that, with its cracked monuments to failed civilization. The call to explore it is strong, but it’s too late today.
I hurry through the first window, hoping to find something comfortable to sleep on before the sun sets. The place is covered in fine red dust. Treading lightly, I keep my eyes on the floor in search of living creatures. The last thing I need is a scorpion friend visiting while I sleep.
It has to have been some kind of convenience store. There are a few intact shelves, sadly empty of Twinkies, which I hear last forever. The counter is still there, except half of it is missing, revealing a dark hole I don’t dare investigate. Other than that, it’s mostly broken plywood and twisted metal.
I brush off a few planks of wood, since that looks like my only option for sleeping, minus the floor. The dust sticks to my skin, giving a faint outline of where my arms are. Normally I wouldn’t mind, but the idea of being seen right now is dangerous. I brush it off as best I can, leaving streaks thanks to my sweat. Hopefully it will absorb and become invisible soon.
My
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