a good girl .
Sandra shuddered with all the blood in her head.
And then she woke up with Mr. Murray standing over her.
Lydia and Nikki Trite were silent. Sandra felt empty. Hollow. Those black eyes glittered and Sandra wondered if anyone other than her boys had noticed her missing. Would they think she’d run away, too? Would Amanda give it more than a passing thought? Would anybody care?
“Ready?” he asked.
Sandra didn’t bother shaking her head no.
He left the gag in.
He used scissors on her jeans. Sandra’s stomach knotted, churning like snakes low in her belly. He went for her underwear and she made her mind blank.
Sandra thought she still screamed, but everything was far away. It didn’t make it better, but it made it easier. Because she’d already lived through it once – more than once – and she didn’t need to see it all over again.
~
When help came, Sandra was staring at the ceiling, barely blinking, mind numb. She didn’t look at the stairs, and she didn’t hear anyone come down, but suddenly hands were on her. She flinched and fought, but they released her wrists and untied her ankles and pulled her face around. They waited until she focused, until she stopped trying to claw at face and eyes and skin. Then gentle fingers soothed over her stained cheeks, wiped the dirt away and made her look up and oh -
It was Danny. He looked something awful.
Sandra wanted to reach up, but her arms weren’t working properly anymore. That was alright, because there was a blanket being wrapped around her. Jack was there. He was angry, absolutely furious. But he was carefully slow as he bundled her up. The blanket was clean and warm. It smelled like their house and them. When Daniel gathered her up in his big arms, she was pretty sure he was shaking, just like her.
Something noisy dragged across the floor above their heads. Sandra tried to push up, wanted to go, but Danny shushed her and Jack held her shoulder down. Something horrible pushed through the fog in her head, and she almost shook their hands away.
“Just wait,” Daniel said, face tilted and listening. Jack moved his hand to her back, fingertips riding up above the blanket and the collar of her sweater, pinpricks of heat on her neck.
His fingers trembled, too.
When the sounds stopped, Daniel pulled her upright into his arms and carried her up the stairs. Jack was in front of them and, in a strangled voice, he told her, “Keep your eyes closed.” Daniel’s arms tightened. The smell of copper blood was thick and Sandra thought she heard the carpet make wet sounds as they walked. There was a thin-pitched moan nearby. Daniel swallowed hard against her forehead.
They took her to the truck, settled her in and surrounded her on either side, sitting close, and she wasn’t sure who was comforting who. The world was a blur around her – she couldn’t quit crying – but it smelled like Lem’s truck, of leather and dust and grease and old age, with the feel of the worn and tattered seat beneath her legs.
It took Lem a very long time to open the door and join them.
The smell of blood followed him inside.
Daniel sat stiff beside him the whole way home and Sandra was glad she was in the middle.
When they parked, Lem’s fingers left red crescent moons behind.
~
Once, a police officer had tried taking Daniel away, when he was eight. There was a bruise on his arm and the policeman didn’t want to believe that it hadn’t been his father but the teacher who had tugged too hard. They hadn’t listened. The man and his partner believed Mrs. Willis and told Daniel it was okay, he was safe, he didn’t have to lie.
The Sloans had moved quickly from that town.
An officer had tried taking Jack.
Except Jack was accused of doing something bad. He hadn’t even been anywhere near the man who’d been robbed and beaten. But Jack and Daniel and Lem were new in town and Jack’s schoolmates didn’t much like Jack at all.
They’d had to run again.
Lem
Sandra shuddered with all the blood in her head.
And then she woke up with Mr. Murray standing over her.
Lydia and Nikki Trite were silent. Sandra felt empty. Hollow. Those black eyes glittered and Sandra wondered if anyone other than her boys had noticed her missing. Would they think she’d run away, too? Would Amanda give it more than a passing thought? Would anybody care?
“Ready?” he asked.
Sandra didn’t bother shaking her head no.
He left the gag in.
He used scissors on her jeans. Sandra’s stomach knotted, churning like snakes low in her belly. He went for her underwear and she made her mind blank.
Sandra thought she still screamed, but everything was far away. It didn’t make it better, but it made it easier. Because she’d already lived through it once – more than once – and she didn’t need to see it all over again.
~
When help came, Sandra was staring at the ceiling, barely blinking, mind numb. She didn’t look at the stairs, and she didn’t hear anyone come down, but suddenly hands were on her. She flinched and fought, but they released her wrists and untied her ankles and pulled her face around. They waited until she focused, until she stopped trying to claw at face and eyes and skin. Then gentle fingers soothed over her stained cheeks, wiped the dirt away and made her look up and oh -
It was Danny. He looked something awful.
Sandra wanted to reach up, but her arms weren’t working properly anymore. That was alright, because there was a blanket being wrapped around her. Jack was there. He was angry, absolutely furious. But he was carefully slow as he bundled her up. The blanket was clean and warm. It smelled like their house and them. When Daniel gathered her up in his big arms, she was pretty sure he was shaking, just like her.
Something noisy dragged across the floor above their heads. Sandra tried to push up, wanted to go, but Danny shushed her and Jack held her shoulder down. Something horrible pushed through the fog in her head, and she almost shook their hands away.
“Just wait,” Daniel said, face tilted and listening. Jack moved his hand to her back, fingertips riding up above the blanket and the collar of her sweater, pinpricks of heat on her neck.
His fingers trembled, too.
When the sounds stopped, Daniel pulled her upright into his arms and carried her up the stairs. Jack was in front of them and, in a strangled voice, he told her, “Keep your eyes closed.” Daniel’s arms tightened. The smell of copper blood was thick and Sandra thought she heard the carpet make wet sounds as they walked. There was a thin-pitched moan nearby. Daniel swallowed hard against her forehead.
They took her to the truck, settled her in and surrounded her on either side, sitting close, and she wasn’t sure who was comforting who. The world was a blur around her – she couldn’t quit crying – but it smelled like Lem’s truck, of leather and dust and grease and old age, with the feel of the worn and tattered seat beneath her legs.
It took Lem a very long time to open the door and join them.
The smell of blood followed him inside.
Daniel sat stiff beside him the whole way home and Sandra was glad she was in the middle.
When they parked, Lem’s fingers left red crescent moons behind.
~
Once, a police officer had tried taking Daniel away, when he was eight. There was a bruise on his arm and the policeman didn’t want to believe that it hadn’t been his father but the teacher who had tugged too hard. They hadn’t listened. The man and his partner believed Mrs. Willis and told Daniel it was okay, he was safe, he didn’t have to lie.
The Sloans had moved quickly from that town.
An officer had tried taking Jack.
Except Jack was accused of doing something bad. He hadn’t even been anywhere near the man who’d been robbed and beaten. But Jack and Daniel and Lem were new in town and Jack’s schoolmates didn’t much like Jack at all.
They’d had to run again.
Lem
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