her to heave me through the wall. Averting my head so I couldn’t see anything, I lifted it off. I instructed, “Okay, now put the nightgown on.” I couldn’t resist sneaking a brief glimpse of her sinewy bare back.
She struggled a little but managed to get the nightgown over her head. Then her arms got stuck and I yanked a bit until it drifted down, the bottom coming to just above the knees of her red sweatpants.
“And when I leave, you can just, um, take off your sweats and you’re all set.”
She turned around so that we were just inches apart.
I stepped back.
She almost smiled. “I’ve got it now.” Before I could look away, she dropped her sweats, but the nightgown covered anything I shouldn’t have seen anyway. “I’ll sleep now.”
Walking backward toward the door, I said, with a little too much cheer, “Good! Fine, I’ll just get the lights—”
As she started to climb into bed, her short nightgown revealed the back of her legs from the knee down. And I tried not to keep from gasping at the circular scars that covered the entire length of them.
FIVE
I’ D NEVER SEEN SUCH GNARLED, NASTY SCARS . A ND SHE thought
I
was marked. Then, as the most beautiful girl I’dever seen settled into the bed, she stared at me. Like she was waiting for something.
From me.
With one large step, I was at the bedside.
After pausing for just a second, I tugged the quilt up to her chin, said good night, and flipped out the light. Then I stepped out in the hall, shut the door, and leaned back against it, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest at any moment.
In the other room, Jack ate pretzels from a blue bowl. He shoved them my way as I sat down. “Sorry, not much food. I’ll get more in the morning. What’s the plan, Mace?”
Grabbing a handful of pretzels, I shook my head. “No clue.”
“That was kind of weird how she freaked out when she saw TroDyn.”
I nodded as I chewed. “Maybe her parents work there or something.”
Jack grinned. “Maybe she was forced to do a summer internship there, and it fried her brain.”
“Funny. She just came out of a coma or something. She probably would’ve freaked out at lights of the nearest Seven-Eleven.” I sounded like I was trying to convince myself of something.
Jack frowned.
I swallowed. “What?”
“It’s just weird.” Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. TroDyn owns the nursing home.”
“So?” I didn’t get what that had to do with anything. “They also own most of the town.”
Jack leaned forward. “Don’t take this the wrong way. But your mom has this mystery history with TroDyn, and now she works at the Haven?” He jabbed his thumb toward the hallway. “And this girl is there and then gets all
run, Toto, run
when she sees the lights of TroDyn.”
I shoved another handful of pretzels in my mouth so I didn’t have to answer. There was no way my mom was involved with that girl any more than taking her vitals every half hour. And, obviously, she had instructions to call somebody if the girl, or the others, ever woke up. It seemed my mom did have some kind of history with TroDyn, but it was over. She didn’t work at the labs anymore. “There’s nothing there. My mom doesn’t know who this girl is anymore than we do.” Again with the trying to convince myself.
“Still,” said Jack. “I had no idea there was anyone but old people at the Haven. That kind of pisses me off.”
“Jack, TroDyn has been part of our lives forever. I’m trying to make it part of my future.” But I was curious. “Maybe TroDyn is doing research with accident victims, trying to cure their amnesia. Which would explain a lot.”
Jack nodded. “It’s easy enough to look up. Maybe she’s just afraid because she doesn’t remember who she is.”
Although I had no idea what he thought he would find, I grabbed my coffee and followed Jack into the office, just down the hall from Vanessa’s room, where the girl slept. I guess I wanted to be there
She struggled a little but managed to get the nightgown over her head. Then her arms got stuck and I yanked a bit until it drifted down, the bottom coming to just above the knees of her red sweatpants.
“And when I leave, you can just, um, take off your sweats and you’re all set.”
She turned around so that we were just inches apart.
I stepped back.
She almost smiled. “I’ve got it now.” Before I could look away, she dropped her sweats, but the nightgown covered anything I shouldn’t have seen anyway. “I’ll sleep now.”
Walking backward toward the door, I said, with a little too much cheer, “Good! Fine, I’ll just get the lights—”
As she started to climb into bed, her short nightgown revealed the back of her legs from the knee down. And I tried not to keep from gasping at the circular scars that covered the entire length of them.
FIVE
I’ D NEVER SEEN SUCH GNARLED, NASTY SCARS . A ND SHE thought
I
was marked. Then, as the most beautiful girl I’dever seen settled into the bed, she stared at me. Like she was waiting for something.
From me.
With one large step, I was at the bedside.
After pausing for just a second, I tugged the quilt up to her chin, said good night, and flipped out the light. Then I stepped out in the hall, shut the door, and leaned back against it, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest at any moment.
In the other room, Jack ate pretzels from a blue bowl. He shoved them my way as I sat down. “Sorry, not much food. I’ll get more in the morning. What’s the plan, Mace?”
Grabbing a handful of pretzels, I shook my head. “No clue.”
“That was kind of weird how she freaked out when she saw TroDyn.”
I nodded as I chewed. “Maybe her parents work there or something.”
Jack grinned. “Maybe she was forced to do a summer internship there, and it fried her brain.”
“Funny. She just came out of a coma or something. She probably would’ve freaked out at lights of the nearest Seven-Eleven.” I sounded like I was trying to convince myself of something.
Jack frowned.
I swallowed. “What?”
“It’s just weird.” Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. TroDyn owns the nursing home.”
“So?” I didn’t get what that had to do with anything. “They also own most of the town.”
Jack leaned forward. “Don’t take this the wrong way. But your mom has this mystery history with TroDyn, and now she works at the Haven?” He jabbed his thumb toward the hallway. “And this girl is there and then gets all
run, Toto, run
when she sees the lights of TroDyn.”
I shoved another handful of pretzels in my mouth so I didn’t have to answer. There was no way my mom was involved with that girl any more than taking her vitals every half hour. And, obviously, she had instructions to call somebody if the girl, or the others, ever woke up. It seemed my mom did have some kind of history with TroDyn, but it was over. She didn’t work at the labs anymore. “There’s nothing there. My mom doesn’t know who this girl is anymore than we do.” Again with the trying to convince myself.
“Still,” said Jack. “I had no idea there was anyone but old people at the Haven. That kind of pisses me off.”
“Jack, TroDyn has been part of our lives forever. I’m trying to make it part of my future.” But I was curious. “Maybe TroDyn is doing research with accident victims, trying to cure their amnesia. Which would explain a lot.”
Jack nodded. “It’s easy enough to look up. Maybe she’s just afraid because she doesn’t remember who she is.”
Although I had no idea what he thought he would find, I grabbed my coffee and followed Jack into the office, just down the hall from Vanessa’s room, where the girl slept. I guess I wanted to be there
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