The Rules for Disappearing (27 page)

“How long does the battery last?” I hope I’m making these

questions seem somewhat conversational.

“Depends on what it’s set for. On demand recall, the battery

could last maybe a week.”

This is the hard part. “Can I borrow it?”

He turns, so we’re facing each other on the couch. “What’s this about? What’s going on?”

I lick my lips and then take a deep breath. I want to take the tracker with me. I really don’t have a death wish. I’m hoping if something goes wrong, Ethan can lead the suits to where I am. I’m going to have to involve him more than I want and I hate that. “I want to find out where my mom’s going during the day. She’s not going to work and I think she’s drinking too much.”

Ethan runs a hand through my hair. “Sure. If you had a smart

phone, I could download the app for you. Do you have a computer at home?”

I nod and answer, “Yes.” Another little lie. “Can anyone track it or do I need something special?”

“You need the code for that transmitter. What are you gonna

do, drop it in her purse?” he asks.

“Yeah. Or her coat pocket.”

He runs his thumb over my lip. “Tell me one thing about you.

S—

Just one thing I don’t already know.”

N—

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I really want to tell him something real, not something written on the sheet I got in the safe house.

“I have a small tattoo on my left shoulder. It’s tiny.”

Ethan wiggles his eyebrows. “Well, you know I have to see it

now.”

I roll over on my side and he pulls my shirt down to expose my shoulder uncovering a small, single daisy on a stem. This makes the list as one of those things the suits don’t want me to share with anyone else because it’s an “identifying marker.”

Well, screw them.

“Why did you pick that flower? Does it mean something?”

“The daisy? Not really. Back home, a bunch of my friends and

I decided to get tattoos. I was really kinda hoping everyone would chicken out but they didn’t. There was a huge board with thousands of designs to pick from. It was almost more than I could take in. But my eye kept coming back to this little daisy. It was so small and cute and was surrounded by all of these other really weird things. I don’t know, I just liked it.”

Ethan leans down and kisses the daisy. Then moves up from

my shoulder and kisses the curve of my neck. Then moves a little higher to the underside of my jaw.

Every time his lips touch my skin—chills raise through me. We

haven’t kissed, really kissed since that night in the woods on the ATV. The anticipation is killing me. By the time we’re face to face, I don’t know who moves in first but we’re fused together, his hands in my hair, my hands curled around his back, and it feels good. Really good.

—S

—N

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With him, like this, I hate all the secrets. I pull away and we stare at each other. I am going to tell him. Everything.

I open my mouth, ready to spill it all when the door to his room flies open. We’re both startled and I would have fallen off the couch if Ethan didn’t have his arm around my waist. Archenemy is standing in the doorway.

“I was hoping like hell it wasn’t her when Mom said you had a

girl up here. I mean, my God. She’s friggin’ everywhere I go now.”

Emma has both hands on her hips, fuming.

Ethan jumps up from the couch and walks slowly to the door.

Emma starts backing up, tripping over clothes on the floor. When he gets to the door, he doesn’t say a word—just slams it shut in her face. He stares at the door for a moment before turning back to me.

“I’m sorry my sister is such a pain in the ass.”

“It’s fine. I’m an easy target.” I stand up, grabbing my go-bag.

“If you think she’s left already, could you go ahead and take me home?”

Ethan puts his arms around me. “I’m really sorry.”

“I know—we can’t help how our family acts.” How well I do

know this. “She’s not the only reason I need to go, but it’s late and I have to start all over tomorrow. I’m exhausted.”

The truth is I’m glad Emma busted into the room. I was sec-

onds from telling him everything and that would have been the

stupidest thing I could have done.

He grabs my go-bag and we head out of his room.

S—

N—

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RULES FOR DISAPPEARING

BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:

Be paranoid. The best way for the bad guys not to get you is to think the bad guys are always just about to get you.

Ifeel better this morning than I have in months. I take extra care with my hair and makeup and wear the cute jacket I bought on

Front Street. I loathe putting in the contacts. I’m really resenting the things that aren’t the real me.

Mom is up surprisingly bright and early. She’s making eggs and bacon when I walk in the kitchen.

I eye her warily, not trusting the change in her this morning. I have no faith in this bout of sobriety.

“Good morning. Can I get you some breakfast?” She’s making

me nervous with the Betty Crocker act. At least she hasn’t shown any indication that she remembers spilling the beans.

“No, I’ll grab a granola bar.”

Teeny laps up her attention this morning. Part of me wishes

Mom wouldn’t have these moments. It makes it so much worse

when she does fall off the wagon again. Mom and Teeny chat awhile at the table as I watch from the kitchen counter. All Teeny can talk

—S

about is Pearl and the pizza parlor.

—N

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Mom looks toward me. “I’m here when Teeny gets home. She

doesn’t have to go to work with you every day.”

She’s jealous, listening to Teeny go on and on about Pearl.

Before Teeny can speak, I answer, “No, she likes coming up

there. We have a good routine going.” I gesture toward the door.

“Let’s go, Teeny. Ethan’s probably waiting outside for us.”

Mom stands up from the table. “Who’s Ethan?”

This time Teeny beats me to the answer. “It’s her boyfriend.”

She says this in a sing-song voice, hoping to embarrass me with the word “boyfriend.”

“Really, you have a boyfriend?” Pure sadness is etched all over her face.

“Yeah, Mom. I guess you can call him that.”

I grab my go-bag and Teeny’s backpack as we leave. Ethan

is waiting in the parking lot and Teeny runs to the truck. I must look like a fool, but I can’t help the huge smile plastered across my face.

“Hey, Ethan!” Teeny squeals when she hops inside. “I told my

Mom that you’re Meg’s boyfriend.” She dissolves into laughter in the backseat.

Ethan tickles her. “You did, huh? But I thought
you
were my girlfriend.”

Teeny laughs even harder. I love to see her like this.

I have butterflies when we pull into the parking lot. Things feel different today. Good, but different. We move through the parking lot, our hands locked together. A few casual glances, but nothing S—

I’m not used to.

N—

I part with Ethan and walk into homeroom. Ben plops down in

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a seat near me, smirking. “Emma said she caught y’all together last night.”

My cheeks burn. “I’m sure she made it sound a lot worse than

it really was.”

He laughs. “Look, Meg, We’ve got to work on that stupid proj-

ect tonight. Coach moved practice and this is the only free time I’ve got.”

“Okay. Let me see what I can work out with Pearl.”

Ben scratches his number on a piece of paper then hands it to

me. “Call me when you know what time will be good.” This Ben is so much better—I should have told him off weeks ago.

I meet up with Ethan in the hall headed to first period. “Ben and I have to work on the project tonight. He has practice tomorrow. I guess I’ll get him to come to Pearl’s. Do you think she’ll care if we work on it there?”

“Why don’t you talk to Pearl, see if you can get off early? Then y’all can come work at our house. Emma and I haven’t done ours either.”

I’m relieved. I can’t say I was really looking forward to hanging out with Ben alone. “That sounds great.”

Ethan pecks me on the cheek. “See ya after class.”

Pearl’s is packed. Ethan arrives just before the rush and offers to help out before we need to leave for his house.

Teeny’s busy in the back. She’s gotten so good at making pizzas that customers are requesting the girl who makes pictures with the toppings.

—S

I ask Pearl if I can talk to her in private.

—N

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Pearl shuts the door once we’re inside her office and asks,

“Whatcha need girl? Got pizzas in the oven.”

“I have two favors to ask. I would like Friday off and I was

hoping I could get my paycheck early. My friend Catherine and I want to go shopping in Shreveport to look for dresses for the school dance.”

“Girl, you coulda asked me that in the kitchen. That’s fine. I’ll have your check ready tomorrow.”

I look at the ground. “I didn’t want to mention it in front of Ethan because he hasn’t officially asked me to go with him yet.”

“You kids are crazy.” She chuckles and heads back to the kitchen.

I leave the office without making eye contact with Ethan. Even though it’s all a charade going to Shreveport, I feel guilty for lying about the dance.

I stop dead when I see Agent Thomas at the counter. I glance

back at Teeny but she’s oblivious to his presence. Thank God! I can’t handle another meltdown from Teeny tonight.

Forcing my feet to travel the remaining distance to the counter, I ask, “Can I help you?”

“One large pizza with everything. To go.” He hands me the

money and I ring up his order.

“I wanted to check on you. Make sure you were feeling better

after you missed so many days of school.”

I glance behind me one more time to make sure Teeny hasn’t

noticed him yet. “What’s there to feel better about? My life sucks.

It will always suck as long as I have to live like this.” I lean toward S—

him, not wanting anyone else to catch our conversation. “I will tell N—

you this. I’m not gonna hide forever. And if that gets me killed, so 230

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be it. At least I won’t have to spend the rest of my life being scared of what might happen.”

I’m not sure what possessed me to tell him all of that but I feel better actually saying it out loud to another human being.

And surprisingly Agent Thomas lets out a soft chuckle. “All

that nerve and courage. Both are good in small doses. I hope you don’t do anything impulsive.” He puts his change in his wallet. “You remind me of someone I know.”

I check around me again before I speak to him. “Who? Some

other pathetic girl stuck in a fake life?”

He shakes his head but doesn’t answer. It feels like it takes forever but finally his pizza is ready. I breathe easier once he’s out the door.

Six o’clock comes around and I hesitate at leaving Pearl all

alone.

“Get on out of here girl, I handled all of this before you and I can handle it when you’re gone,” she says.

Pearl likes to come off a grump but it’s all a bluff. I may as well add her to the list of those I will be devastated to lose if this plan doesn’t work.

Since Dad doesn’t get off until seven, Ethan and I have to run Teeny home. I’m nervous about what I’ll find and hope I don’t have to cancel working on the project. It’s all gonna depend on the shape Mom’s in when I walk Teeny up. When we get inside, I talk to Mom for a few minutes and she seems pretty sober. I leave Ethan’s cell number for Teeny and race back to the truck. It’s really cold tonight, colder than it’s been the last several days.

—S

“You okay?”

—N

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“Yeah, yeah, fine. Let’s go.”

He hands me a small black pouch. “There’s the tracker. It’s fully charged and set for “on demand,” which will give you the longest battery life. There’s a sheet in there that tells you how to use it.”

I put it in the go-bag. I’ll mail him a letter on Saturday that says something like,
If I’m not home by Monday afternoon, give the
tracker information to my parents.
I’ll come clean with him one way or another by then.

Emma and Ben are already hanging out in the family room of

the main house when we get there. Emma is sitting practically on top of Ben on the couch and she rolls her eyes when she sees me.

“God, I thought y’all would never get here. Let’s get this over with already.”

Ben removes himself from her so we can work at the bistro table in the back of the room. I put the packet on the table. Ethan and Emma take the couch and coffee table.

“So, what did we get?” Ben asks, once he’s seated on the stool.

I open the packet and read the top of the project sheet. “A

Study of the Relationship Between Physical Exercise and Learning Ability. It looks like we were supposed to do this over an eight-day period so, we’re gonna have to fib some of this.”

“No problem here.”

We figure out how to sum up an eight-day project in one hour. I agree mainly because I really don’t care. I turn to Ethan and Emma who are going through their packet. “What’d you get?”

Ethan says, “We were supposed to keep track of what we ate for S—