The Divide (The Divide Series Book 1) (35 page)

Gregory looked down at me. “We’ll stay until the sun starts to rise, and then we’ll leave.” He looked back up and around.

I was frozen. I kept wiggling my nose to keep it from running. My ears burned each time a piece of hair flapped by them and I had to blink away the tears that formed every time wind rushed by. We had been there eighty-seven minutes and counting. I’d been bored enough to count. My arms held my knees to my chest, my head leaning on my arms. My toes were frozen—I could no longer move them. I wanted to complain, but I didn’t want to waste my breath. I kept my eyes closed. I couldn’t keep watching Gregory search the alleyway. It was too exhausting to watch. He seemed so set on this plan working.

“Someone’s coming,” Gregory finally said. We’d been silent since I’d sat down. I jumped at the sound of his voice.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. “Is it her?”

Gregory didn’t answer me right away. “Yeah,” he finally said.

Slowly, I untangled myself and stood up. I positioned myself next to Gregory and bounced on my toes to keep warm. I rubbed my hands back and forth, blowing into them now and then. A woman walked toward us, but her face wasn’t visible. Her hood was up, and she faced the ground. Just as she got a few feet away from us, she finally looked up. Her eyes caught mine, and my breath got stuck in my throat. My jaw dropped.

“Emma, you’re late,” Gregory said, not noticing my reaction.

“I got held up.” Her voice came out like sugar; her eyes never left mine. “I’m sorry I’m late. I hope I didn’t worry you guys.”

I couldn’t move my eyes from her. This couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t. My chest tightened and my stomach dropped. My scalp prickled as I shook my head back and forth. My bouncing stopped. Gregory looked back and forth between us, finally noticing my reaction.

“Emma, this is Mia,” he said. “Mia, this is Emma.”

Emma held her hand out to me, but I couldn’t take it. “You’re not real.”

“Mia—” Gregory started, but Emma interrupted him.

“I am.”

I stepped back, shaking my head. “No.”

I stared into the same blue eyes I had known my whole life. Her hair was different, but her eyes were the same. Her nose still had a small crook to it, and her lips were still full and pink. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

Gregory looked back and forth. “What’s going on?”

I ignored him. “You’re supposed to be dead. Not standing here with a different name and…and…” I motioned my hand to her hair and worn-out clothes. “And looking different.”

Gregory looked at Emma then back at me, understanding dawned on his face.

“We should discuss this later,” she said. “We need to get out of here. It’s not safe.” She started to walk back the way she’d come. Gregory shook his head and followed her. I took a deep breath. I could leave or follow her. I followed.

She was alive and well. She had never once tried to reach out to me. To warn me. I had thought she was dead. My parents had told me she was dead. Seeing her up close and personal hurt. She’d left me behind with our parents. She didn’t care about me. She only looked out for herself. How could she have left me behind?

We walked through the deserted streets, the festival nowhere in sight. We stayed to the shadows and crossed into different alleys. I made sure to keep each detail of the way in my head so I could remember how to get back to the station. I shot daggers at the back of her head. Not the real kind, though. 

I felt disgusted looking at her. There was no love in me for her. She’d lied and left me. She’d left me with them.

“Get in,” Emma said as we made it to her small hut of a house. I couldn't bring myself to call her Meghan. The name she was born with.

Her place was tiny but nice: there were two couches, a chair, and a coffee table facing a small fireplace. She went over to the fireplace and set a fire. Gregory and I stood next to the door, and I looked around. To the left was the living room, and on the right was the kitchen and in front of us was a hallway. Two doors lined one wall and one door was on the other. Two bedrooms and a bathroom? Hopefully one of those bedrooms had a window. I wanted to have an alternative exit plan.

“I need to use the bathroom,” I said.

Emma looked over at me. She gave me a slight smile and pointed down the hall. I narrowed my eyes at her. “The second door on the left is the bathroom.”

I started walking away the minute she started speaking. I slipped into the bathroom and quickly looked around: a tub, a toilet, a sink, and two doors took up the space. I opened one door, revealing a closet. Quietly, I shut it and went to the other door. A deadbolt was locked at the top, so I unlocked it and opened it. I was staring out at a backyard. I smiled, quietly shutting the door but keeping it unlocked. Just in case. As I flushed the toilet and turned on the water, I looked in the mirror. I was a disaster. Dirt, dust, and mud were caked on my face and in my hair. I needed a shower. Why hadn’t Gregory told me I looked terrible? I shut off the water and headed out of the bathroom.

Gregory was sitting on the couch with a cup in his hand. My sister was sitting next to him, laughing. I narrowed my eyes and cleared my throat. Both sets of eyes focused on me. My sister stood up.

“I know we can’t be here too long,” I said, “but I was wondering if I could take a quick shower. I’m quite a mess.” I waved my hand over myself.

Emma smiled. “Of course you can. I don’t want you guys to think you have to leave. You’ll be safe here.” She moved ahead of me.

I raised my brows but didn’t comment. Like I would believe her. Reluctantly, I followed her as she walked into the bathroom and turned on the light. Pulling out a white towel from the closet, she laid it on the counter next to the sink. “Do you need anything to wear?”

I nodded my head. She left the bathroom and a few moments later came back with a pair of blue pants and a white shirt. “These should fit you just fine.” I nodded my head and waited for her to leave. She just stood there. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you.” Tears sprang in her eyes.

I pointed to the shower. “I should probably get showered.”

“Of course,” she said. She looked me over for another long second before turning and shutting the door behind her.

Turning the shower on, I undressed quickly, and dove under the hot spray. I let the water fall over me, taking away the dirt and grime. I wished it could take away the fear. I was terrified. And angry. For years I wished to see my sister again, I cried for weeks after she was dead, but finally getting that wish terrified me. It felt wrong. And now she’s here, alive. What kind of person faked their own death? I didn’t believe she was here to help. It felt more like a trap.

I shampooed and conditioned my hair and loaded my body with soap. Once I was all cleaned, I shut the water off and wrapped a towel around my body, drying off. I dressed quickly and rummaged through the drawer until I found a hair band and I pulled my hair up into a bun and tied it.

I walked out of the bathroom, the steam following me. Gregory sat alone in the living room. He met my eyes and smiled. “You look fresh and clean.”

I glared at him. “I am. Thanks for not telling me how gross and disgusting I looked.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I knew you’d find out eventually.” I rolled my eyes at him before walking over and sitting down next to him.

“Where’s Emma?”

“She had to step out. She told me I could shower after you.”

I looked him up and down. “Yeah, you should.”

Gregory poked me in the side, causing me to laugh. He left, and I was left alone in my dead sister’s house. I sat in the living room by myself for ten minutes and counted. 

Gregory finally walked out, all shiny and new. I smiled at him as he sat down next to me. 

“Has she come back yet?”

“No,” I said. “Gregory, I don’t trust her.”

He searched my face. “Honestly, I don’t either.”

My eyebrows rose. “Really?”

“There’s something off about her.” He raked his nail against a spot on the couch.

“Yeah,” I said. We sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in our own thoughts. “When did she leave?”

“When she came out of the bathroom. She said she had to get something.”

I didn’t like that. “There’s a back door.”

“I know. I checked the bathroom. I presume you unlocked the door?”

I smiled at him but didn’t say anything. The front door opened, and Emma came through holding two large paper bags.

“I got some food. I figured you guys must be starving.” She walked over to us and started emptying the bags. She pulled out baskets of fried chicken, cups of mashed potatoes, and rolls, along with a few bottles of orange soda. She handed over the baskets, and we all started eating. I wasn’t about to give up free food. I moaned in delight as I bit into the chicken.

“We should start talking,” Gregory said at last. I looked over at him and glared.

“I agree,” Emma said. “We should talk.”

I looked over at Emma. “So, let’s talk.”

“How are you doing?” she asked, searching my face.

“I’m fine.” I just wanted this over with.

“How did you and Aileen talk?” Gregory asked.

“She helped me escape those horrible people years ago, and we stayed in contact ever since,” Emma said. “My parents got what they deserved. Aileen told me about Mia needing help and I told her I wanted to see you, Mia. I thought you would want to be safe.”

“How could I be safe with someone who abandoned me?” I asked.

“I’m so sorry I left.” Tears swam in her eyes. “I never wanted to leave you behind, but Aileen said she could only get one of us out.”

“So you decided it would be best to leave me behind?” Anger bubbled up in my chest.

“I didn’t want to leave you,” she said, “and when I heard you were in trouble, I knew this was a chance for me to help you.”

“And how exactly are you going to help me?” My body shook from the anger. 

“You can stay here.” She stood up and paced. “I have enough room.”

“If you haven’t noticed, there are people after me,” I said dryly.

“I know, but they won’t get you here,” she said excitedly.

I narrowed my eyes. “How can you be sure?” Gregory asked.

“I know some people, and they’ve promised to help,” Emma said. “We have so much to talk about. How your life was when I left. What my adventure was like getting a new life. How you endured this trip. How you two—” she waved her hand between me and Gregory “—met. I want us to become sisters again.”

My jaw dropped. Was she serious?
Just making up for what she did.
I closed my mouth and gritted my teeth. “You want to know how my life was like when you left?” I tried to control the waves of anger.

“Yes.” She either didn’t notice my anger or ignored it. 

I stood up and pointed my finger at her. “My life was HELL! My parents—not yours, but mine—beat me. There were times I wished I was dead, but I never actually died. I guess it would look bad if they went too far and had two dead kids. I had no one but Agathy, and she’s gone. She died because of the asshole who’s coming after me.”

Emma started pacing back and forth. She seemed anxious, but I was so angry that I didn’t register it. “I’m sorry I left you behind. But I needed to save myself. If you had been in my shoes, you would have done the same thing.”

“I wouldn’t have!” I yelled. I wouldn’t have been surprised if people came to her house, worried about all the yelling. “I would’ve stayed behind and tried to protect you until you were old enough, then we would have both escaped.”

“That would’ve never worked.” She laughed nastily.

I dropped my hand as realization hit me. “Mom and Dad knew you ran away. That’s why they hit me worse than ever. They were afraid I would do the same thing. So they frightened me into staying. How did Aileen help you?”

Emma stopped pacing. “What?”

“How did Aileen help you?” I fisted my hands.

“Aileen and her son both helped me. She needed help but didn’t trust her husband.”

I froze. I could feel Gregory’s body stiffen next to me. “Jake helped you?”

“Yes,” she said. “Actually, he’s the reason I got here safely. He helped set me up in this house. He’s been an angel to me.”

My anger shifted into panic. I looked over at Gregory with wide eyes. “Does Jake know I’m here?”

“No,” she said. “Aileen told me not to tell anyone. Only a few people know you’re here.”

She obviously doesn’t understand what not telling anyone means.
“Who are the others?”

“You don’t know them,” she said. “But you can trust them. They promised they wouldn’t tell anyone. They know how important it is to keep quiet.”

“I thought Aileen told you not tell anyone.” I tried to keep my voice from shaking. I kept wiping my hands on my legs to release the nervous energy. 

“I had to tell my husband and the others will help you.”

“You’re married?” I didn’t mean to ask, but the question slipped out of me.

She smiled. “Yes, he’s a wonderful man. He makes me feel so happy and safe. Actually, he should be home in a little bit. He really wants to meet you.”

I didn’t want to meet him. I wanted to get back to the small room in the underground station.