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.Once inside I took a deep breath and yanked the picture out and stared at it.Eve’s face stared back at me.“Do you think we’ll ever see each other when we get out of here?” Eve asked me one night as we lay in bed.She was obsessed with the idea that one day we’d be free.I’d given up on the notion, but she talked about it nonstop.I didn’t mind.It gave me hope that she still believed it was possible.“Of course.” I threaded my fingers through hers “We’re sisters.No one’s going to separate us.”“I hope not.” Her voice took on an ominous tone that worried me.“They won’t,” I responded firmly, squeezing her cold fingers.“I think I’d like to go home,” I said when I exited the bathroom.Carter glanced at me from where he sat on the couch, his brows knit together.“Is everything okay?”“Yeah.I’m just not feeling so good.”“Oh, no.I hope it wasn’t the chicken.” His eyes widened.“I’ve been feeling a little off all day.It’s probably just a bug.”“That makes sense.I thought you were acting strange.” Standing up, he snatched up his keys.“I’ll take you right now.”“Thanks.” I couldn’t meet his eyes, not with the secret I was carrying in my pocket, and not knowing that he had a picture of Eve in his office.I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to look him in the eyes again.TWENTY-THREECarter wouldn’t stop calling.No matter how many times I refused to talk to him.“Aspen, you’re going to have to talk to him at some point,” Dad said.It was morning and I was watering my flowers in the front yard.“No, I don’t.” I sprayed the roses, watching water bead on their petals.There was no way I could talk to Carter right now.It would be too hard.This whole time I believed he was falling for me.That we had a real connection.But if he knew Eve, then there was more to his story.At the very least he hadn’t been honest with me, and that was something I couldn’t get past.He knew how hard it was for me to open up, to trust someone after everything that had happened.And yet he’d violated that trust by keeping vital information from me.“Want to tell me what happened?”I shook my head.“Honey.” Dad placed a hand on my arm.“Talk to me.Tell me what’s going on.”“Nothing.” I swept my arm over to the next bush.The wind caused water to fly back in my face.It misted over my skin, but it felt good.It was already warming up good today.“Mom told me about your conversation with her.”I glanced over.Dad was in his usual Saturday outfit – sweatpants and a t-shirt.“Aren’t you hot?”He smirked.“Don’t change the subject.”“That’s right.Old people are always cold,” I teased.“Very funny.” He jabbed me lightheartedly in the shoulder.I giggled.“I’m serious, Aspen.I’m concerned with your behavior.You won’t talk to your mom.You refuse to take Carter’s calls.”I turned off the water.“I have a lot on my mind right now.”“Share it with me.Maybe I can help.”“I don’t think you can.” I smiled sadly.“I think this time I have to figure it out on my own.”“Have you read the article yet?”My stomach knotted.The article had come out a couple of days ago on their online magazine, but I couldn’t bring myself to read it.Mom had approved the article, so I’d never even read it.And I had no desire to do it now.Besides, I didn’t know what pictures they would display.What if they showed a photograph of Kurt? I’d read other articles about girls that were kidnapped and they always had at least one section of the article devoted to the kidnapper.I didn’t think I could stand it.“No.”“I think you should.Maybe it will give you some clarity.”“There’s nothing in the article that will give me clarity, Dad.It’s all based on interviews with me.I know everything I said.”“Just read it.You might be surprised.”“That’s the thing.I don’t want to be surprised.” I carried the hose to the side of the house and started rolling it up.Dad followed me, his feet crunching on the twigs and grass.“Okay.Just know that I’m here if you need me.”I leaned into him, and his arm rested on my back.“I know, Dad.And I appreciate it.”I sat on my bed spreading out the picture of Eve in front of me.White lines ran along her face from where I’d folded it.I smoothed out the kinks with my palm, pulling it tight in an attempt to make it flat.But it still curled at the edges, puckered in the middle.Her bright eyes stared up at me, serious, yet with a mischievous glow.Her smile held a hint of mystery.I ran my fingertips over her face, over her pale cheeks and long eyelashes.Longing filled me, sinking into the pit of my stomach.I missed her.And as I stared at her picture, extreme sadness descended on me.“Eve?” I whispered her name in the dark.My hands felt around the bed, reaching for her, but she was gone.The bed was empty.Panic gripped me.“Eve?” I slid across the bed, and it creaked beneath me.Holding my breath, I froze, mentally chastising myself for moving too quickly.I listened for sounds – footfalls in the hallway, doors opening.When I was satisfied that I hadn’t woken him, I inched forward, slipping off the bed.“Eve?”“Yes?”Relief flooded me at the sound of her voice.“Where are you?” It was dark.Too dark.I could barely see my hand in front of my face.I waited until my eyes adjusted a little and then stepped forward.She was curled in a fetal position in front of the window.I bent down, my knees quietly hitting the carpet.“What are you doing?”She didn’t answer, so I reached out and touched her face.As I suspected, her cheeks were wet.“Sometimes I wish he’d just kill me,” she whispered.“No.” I gripped her shoulders.“Don’t say that.”“I don’t want to be here anymore, Aspen.”“But what about escaping?”She snorted.“I wish.”My insides twisted.Wasn’t she the one who believed we would one day get out of here? She couldn’t give up now.Then I’d have no hope left.It was time for me to be strong for her.“We will, Eve.We just need to come up with a plan.”“I’m too tired.”“Okay.We’ll do it in the morning.”“No.I mean, I’m too tired of all of this.”Dread filled me.“What happened?” I tried to move into the light, to see her face.Had he beat her again? I hadn’t heard him come in tonight.A tiny sliver of light shone in through the window.That’s when I saw that her pants were wet, her shirt ripped.“Oh my god.” I smothered my mouth with my hand.“Did he-”“Stop.I don’t want to talk about it.”I shut my mouth, determination filling me.“I’ll help you get out of here, Eve.I promise.”“How will you do that?” There was no life in her voice any longer.Only death.“I don’t know, but I’ll come up with a plan if it’s the last thing I do.” I couldn’t let this go on any longer.There had to be a way out of here, and for Eve’s sake I had to find it.This wasn’t about me any longer.There were two lives at stake
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