when Freddie saved her.
Feeling an ice cold pit forming in the bottom of her stomach, Freddie brushed past Noel toward the screen door, pulling up when she saw her own ghostly reflection.
I don't remember this having glass, Freddie thought in confusion before the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. She wondered how long her sister had been standing in the kitchen and how much of the conversation the wind hadn't taken away.
"Ann. . . "
"He wasn't perfect, but he was mine," the strangled voice was unfamiliar and full of pain. "And now I have no husband. . . and no sister."
The words shot through Freddie, tearing through her and doing more damage than a bullet could have done to her heart. Hot tears welled and fell, coursing down her cheeks as she reached for the door.
But Ann shook her head in silence and closed it; the soft click of the lock shattering the last pieces of Freddie's heart.
Noel stood behind her, eyes wide as she watched the exchange, too scared to even breathe. When Freddie collapsed to the ground, Noel didn't know whether to go to her or to retreat back into the house. At last, she knelt down beside Freddie.
After a while, Noel helped Freddie off the porch and got her into the car, laying her across the backseat where she could sleep it off.
"Chris!" Noel's voice echoed through the house as she bounded up the stairs, her annoyance with Freddie's boyfriend superseding any need she might have felt to be quiet at such a late hour. "Chris, where the hell are you?"
She threw open the door to the room Chris shared with Freddie and found it empty. Growling under her breath, Noel slammed the door as she left the room, stopping short in the hallway as she found Enrique waiting there for her. "Are you looking for him too?"
"What?" He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "No, I can't find Ann."
Noel's eyes widened, "Jesus, I hope they're not together. Come on, let's check on Dawn."
The two hurried down the hallway and found Dawn's bedroom door ajar. Enrique pushed past Noel and barged into the room, breathing easier when he found Dawn still laying across the bed where he left her.
"She's fine," he said, the relief evident in his voice. "One down, two to go." Noel wished, not for the first time, she'd just stayed home.
Returning to the first floor, they combed the rooms without finding either Ann or Chris until Noel remembered the back garden.
"I think I know where Chris is," she said, turning to run toward the back of the house without further explanation.
A few minutes later, they found Chris where Noel had suspected—ensconced in the hot tub and completely unaware of what was going on with the rest of the house.
"Just leave him," Noel said, her tone dripping with disgust.
At that moment, the sound of a car engine turning over came from the other side of the house. Noel and Enrique looked at each other before they started running.
Noel had just cleared the side of the house when she saw the determined set of Ann's face behind the wheel; it was the same car where Freddie lay in the backseat.
"No!" Noel pushed her body to run faster, knowing she'd never be able to catch them once Ann started driving.
Wondering where everyone had gone, Chris wandered out to the porch. He saw Noel and Enrique standing at the edge of the cliff, arms wrapped around each other. He shook his head, wondering if he could get Freddie to stand out there with him and "enjoy the view" later.
Frowning when he noticed the car was gone, he shuffled forward, one hand still clutching the towel wrapped around his slim waist.
"Why didn't anyone tell me they were making a run to town? I am out of smokes!" He yelled at the pair in annoyance, his scowl fading as they turned toward him. "Hey, why are you crying?"
Thank you so much for downloading Bond of Sisters. This story is part of an anthology that my publisher, Blysster Press, put on for its authors. We were given a series of prompts and then encouraged to take them wherever our imaginations led us. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as my mother disliked it.
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, A. Maire Dinsmore lives outside Seattle. She is a wife and a mother of two children; son Christian and daughter Ashleigh. She caught the attention of Blysster Press editor after entering the writing contest at Crypticon at the urging of her husband, after years of keeping her writing a closely guarded secret. A. Maire is a obsessed football fan, finds cooking a therapeutic release and finds no better joy than family movie night. She is an annual attendee of Rustycon, Norwescon and Crypticon in the Pacific Northwest and is the High Priestess of Biohazard Party; running the show and keeping the madness in check.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amairedinsmore
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Blog: https://amairedinsmore.com
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