āPlease stop touching it, B. Youāll get your clothes dirty again.ā
āIt?⦠I just wanted to cover him up. I really think we shouldāve washedāā
āDonāt. Just donāt⦠We donāt know how he got the toll. Couldāve been-⦠We couldāve contaminated the whole water systemā¦ā
āBut maybe itās already contaminated.ā
The sirens across the valley started blaringāa water contamination warning.
āFuck⦠We canāt wait for her. Go⦠go grab the bags from the closet. The two red onesā¦ā
āYou got a better plan? Protocolās protocol. Bebe will come. She knows to check on us. Iāll go look out for her.ā
Bebe was their older neighbor from down the roadāMother had entrusted her with the girls in case of an emergency.
āWhere is everyone?ā Daysy muttered, her head still spinning with leftover adrenaline. Everything felt like death. She just stood there, beneath the siren poles, their blending frequencies turning into a sort of song. Not a soul in sight.
When Bella came out with her backpack on and a bag in her hand, Daysy glanced back at the house, grabbed Bellaās hand, and pulled her down the road to Bebeās.
āIf Bebeās not there, weāre leaving town.ā
āWhat??? Sissy, thatās insane.ā
āThereās a dead body in our garage, B. Weāre part of the battle now.ā
āBut⦠will Mother find us?ā
āI mean⦠we arenāt hiding from her. If she goes searching, Iām sure she will.ā
Bella trusted what her sister said, the same way sheād had to trust everyone before: the women who freed her, the workers who placed her, and now, the new family raising her. Abandoning things wasnāt difficult yetāshe actually felt quite adept at it.
But the air was turning cold. And Bebeās houseālights out, door left open, windows stillātold them everything they needed to know.
They must vanish into the mountains.