Page 6 of Their Dark Rose

“Liar!” My head whips to him.

Some of my blond locks cling to my damp cheek in the process.

“We’re not lying.” Mason bends at the waist, gripping my chin. “Your dad had too much of his medicine. Then he and your mom got into a car to meet our parents at the home they were building. You remember the big house they showed you in pictures?”

I nod, wiping my running nose.

“Bri.” His tone is firm. His hand on my cheek is too. “They hit them with their truck. Pinned them to their future house. Our parents are gone.”

“No, no, no.” I free myself from his hold, shaking my head. I love their parents. They can’t be gone. They can’t.

This is a nightmare. Has to be.

“Shut up!” I scream, willing myself to wake up.

“They’re dead, Briar,” Finn says. “Do you know what dead means?”

My chin wobbles more than before. Being brave and calling them liars turns into a struggle.

“D-Darcy and E-E-Eugene are in heaven?” I repeat what I was told.

Falk growls behind me.

“Yes.” Finn nods, another tear slipping out of the corner of his hazel eye. Darcy, his mommy, said he got the color from his great-grandpa.

Those eyes are supposed to shine with happiness. I hate it when he’s sad.

I raise my little hand to his much larger face, about to swipe it off him.

“Talking time is over.” Falk releases me for a second. “At least one of your parents will be charged with manslaughter. And guess what? You’re stuck with us.”

Manslaughter? What’s manslaughter?

“Falk, look at her.” Mason is angry with Falk. “She has no idea what you’re talking about. We agreed to not take our anger out on her.”

“She will.” Falk doesn’t care that Mason’s upset. He throws me over his shoulder, striding off.

My plaid blue skirt hikes up. Someone’s hand pulls it down, covering me.

“We’ll continue this at home.” Finn appears at our side, the strap of my blue backpack hiding some of the thorn tattoos on his hand.

I’m hopeful at his words. “My home?”

“No. We already told you your parents are downtown at the police station.” Mason holds the door for Falk to walk through. “We’re bringing you to our home.”

To their huge house in Back Bay so far from my parents?

Where the people who stopped loving me live? Where they can lie to me again?

No!

“Put me down!” I shriek, kicking and punching Falk. “Let me go to Mommy and Daddy!”

We walk through my school halls. The men don’t answer. The kids don’t care that I’m being kidnapped. Miss Jones and the school’s principal wait outside, their eyes sad. But they don’t stop them. None of them do.

Maybe they believe Falk’s lies.

Stupid. Everyone here is stupid.

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