Page 27 of A Twisted Gift

“Mom, please. Please listen to me.”

“Go.”

With a frustrated yell, I stomp upstairs and slam the door to my room. My math books are on my desk, but I ignore them, pacing my room instead.

What am I going to do? What if Rose’s father hurts her more?

I’m not real. You know that.

But she didn’t mean it. She’s too little to even know what she was saying.

Because I don’t exist.

“No,” I whisper. “No, no, no.”

My knees hit the carpet, and tears fill my eyes as I remember Dad’s reaction when I came home after meeting Rose the first time.

Seriously? Your friend Rose gave you a rose? Nice try, buddy.

And later, I’d heard him talking to Mom, saying,You think he stole it from the Montgomery’s yard? Maybe he made up this girl to explain how he got the rose.

I sit like that, rocking myself back and forth until I hear the garage door opening. When the muffled voices of my parents talking drifts upstairs, I sneak out of my room and to the top of the steps. I know I’m not supposed to eavesdrop, but this is important.

“What if he’s telling the truth?” Mom is asking.

“We’ve been over this,” Dad replies, obviously frustrated. “We know he’s not. I’ve seen Montgomery family photos. They don’t have a daughter the age that Erik described. Just one, and her name is Marissa, not Rose.”

“I know, I just… I don’t want to brush this off if Charles is actually abusing a little girl. Do you think we should call the police? Just in case?”

Dad laughs. “Call the police on a Montgomery? Like that’ll do anything good. Besides, him and I are deep in negotiations. I can’t jeopardize all that just because Erik is growing up.”

“Growing up? What do you mean?”

“Hon, it’s obvious that’s what this it. It’s probably my fault for teasing Erik about Rose so much early on. He’s finally ready to move on from his imaginary friend, but he doesn’t know how to admit that he made her up, so he came up with a dramatic story about how she disappeared.”

“You’re sure? He’s just so upset.”

“I’m positive. This is just how kids are. He’ll be over it in a week.”

My body is frozen in place as they discuss potentially sending me to therapy. I want to scream, to cry, to throw something. But none of it will get them to understand. None of it will help Rose.

When it comes to saving her, I’m on my own.

But the next day, men come, and I watch from the forest as they tear the fence down. Over the next week, they build a stone wall so high I can barely see the window Rose told me is hers.

And I never see her again.

Chapter nine

Raina

A shout wakes me.

At first I wonder if I dreamed it, but then I hear it again, louder this time.

Erik.

I jump out of bed and rush to the door. Is he hurt? Did Father find us already?

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