Page 109 of Wolf

“Mercy!” Mama says and she raises her wide eyes to mine. “Why aren’t you dressing? We don’t have…time….”

Mama stops in the doorway and looks around. Her brows slam over her eyes and she grabs my arm.

Holding back my cry, I allow her to drag me away because if she’s focused on me, she won’t take it out on Mercy.

“Jim,” Mama bellows, and I cringe as she shoves me to the floor.

Daddy comes out of the bedroom with a sigh and ambles over to where I’m sitting. Without batting an eye, he says, “What?”

“She’s gone,” Mama sneers and Daddy looks around.

“Who?”

“Who? Who!” she snarls. “Rachel. Rachel is gone. The little bitch cleared out her room while we were sleeping.”

Mercy hovers near the door and I tip my chin hoping she gets the message. She ignores me though and bows her head.

While Mama rages about their reputation and Daddy drinks from a bottle of whiskey he usually keeps hidden on the top shelf over the refrigerator, I can’t hide my revulsion.

They’re not worried about her. They’re worried about how this looks for them. I can’t believe it despite all I’ve seen to the contrary. These people truly are monsters.

I look up when Mama says my name and shrink away as she approaches with a gleam in her eyes. “You know where she is?”

“No,” I say, and her eyes narrow. Although I’m telling the truth, I still feel a trickle of sweat slide down my spine. I’m quite sure Mama doesn’t care about innocence until proven guilty, but I hope she believes me, anyway.

“You know where Miriam is though.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to deny it but her eyes dart to Mercy before returning to me and I slump. I can’t sacrifice Mercy. She’s too damn young.

“Sort of,” I finally say, and she straightens with a smile. I don’t particularly like that smile because it holds evil that I’m afraid for her to carry out but in this, I know the MC can take what Mama thinks up. Mercy won’t survive.

“Good,” she says, rubbing her hands together.

“Kathleen…” Daddy says but she ignores him and leans over me.

“You’ll go bring your sister back,” she says.

“If I can’t?” I rasp.

Shaking her head, she stalks toward Mercy and grabs her arm. Mercy cries out and I stand but Mama wrenches her away.

“You bring her back, Lillith Anne,” she spits, and I cringe away from the fanatical light in her eyes. “Until you do, Mercy will stay here.”

She marches her down the hall and I follow my heart in my throat.

“Mama, no!” I cry as she shoves her into the closet and locks it. It’s a tactic she used a lot when we were younger, hence the lock conveniently placed on the outside.

Mercy pounds on the wood as I stare at it helplessly before rage suffuses my system and I charge her. Mama steps back but she’s ready for me and I fall to the floor as she punches my head.

It only lasts minutes but feels like hours before Daddy pulls her off and says, “Enough.”

My head throbs as I curl into a ball. My ribs ache and it’s hard to take a deep breath.

Meanwhile, Mercy has quieted down behind the door, no doubt terrified by what she heard.

“Go,” Mama says, her chest heaving.

When I don’t move, she grabs me and pulls me to my feet before pushing me to the door. I glance back at the closet and Mama steps into my view.

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