Page 37 of The Lost Girls of Willowbrook

She tried to reason away her terror: If her presence was helping Wayne get away with hiding Rosemary, surely he wouldn’t want to harm her.

Just then, a key clunked inside the lock and one of the doors rattled. She stepped back, searching for something—any thing—to use as a weapon. There was nothing but the plastic chairs. She grabbed one and lifted it above her head.

Eddie slipped inside. When he saw her wielding the chair, he stopped short, one hand up to protect himself. “What the hell?” he yelped. “What are you doing? It’s just me.”

“What do you want?”

“What do you mean, what do I want? You’ve been missing for days. I want to know where you’ve been.”

“I’m not Rosemary,” she said. “I’m her twin sister, Sage.”

“Okay, if you say so. Just put the chair down so we can talk.”

“It’s the truth,” she said. “I know you don’t believe me. No one does. I came here as soon as I found out Rosemary was missing, but Dr. Baldwin locked me up because he thinks I’m her. They all do.”

“Okay,” he said, lowering his hand. “Just let me lock the door, then you can tell me everything, all right?”

She nodded.

He locked the door, then studied her face, his clear blue eyes filled with concern. When he edged closer, she lifted the chair higher, ready to strike him if he tried anything. But he stopped, and after a few tense moments, he finally said, “Holy shit.”

“What?” she said.

“I can see it now. You’re really not her.”

“You can tell I’m not Rosemary?”

He nodded, shocked. “Yeah, I can.”

Her shoulders loosened and she lowered the chair, but only partway. “You’re not trying to trick me, are you?”

He shook his head. “I’m not, I promise.”

Nearly crumpling with relief, she put the chair down, but still kept her distance. Finally, someone believed her. Someone might listen and help—unless he was lying so she wouldn’t bash his head in. Her doubts came flooding back. Maybe she was right about Wayne knowing who she really was; maybe he’d already told Eddie. “Why do you believe me? No one else does.”

“Because your voice is different,” he said. “It’s deeper and a little rougher. And even though you’re scared shitless right now, your eyes are softer, more peaceful. Not like Rosemary’s. I’ve never seen anyone with eyes like hers.”

“What do you mean? How are her eyes different?”

“Her eyes always look haunted, like her head is full of ghosts.”

Goose bumps prickled along Sage’s arms. What he said made perfect sense. Rosemary always looked like she was seeing people and things that weren’t there. And the odds that Wayne had noticed that about Rosemary’s eyes were pretty low, which meant Eddie had figured out who Sage was on his own. “Do you know what happened to her?”

He shook his head. “I don’t. I wish I did.”

“But you’re friends with her.” It was a more of a statement than a question.

He shrugged. “Sort of. I guess.”

“What does that mean?”

“She always said hi to me when she was in line for her meds. And sometimes she came over to talk to me when I was in here emptying the garbage.”

“And that’s how you got to know her so well?” she said. Doubt edged her voice.

Sensing her skepticism, he gave her an irritated look. “When people see each other nearly every day, they’re bound to form some kind of connection, whether it’s good, bad, or indifferent. We never spoke to each other where anyone could see us for more than a minute or two, but Wayne let us meet alone like this a couple times. I felt bad for her, she seemed pretty normal. And I talked to her because I wanted to. I liked her. She was nice.”

“Did she tell you she had a sister?”

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