by Holly Hook
* * * * *
Her father went across the street later that morning to help the neighbor guy cut up the tree in his yard, leaving Janelle alone in the house. She called Leslie and told her about the vacation, and of course, Leslie burned with jealousy. But after she hung up, she couldn’t shake a deep, tense feeling in her gut.
Things still weren’t adding up. If this was just a normal vacation, why had her father sounded so tense and sad on the phone last night? He knew she loved dolphins and coral reefs and all that. Why had he talked like this would be something to dread?
Janelle poured herself some orange juice and watched as the old neighbor man and her father climbed into his car and took off, probably to the hardware store.
Her father had left her alone. With his truck. And the keys sat on the table.
Gary might still be at the hospital.
Janelle poured the orange juice down the sink, grabbed the keys, and went for the door. This was her last chance. She had to hurry and do this before her dad got back. If she didn’t get back in time, her dad would yell at her for driving alone with her learner’s permit.
But she couldn’t go the next two weeks not knowing what awful thing could happen in the Bahamas. Gary might know about it. He had to.
Janelle locked up the house, started the truck, and made the ten minute drive to the hospital. She didn’t even care that it was the first time she’d driven alone. Way scarier stuff pressed on her mind.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she muttered, pulling into the visitor’s lot. She scanned the area. The business woman in gray was nowhere to be seen. Good. If her father didn’t want to face her, then she didn’t, either. She’d have to be careful.
There.
Someone sat in a wheelchair near the Discharge Pickup doors. Purple shirt. Black hair with long, messy bangs.
Gary. He was out of the hospital. She’d made it just in time.
Janelle jumped down from the truck and ran for him. She scanned the lot one more time for that woman. All clear. She weaved around a couple of nurses standing on the sidewalk and made it to him. Gary looked up, eyes wide. “Janelle?”
She had to cut right to it. “You can’t pretend to fall asleep on me now. There’s a lot of questions I want answers to. Sorry,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. It was best to hurry. “I want to know what these birthmarks are and why you appeared out of nowhere right in front of me. My dad seems to know, but he’s not telling me anything. So it’s up to you. I need the truth, because things are getting weird."
Gary rose until he was level with her. His hazel eyes were wide with an apology. “I didn’t mean to be such a jerk yesterday. It’s just that when you showed me your mark, I knew I had to get you out of there before my guardian came back. Do you know who she is? Well, never mind. Of course you wouldn’t if you don’t even know what you are.”
“What do you mean?” Janelle took a step back. “What I am?”
“So your dad’s keeping it a secret from you,” Gary said. “That’s why he told me not to say much before I saw you. Well, maybe you’re lucky you don’t know. But you’ll find out.”
“And I want you to tell me.”
Gary drew in a breath. “No, you don’t. You’d better go. I think my guardian’s looking for you. She and her assistant came back into my room right after you left yesterday.”
A chill swept over her. “She is?”
“And you don’t want to end up in her program like I did. Maybe I’m your bait. Maybe that’s why she’s made me sit out here for the past two hours. Get out of here!”
Gary shoved her back. She staggered on the pavement, grabbing the railing.
“Gary!” She couldn’t keep the hurt from rising up. “What is your problem?”
But he didn’t have time to answer.
The double doors burst open with enough force to make them slam against the wall of the hospital.
And standing there was Gary’s guardian, staring right at her and grinning like a hungry shark.
“Well, well, well,” she said. “I see this little plan of mine worked out well after all.”
Chapter Four
