Over

by Stacy Claflin

  She jumped, preparing to land on her good leg and then roll. Macy landed on a patch of grass and somehow managed to avoid hitting her bad leg. She rolled a few times and then jumped up and ran for the next gate. Her knee stung a little, most likely because she hadn't been outside to run or even walk much. The only 'exercise' she had gotten in a long time was housework.

  Ignoring the pain, she got the gate open and made sure to close it. She wasn't going to leave a blatant path for Chester to follow.

  Sirens blared in the distance over the sound of Chester's house alarm. Macy needed to get to them before Chester did. Otherwise, he would tell them that she was Heather and had run away. She could explain that she'd been kidnapped, but the police might not believe her. Chester had pictures that looked just like her all over his house.

  Macy ran to the edge of the house. She hid and also looked up and down the street. At least this road wasn't a dead end. She could go down the opposite way and get away from Chester and the sirens and alarm.

  There wasn't anyone out on the street. Macy took a deep breath and made a run for it. She went down the street as fast as she could, keeping an eye out for another place to turn so that she could hopefully get out of the neighborhood. Once out, she would decide her next step.

  The road curved up ahead, going toward Chester's house. Macy wanted to go the other way, but that meant going through more yards and she would rather take her chances with the open road. It might curve again or even cross another one, giving her a way out.

  Perhaps going back to Chester's house wasn't such a bad idea. If the police weren't talking to him yet, she could tell them that he was a madman who had kidnapped her from her family.

  Macy took a couple steps, but then heard yelling from behind her, and the sirens were getting louder and closer. They were going to be headed for Chester's house. He would undoubtedly tell them she was Heather and she was running away. He would probably even have some crazy story, making her sound dangerous.

  She gasped for air. Why wasn't there a cross street? The road was probably going to loop around and leave her face to face with Chester.

  "There you are!"

  Macy looked over to see Chester heading her way.

  Determined

  Macy's heart stopped for a moment. Chester was about a block away. She turned around and ran faster. Her sore leg protested, but she didn't care. She would take care of it later.

  He was yelling something at her. Macy turned her head back and saw that he was only wearing pants. She had been right in guessing he would throw some on and go after her.

  "Stop, Heather! We need to talk about this."

  Macy pushed herself to go faster. Her lungs and calves burned while her knee protested. It didn't matter. He would kill her if he brought her back to the house. Any injuries she incurred running would heal.

  "Heather, wait!"

  She looked back. He was getting closer. "No!"

  Macy forced herself to run even faster. She passed the house that she had used to go through the back yard. Macy pushed forward. She would get away. There was no other option.

  Fingers brushed against her back.

  Macy screamed both from terror and in hopes to startle him enough to back off. She ran ahead, forcing her body to go faster. Letting him catch her was not an option. No matter what it took, he was not going to lock her up again. Chester was done controlling her and scaring her into submission.

  He could do what he wanted to Rebekah. She had moved into the house willingly. She saw the way Chester treated Macy. She had been in a rock band at one point. Somewhere within her was the ability to see what was really going on.

  She felt a tugging sensation on her shirt. Chester had her shirt. Macy threw herself to the ground, forcing him to let go. She tumbled and then rolled over the hard pavement and a couple rocks that were definitely going to leave bruises.

  Chester yelled out at her. She looked over at him as she stopped rolling. He was falling toward the ground—it looked like it was happening in slow motion—and he was headed for her. The last thing she needed was him crushing her.

  Macy rolled one more time. As she did, he slid across the pavement. First his arm hit and then he rolled onto his chest, still sliding forward. Then his cheek hit the ground, sending his big, ugly glasses flying. He rolled onto his back, exposing his now-bloody bare torso.

  He moaned and then sat up, patting the ground. "Where are my glasses?"

  Macy jumped up and ran, but then she stopped. "You need your glasses, Chester?" She didn't wait for an answer. Macy went over to where they rested, picked them up, and then chucked them into the yard. "Go and find them. I could have crushed them, but you know what? I'm going to be nice, unlike you. If you were a nicer person, you wouldn't have to force people to act like they love you. Heather used to love you. Her mom, too."

  Macy turned around and ran, unsuccessfully trying to ignore her knee. The pain was worse. At least Chester was behind her and would take a while to find his glasses.

  The sirens grew louder, but they didn't sound like they were moving any more. The cops had to have already arrived at Chester's house. The road curved and she found herself looking at several cop cars parked in front of the Woodran residence.

  Did all roads lead to that house? Panic rushed through her. If she turned around, she would have to face Chester. She saw Rebekah standing on the front porch talking to a couple officers.

  Macy's only way out was to go past the house and the cops. If Rebekah saw her, it would be over. As far as she knew, Macy was Heather.

  "Heather!" shouted someone from behind.

  Without thinking, Macy turned around. A lady about her parents' age stood behind her. She was wearing what looked like nurses' scrubs. They had cartoon puppies on them.

  An officer came out of one of the cruisers. He looked back and forth between the nurse and Macy.

  "Is this the runaway?"

  The nurse looked confused. "Runaway? This is Heather Woodran. She's a patient over at Shady Hills where I'm a nurse. I'm Candice Roberts."

  Macy's heart sank. She looked for a way to escape.

  "I was told that she ran away from home," said the officer. "That's what set off the alarm."

  Candice shook her head. "She had to have escaped Shady Hills. There's no way she was released. Heather has been…well, having issues. That's all I can say legally. Also, her dad lost custody and can only see her with supervision. I have no idea how she got here, officer, but I assure you she needs to get back to Shady Hills. You're going to want to look into how he got her out."

  "But I'm—" Macy said.

  "Heather, stay quiet if you know what's good for you," said Candice.

  "I'm not—"

  "How do you feel about going back into solitary? It won't just be for a couple days this time."

  Macy's eyes widened. What had Heather been through? Macy would have to stay quiet for the time being. There would have to be a better time to explain who she really was.

  The officer scribbled notes onto a tablet with a stylus. "If that's the case, I'll have to drive her back."

  "I'm on my way to work now. I can take her. It's no problem." Candice wrapped a hand around Macy's arm and squeezed.

  Why was freedom so fleeting? There was no way she could break away and outrun a nurse and a cop.

  "Let me call down to Shady Hills and if what you say is true, I'll release her into your care." He pulled a smartphone out of his pocket. "You two stay right there." He walked over to his car, talking on the phone.

  Candice squeezed Macy's arm tighter. "How did you get out? That place is sealed up tight."

  Macy glared at her. "Maybe it's not as secure as you thought. Or maybe you underestimated me."

  "You're going back into solitary for this."

  Macy shook her head. "Trust me, after everything I've been through, you can't scare me."

  "How dare—?"

  The officer walked back to them. "The office at Shady Hills confirm
ed that Heather Woodran is a long-term patient and you're one of her overseeing nurses, Mrs. Roberts. I'll just need to see your identification, and then if you sign here, you're free to take her."

  Candice gave Macy a dirty look. "Gladly." She pulled out her driver's license and then took the tablet and signed with the stylus, all without letting go of Macy. When she handed the tablet back to the officer, she yanked Macy's arm and pulled her across the street.

  Chester came down the street with a limp of his own to go with his bloody torso. His glasses were also crooked. "Hey, Candice! What are you doing with Heather?"

  "Taking her back to Shady Hills—where she belongs. Go get yourself cleaned up, Chet. What the hell happened to you, anyway?"

  "None of your business. Hand her over. I'll take her."

  Macy stood closer to Candice. No matter how mean she seemed, Macy would rather go with her than Chester.

  "We all know you lost custody," Candice said. "I'm not going to jail over you. Pull your life together and get custody back, then you can have her."

  Chester furrowed his eyebrows. "Hand her over now."

  The look in his eyes shot terror throughout Macy. "He's not even my dad! He kidnapped me. Get him away!"

  "Kidnapped you?" Candice gave her a bewildered look. "Have you forgotten that I've known you your whole life? Your mom was pregnant with you when we met. I brought your parents dinner the night they came home from the hospital. You really need to get your crap together, kid, or you're never going to leave Shady Hills."

  Chester reached out for Macy.

  "Officers!" Candice shouted.

  "I'm going home." Chester narrowed his eyes. "Don't think you've heard last of me. Any of you."

  Candice gave a bitter laugh. "I would never think that, Chet. Go get yourself cleaned up and take care of that pregnant girl on your steps. No wonder you've all been hiding away in there." She shook her head and dragged Macy into a little silver sports car. "Buckle up and don't try anything. There are three police cars right there. I won't hesitate to have them take you downtown, and trust me, you don't want to go there. It makes Shady Hills look like the Hilton."

  Macy pulled her arm away from Candice's grip. She got in without a word. At least she was getting away from Chester, and hopefully for good. What would happen when they got there and realized there were two Heather Woodrans?

  As they drove to the mental hospital, Macy looked all around for clues as to where they were. It was hard to focus because Candice kept lecturing her about her behavior.

  Finally, Macy turned and looked at her while they were at a stop light. "What exactly do I have to look forward to? My mom is dead, not that anyone will listen to me about that. My dad doesn't have custody, not that I'd really want to stay with him anyway."

  "You would either stay with extended family or go into foster care. There are a lot of really nice families. You'd even be able to go back to school, although at this point, you would be really far behind."

  "Why won't anyone listen to me about my mom?"

  "Because we know she's alive."

  That was impossible. "How do you know that?"

  "We've talked with her." Candice shook her head, looking irritated.

  Everything seemed to shrink around Macy. "You did? When? Why haven't I talked to her?" Or had Heather actually talked with her? If so, what was she still doing in Shady Hills?

  "Have you actually forgotten? You did, but you tried to convince us that it wasn't her."

  "And you didn't believe me? I'm her daughter. I'd know a fake Karla Woodran more than anyone."

  "I spoke with her too, Heather. Don't forget how long I've known her."

  Macy folded her arms. It was pointless to keep arguing with the woman. Chester had obviously found someone who sounded just like Heather's mom to talk with people over the phone. That explained how he was able to avoid jail. Poor Heather. Talking to someone who sounded like her mom had probably crushed her, and then having no one believe her that it wasn't her mom probably sent her over the edge. No wonder she was still there.

  Heather was probably having a worse time than Macy. They'd both been ripped from their families, but she knew her mom was dead. Macy at least knew there was hope of seeing her family again.

  "Did I finally render Heather Woodran speechless?" Candice asked, her tone full of snark.

  Macy glared at her, but didn't say anything. Whatever she did say would just dig herself—and Heather—deeper. What she needed was to find a way to get the both of them out of the hospital. It wasn't going to be an easy task, but at least they would be able to put their heads together when Macy got to Shady Hills.

  Candice pulled the car into a parking lot. The building was several stories tall and though it was clean and well-kept, it gave Macy the chills. They got out and Macy thought about taking another run for it, but she had a limp and her body ached from earlier. Besides, she needed to talk with Heather, and going in was her only way of doing that. They would find a way out together.

  She followed Candice, keeping her gaze toward the ground. She had become accustomed to that from living in the community, since she wasn't supposed to look at any guys without their permission. But it worked here too, because she didn't want anyone figuring out that there were two Heathers.

  They walked by a large registration desk. Clearly no one had any questions about Candice being with Heather. Then Candice pulled out a card and scanned it in front of a large, metal door. It opened slowly and they went inside, the door closing on its own behind them. They went through several more doors just like that one.

  Macy started to doubt their escape. Unless Macy or Heather could sneak one of the cards from someone. There were two of them. One could stay in the room while the other sneaked out to get a card. Maybe they did have a chance.

  Candice and Macy came to another desk, but this one was smaller and didn't have anyone sitting at it. Candice grabbed Macy's arm and led her down a hall. They went into a room marked 108.

  Candice glared at her. "You stay in your room. Do you understand? I can lock it from the outside, and probably should. I don't know how you got out, but you're lucky that I'm the one who found you. I don't want you sent to the third floor. We'll just pretend this never happened. I don't think the police officer actually made any kind of report when he called in about you. He just asked if you were a resident and if I was a nurse. Next time, I won't be so lenient. Are we at an understanding?" Her eyes narrowed.

  "Yeah."

  "Not even a thanks? Why am I surprised? Look, Heather. Just get your street clothes off and stay in here. Do us both a favor."

  Worried

  Zoey frowned, sitting on Alex's bed. The dinner had gone seamlessly, and Lydia had been on her best behavior, not giving any indication that she had any feelings for Chad.

  "See?" Alex asked. "There was nothing to worry about."

  "Don't look at me like that," Zoey said. "Lydia only acted like that because we were so close. This won't be the last of her."

  "If she does show up again, then I'll keep watch, okay? But she just acted like any other neighbor who came over with dinner when Macy disappeared. Remember? You were there."

  "Yeah, but she's the only one who stayed to eat with us, right?"

  "She's lonely. You heard her talk about her husband. She said he's home three nights a month if she's lucky. Remember?"

  "Right. She's lonely and your dad's hot."

  "Stop calling my dad hot. And Lydia's not available. She's married."

  "You're not usually so naive. What gives?"

  "Quit calling me that. Shouldn't we work on our homework?" Alex asked. He looked eager for a new topic of conversation.

  Zoey could feel tears threatening. "Why can't you leave me alone? My life has been crumbling around me for months now, getting worse with each passing month."

  "You think mine isn't?"

  "Not like mine is!"

  "How so? My sister has been gone without a trace. I'm thirteen and going t
o be a dad. Now my mom won't come home."

  Rage ran through Zoey. "Your missing sister is my best friend! Yeah, you're going to be a dad, but you're not the one getting bigger every day. I'm going to have to buy new shoes. You know why? Because even my feet are fat. People don't look at you and automatically know you're going to be a parent. I'm a neon sign for teenage pregnancy."

  "Yeah, but when you wear flowing shirts like that one, it's not that noticeable."

  "You don't know anything!" She got up and stormed out of the room.

  He followed her. "What do you mean?"

  "It means you didn't notice anyone pointing at me when we were at the movies today. You didn't hear what people said, loud enough for me to hear." She blinked back tears. What she wouldn't have given for a cigarette.

  "Nobody said anything. If anyone had, I would have gotten in their faces and if necessary, beaten the crap out of them."

  "Well, you know what? They did, and you weren't my knight in shining armor."

  "What did they say?"

  "Forget it, Alex. It's pointless. People were calling me a whore right under your nose and you didn't even notice."

  "Why didn't you say anything?"

  "Because the only thing I wanted was to get away from them. They were on their way out as we were going in. Besides, we can't fight everyone. Are we going to fight every time we go into public?"

  "If people are going to call you names, then yes."

  "That's why we left school. The best thing is probably for me to stay away from places like the movies and the mall. It's only a matter of time until the news picks up on this. I'm surprised they haven't yet."

  "It's because they don't care about Macy anymore."

  "My point is that I don't want to go out. At least the news isn't hounding you guys. That's, like, the one good thing going on."

  "What about me?" Alex looked hurt.