Daddy pressed his finger to his
lips, shushing Sarah quiet as he slid the door to the tunnel back on. She
wrapped her arms tightly around her
knees and pressed her cheek against her arm, trying to pretend she was back in
her own
room. But it didn’t smell like
her room. Even the spicy smell of Daddy’s cologne had faded now that the tunnel was closed. And
grayness was all around her. She was almost four, and that was too old
to be scared of the dark. But it wasn’t all dark. It was just gray dark.
She tried not to think of monsters crawling toward her. Daddy said there
were no monsters. But monsters liked
tunnels. They liked little girls.
Sometimes when she was scared she liked to sing the Maggie song. But that
was against the rules. She had to be quiet. She had to be still. She had to
wait until Daddy or Mommy opened the door and got her.
Thinking about the rules
helped. She could
almost hear Daddy saying them, as
if he was hiding in the tunnel with her. Even though he was way too big. If
something bad happens, wait until the room is safe. If you leave the tunnel,
put the funny slit- ted door back on. Run fast. Find a lady with kids. Tell her
your name is Sarah Merson. Merson. Merson. Merson. Merson. Ask for help.
Her
nose started twitching, itching from the thick air. Mak- ing her want to
sneeze. But she had to be quiet.
Then she heard Mommy screaming. Mommy never screamed. Were the monsters
out there and not in the tunnel?
On hands and knees she started
creeping toward the slits of light,
heart pounding.
“Kt85L is our property,” a man said. “You had no right!”
Out there. Mommy on her knees
facing the hotel room wall. Someone’s legs. A hand reaching
down. A silver bird stared at
Sarah from a ring on the finger. Stared with a horrible little black eye. The finger pulled the trigger of a gun.
A bang. Her ears filling with bees. Mommy
collapsing on the floor. Red spilling out.
Sarah shoved her fingers into her mouth. Quiet. The rule was be quiet.
Shouting. Daddy’s legs running by, out of the room. The bird man chasing.
The door banging closed.
Something bad happening.
The room was safe. The
bird man was gone. So she had to get out. Mommy was on the floor. Daddy was gone.
She shoved the door and it fell out onto the floor. Near Mommy. Near the red. But the rule was to put the funny
door back on. She picked it up
and shoved it over the tunnel like
Daddy had shown her.
Sarah didn’t want to look at Mommy. She looked
out the window instead. The
window was always open and there was never a screen. Daddy’s voice
came from the hallway, yelling. Screaming.
Another bang.
Sarah pressing her hands over her eyes. Not looking. Not look- ing.
Something bad happening.
Daddy was quiet now. Something
bad. She had to run fast.
Sarah climbed on the chair
under the window. The chair al- ways went under the window.
She stuck her legs through the window
and jumped down. Now run fast.
She ran fast, looking for a lady with a stroller or a kid her age. A
mommy would help
her. She would say she was Sarah Merson.
Sarah Merson, and something bad happened.
ABOUT THE BOOK
When Sarah Merson receives the
opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country—Sanctuary
Bay Academy—it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing
from foster home to foster home and struggling with the memory of her parent’s
murder, escaping to the school’s tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans
Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege
and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer,
Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the
least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds
herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and
discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
have written many books for teens and middle-grade readers, including the
Edgar-nominated mystery series Wright and Wong and the YA novels Crave and Sacrifice. They have also written for the TV shows Roswell, 1-800-Missing, and The Dead
Zone. Laura lives in New York and Melinda lives in North Carolina, but
really they mostly live on email, where they do most of their work together.
SOCIAL LINKS
St. Martin’s Griffin
This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ
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Whoa this book sounds awesome!
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