Unremembered (Unremembered #1)(24)

‘The plane crashed and, at the exact same time, you magically just . . . fell from the sky!’ Cody rants. ‘You’re a fallen angel, that’s it. Why didn’t I think of it before?’ He slaps himself on the forehead. ‘That would certainly explain the face.’

I’m not sure he’s even talking to me any more. He’s not looking at me. He appears to be speaking more to himself at this point. But as jumbled as Cody’s chatter may be, he’s touched upon a very important point.

If I wasn’t on the plane, why was I found near the crash site?

The odds that I just happened to be at the same place at the same time are too slim to even calculate. Which means there’s another explanation.

One that I’m determined to find.

‘Uh-oh,’ I hear Cody say. His voice has shifted. It sounds normal again. I glance over to see him frowning at his cellphone.

‘What’s wrong?’ I ask. They’re the first words I’ve said aloud since we left the airport.

‘The parental inquisition. They’re calling.’ He shows me the phone and I read the screen.

Call from Home.

And it looks like they’ve already called six times.’ He winces. ‘Obviously they’ve noticed that we’re gone. Should I answer it?’

‘Yes.’

His face contorts. ‘Are you crazy? That was a rhetorical question. I’m not answering it.’

‘They’ll be worried.’

‘Yeah. And pissed.’ He makes a hissing sound with his teeth. ‘If I’m going to get totally reamed out, I’d rather it only happened once.’

‘What do you mean?’

He sighs. ‘If I answer it, they’re going to yell at me for taking you out of town. Then when we get home, they’re going to yell at me again. So if I don’t answer and just take you home, I’ll only receive one scream fest. Get it?’

The phone has stopped ringing.

That funny feeling punches me in the stomach again. The one Cody earlier identified as guilt.

‘Maybe you should tell them that we’re OK?’ I suggest. ‘So they don’t worry.’

Cody settles into his seat and gazes out the window. ‘Nah. We’re almost at the bus station. We’ll be home in a few hours. They can just chill until then.’





16


PROMISES


‘ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?’ Heather’s voice screams from the balcony as Cody and I scamper down the driveway of the house four hours later. ‘YOU DISAPPEAR WITH NO NOTE. AND NO PHONE CALL. AND YOU TAKE A POOR, HELPLESS AMNESIAC GIRL WITH YOU? DO YOU NOT SEE WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE, CODY?’

Cody shoots me a sideways glance as Heather hurries down the stairs and starts to stomp towards us.

‘Your father was about to call the police! Do you have any idea what would happen if the authorities found out that we lost a foster-child on her third day of staying with us?’

She grabs Cody by the elbow and he whimpers as though he’s in pain. I know that I have to say something. I have a responsibility to Cody. To deflect Heather’s anger.

‘Heather, this is not Cody’s fault,’ I say quickly. ‘It’s mine. I forced him to take me. He didn’t want to go but I made him.’

I notice Heather’s grip on Cody’s arm loosen. ‘Take you where?’ she asks. Her voice softens when she addresses me and I immediately feel regret for getting Cody involved. Especially when he didn’t want to go in the first place. I probably should have tried to figure it out on my own.

‘To Los Angeles,’ I tell her.

‘YOU TOOK HER TO LOS ANGELES?’ Heather’s voice is back to a roar and her fingers retighten around Cody’s biceps.

‘Please,’ I implore. ‘Please don’t be angry with him. He tried to stop me. But I was determined to go.’

‘What on earth were you doing back in Los Angeles?’

Cody’s eyes flicker to me. I immediately know what he’s thinking. He’s wondering if I’m going to tell Heather the truth. About what we did. About who we talked to. About what she told us.

‘I . . .’ I begin with hesitation.

Lying protects people.

‘I wanted to go to the airport,’ I finish. ‘I thought it might trigger a memory. I thought it would help.’

Heather exhales a heavy sigh and releases Cody’s arm. I hear myself sigh as well. ‘Violet,’ she begins, her voice once again gentle. Patient. It’s the Heather from yesterday and the day before. The one who picked me up from the hospital and made me a grilled cheese sandwich. ‘You can’t just sneak out of the house. You’re our responsibility now. It’s our job to make sure you’re safe. And we can’t do that unless we know where you are at all times.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘I shouldn’t have left.’

‘No, you shouldn’t have,’ she says, and then she turns her attention back to Cody. ‘And you,’ she says, her voice sharpening. ‘You shouldn’t have taken her. You’re grounded until school starts.’

‘Mom! That’s so not fair! You heard her! She basically kidnapped me.’

‘I don’t care,’ Heather says. ‘You’re still grounded.’