Chapter 1 - THE TORN CARDIGAN
Margaret grabbed Emily’s cardigan with both hands and yanked.
The seam tore from shoulder to waist.
Emily cried out and curled toward the headboard, still fully covered in pale pajamas.
“You useless little snitch!”
Margaret ripped one sleeve away.
Then jerked the ruined cardigan from Emily’s shoulders and threw it to the floor.
Emily’s spare jacket lay beside two soft shirts and a pair of loose pants.
Margaret snatched them.
Rip.
Rip.
Rip.
“Grandma, please stop!”
The bedroom door flew open.
Claire charged inside.
She saw:
Emily shaking,
clothes scattered across the carpet,
Margaret gripping another jacket by both sleeves.
Claire ripped it from her hands and shoved herself between them.
“Get away from my daughter!”
Margaret froze.
Emily grabbed the back of Claire’s cream blouse.
Then Margaret pointed past her.
“She told the doctor everything!”
Claire’s face changed.
“What did she tell the doctor?”
Margaret threw the jacket down.
“Ask your daughter.”
Claire stepped forward.
“You did this to a sick child?”
Margaret’s confidence faltered.
Claire pointed toward the hall.
“Leave.”
Margaret stared at her.
“You don’t understand what I was trying to stop.”
“Leave.”
Margaret did.
Claire locked the bedroom door.
Then sat beside Emily.
She checked her arms.
Shoulders.
Face.
No injury.
Only terror.
Emily clung to her.
Claire wanted to ask fifty questions.
Instead she said:
“You can tell me when you’re ready.”
Emily looked at the torn cardigan.
Then whispered:
“Grandma says I’m disappearing.”
Claire’s chest tightened.
“What?”
Emily reached beneath her bed.
She pulled out a white cardboard box.
On the lid, in Margaret’s handwriting:
BEFORE EMILY.
Claire stared.
Inside were:
an old school T-shirt,
a purple scarf,
a broken friendship bracelet,
a birthday card,
a tiny bottle of vanilla lotion,
three printed photographs,
a concert ticket,
and a stack of index cards.
Claire picked up the first card.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Answer beneath:
MINT CHIP.
Second:
WHO WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND IN THIRD GRADE?
Answer:
LILY MARTIN.
Third:
WHAT DID GRANDPA CALL YOU WHEN YOU WERE FIVE?
Answer:
BUTTON.
Claire looked at Emily.
“What is this?”
Emily started crying again.
“Grandma asks me.”
“How often?”
“Every day.”
Claire’s stomach dropped.
Emily pointed toward another box in the closet.
This one said:
AFTER.
Claire opened it.
Inside were score sheets.
DATES.
QUESTIONS.
RIGHT.
WRONG.
PROMPTED.
NO ANSWER.
At the bottom of one page:
7/20 — 12/20 CORRECT.
TOO MUCH PROMPTING.
REPEAT TOMORROW.
Claire stared.
Then Emily whispered:
“If I forget too much, Grandma says the tumor took part of me.”
Claire stopped breathing.
Then she saw one final note clipped behind the score sheet.
Not Margaret’s handwriting.
Emily’s.
May you like
In crooked pencil:
I AM STILL ME EVEN IF I DON’T KNOW.
