Uncle Je๏ฌย came into the light, the containerย ๏ฌoor shifting with his weight, tipping away from Bel and Rachel.
His mouth dropped open when he spotted Charlie there, on his knees.ย โCharlie?โย He hurried over to his little brother.ย โWhat are you doing
here? Youโre supposed to be in Canada? What the fuck is going on here?โย he said again, eyes catching on the chain attached to Charlieโs ankle, gaze shifting around the makeshift room.
โOh my God, am I glad to see you,โย Charlie cried, a hand snaking over his brotherโs shoulder, eyes hooking onto his.ย โYou have to help me, Je๏ฌ. Rachel locked me in here, itโs been two weeks. Sheโs crazy. Filled Belโs head full of lies. They want to leave me here. You have to help me.โ
โWhy would Rachelโฆ,โย Je๏ฌย began, eyeing Bel and Rachel, standing together, out of Charlieโs reach.
โRachel has the key to the cu๏ฌ,โย Charlie said, a growl in his throat, blinking out a tear.ย โYou need to get it, Je๏ฌ. Get the key and unlock me.โ
Je๏ฌย straightened up, standing over his brother.ย โI donโt understand.โ โYou donโt need to understand, just get the key.โย Charlie pushed up to
his feet, chain rattling. He stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother,ย ๏ฌngers gripping on again.
โRachel,โย Je๏ฌย said, looking over at her, his eyes crossing sides.ย โIs that true? Why would youโโ
โStop asking her questions,โย Charlie barked, guiding his brother forward, his headย ๏ฌoating over his shoulder, voice in his ear.ย โJust get the key. Itโs in her hand.โ
Je๏ฌย took a step forward, into the middle.ย โLook, I donโt know whatโs happened here, but Iโm sure we can work it out. Weโre a family, arenโt we?โ
โJe๏ฌ, donโt,โย Rachel said, an edge to her voice, a warning.
โIโm sorry, Rachel.โย Je๏ฌย blinked at her.ย โBut Iโm going to need that key.โ
Rachel stepped back, Bel with her, foot nudging into the cascade of clothes.
โHow did youย ๏ฌnd us here?โย Bel asked him, stalling for time.
Je๏ฌโs eyes fell on her instead, lines easing, like he thought they were safe there.
โYou and Rachel never came back to dinner, so Sherry stayed behind to clear up and me and Carter followed Yordan back to Grandpaโs house to see where everyone had gone. We saw the mess. Books all over theย ๏ฌoor. We thought someone had broken in. Grandpa was upset, so Yordan went to settle him into bed, and me and Carter started tidying. I saw the note on the co๏ฌee table.ย Help. My name is Rachel Price,โย he recited, a quick look at her.ย โIt mentioned the red truck here. So I drove right over. Left Carter to clear up the mess. What the fuck is going on?โ
Bel shu๏ฌed back, a lump beneath her heel. She lifted her shoe. Aย ๏ฌash of color against the blacks and grays Rachel had worn during her imprisonment here. Pink. A tiny pink sock, frilly at the edge. The other sock, her other sock. The one in her momโs nightstand, and the one here, a complete pair. Rachel must have had both when Grandpa grabbed her, managed to take one with her when he let her go. Bel picked it up, just as soft, just as small. How was it possible she was ever this small?
โWhat did the rest of the note say?โย Rachel stared Je๏ฌย down.ย โWhat did it say, Je๏ฌ?ย Help. My name is Rachel Priceโฆโ
Je๏ฌย coughed into hisย ๏ฌst.
โSay it,โย Rachel said, voice gentle, eyes anything but.ย โI am being kept byโฆโ
โโฆby Patrick Price,โย Je๏ฌย said shakily, losing his way, feet dragging to a stop.ย โIn a red truck on Price logging yard.โ
Rachel smiled. It twisted at the edges, turned cruel.ย โBut you already knew that, didnโt you?โ
The color drained from Je๏ฌโs face, lip tucked behind his teeth.ย โWhat?โย Bel looked up.
Je๏ฌย shook his head.ย โNo, I didnโt. I donโtโโ
โBut you do, donโt you? Youย know.โย Rachel pushed back, taking a step toward him now.ย โIโve seen the way you look at us. You know. Does Sherry know too? How long have you known, Je๏ฌ? From the very start? How could you do that to me?โ
โNo!โย Je๏ฌย waved his hands, voice tight and jittery.ย โI never knew, I swear to you, Rachel. It was only when you came back, only when I saw the similarities.โ
โBut you said nothing,โย Rachel growled.
โWhat are you talking about?โย Bel asked them both.ย โIt doesnโt matter!โย Charlie shouted.ย โJe๏ฌ, the key!โ
โIโm not giving you this key, Je๏ฌ.โย Rachelโs voice was dark and deep, chin sharpened to a point.ย โYouโve taken enough from me.โ
โPlease,โย Je๏ฌย begged her, blinking away tears.ย โYou owe me. You know you do.โ
โWhat are you going to do?โย Je๏ฌย asked, the tears winning, breaking down his face.ย โPlease donโt take her away from us.โ
โYou took her away from me,โย Rachel cried.
โWho are you talking about?โย Belโs eyes darted between them, her mom and her uncle, dancing around another secret, another land mine. And there was only one name thatย ๏ฌt there, in that space, ready to explode.ย โCarter?โ
Rachel closed her eyes.
Je๏ฌย hid his face in his hands.
Bel looked down at the tiny pink sock, dangling between herย ๏ฌngers. A baby sock. Here. But it didnโt belong to Bel, it never had.
Bel emptied out, an outward breath that didnโt end until it was all gone, a rasp at the back of her throat.
She staggered, hitting the wall of the container, clutching the sock against her empty chest.
Rachel reached for her.ย โBel, Iโm sorry. I wanted to tell herย ๏ฌrst.โ
Bel tried to speak, but she couldnโt speak because she couldnโt breathe, and she couldnโt see for all the smoke.
โWhat are you talking about?โย Charlie barked.ย โJe๏ฌ?โ
Her mom touched her hand and her breath came back, tearing down her throat,ย ๏ฌlling her, a di๏ฌerent shape again. A di๏ฌerent person. A sister.
She cried, shrinking against the wall, looking up at her mom.
โYou were pregnant when you disappeared. You had a baby in here.โย Bel handed her the tiny pink sock.
โCarterโs your baby.โ
Rachel pressed her eyes together, twin tears from each eye, racing down her face.ย โYes,โย she said quietly.
Bel wiped her face on her sleeve.ย โHow?โ
โI was four and a half months pregnant when Pat locked me in here. I hadnโt told anyone. Especially notย him.โย She didnโt need to say Charlieโs name.ย โIt was another reason we had to get away from him, start a new life, before he killed me. I wasnโt showing much, but I started wearing baggy clothes, just in case. Julian even thought I was losing weight.โย She sni๏ฌed.ย โI didnโt want that baby to be born into this family. We had to get to our new home. Our family of three. But then I was in here.โ
She glanced behind her, checking Je๏ฌย hadnโt moved. Hands on his face, stretching his eyes down, showing the red exposed parts of the socket.
โI told your grandpa I was pregnant thatย ๏ฌrst day. Donโt think he believed me. Not until several weeks in, when I started to show. He still wouldnโt let me go. Asked me to write down the supplies Iโd need. Said heโd be here for the birth, that we could do it together. We had everything ready. Diapers. Clothes.โย She stroked her thumb over the little pink sock.ย โHe wasnโt here when I went into labor. I delivered her myself. Thought I was going to die, but there she was, screaming up at me. Perfect. Mine. The only
world she knew was the one inside this container. But she had me and I had her, not alone anymore. We were doing OK. I didnโt let Pat hold her, wouldnโt let him near.โย Her breath shuddered.ย โI only had her for two weeks. Hadnโt even named her yet. Pat came in with some scales, said we needed to weigh her, check she was healthy. I only let him close for one second, and he took her, where I couldnโt reach her.โย She glanced at the chain.ย โI screamed but he wouldnโt give her back, said he couldnโt let his granddaughter grow up in a place like this, it wasnโt fair. That she would go to a good home, sheโd be taken care of, he promised. He took her. Closed the door. And I never saw my baby again.โ
Bel took her momโs hand, hot and sticky, the sock between them.ย โIโm sorry.โ
Help. My name is Rachel Price. We are being kept by Patrick Price in a red truck on Price logging yard.ย Because Rachel wasnโt always alone, for just two weeks, for one message in one book. Her and her baby.
Carter was Rachelโs daughter, but she was someone else too. Not Belโs cousin, but her little sister.ย My baby.ย Bel and Carter, Carter and Bel. And somehow, it was the most shocking thing, thisย ๏ฌnal truth, and also not at all, not even a little bit. Her sister.
โI asked about her every time Pat dropped o๏ฌย food. You too.โย Rachel sni๏ฌed.ย โMy girls. Pat wouldnโt tell me where the baby went. Just that she was with a good family. I assumed he meant sheโd gone into foster care, that sheโd been adopted. Thatโs what I was looking for, when I got out last summer. Spent months trying toย ๏ฌnd records, a baby whoโd been born in New Hampshire on theย ๏ฌrst of July, 2008. I had toย ๏ฌnd my other daughter, before I came home for you. I didnโt even think.โย She glanced at Je๏ฌ, hands only covering his mouth now.ย โAnd then I saw a photo of Carter on Sherryโs Facebook. Dancing, smiling. I knew right away, that she had to be my baby girl. The ages matched, and her faceโฆI checked, I scrolled through Sherryโs albums, to photos of Carter as a baby, just a few weeks old. It was her. My girl. Still wearing the clothes Pat had bought for me. Thatโs when I started planning my reappearance. To come home, for both of you. And what I would do to the Price family, thisย familyย who took everything from me.โ
โI didnโt know,โย Je๏ฌย cried, mouth uncovered now.ย โYou have to believe me, Rachel, we didnโt know she was yours. Dad told me he knew someone who worked at a womenโs shelter, that there was a woman, six months pregnant, who didnโt want the baby, but couldnโt go to an adoption agency because she was undocumented, would get deported. So Dad thought of us. Weโd been trying to have a baby for more than ten years. Dad and his friend thought this would be the best thing for everyone. Dad told us the baby was due in July, that the parents looked enough like us that no one would be able to tell, same skin color, similar hair. Sherry would have to pretend to be pregnant, so nobody would ask questions, as none of this was legal. We were desperate, Rachel. Sherry wanted a baby so much. We said yes. Sherry started wearing maternity clothes, we bought bumps online, changed the size every couple weeks. Dad told us when the baby was born, that it was a girl, that she was healthy. He said the mother needed a couple of weeks with her, for everything to settle, and then sheโd be ours. We laid low, hardly left the house. Charlie was in jail awaiting trial. Bel was living with us, but she was too young to understand. Then Dad brought the baby around, in the middle of the night. And we fell in love instantly. Bel too.โ
Another dark family secret sheโd lived through, that sheโd been too small to hold on to, to remember. A birth that never happened, and a baby that appeared from nowhere.
โWe told everyone sheโd been born July tenth. A home birth, because Sherry didnโt like hospitals, or needles. We registered her, named her, promised to give this baby the best life we could. We were careful. Sherry never let a doctor near her with a needle, no blood tests, nothing that could risk exposing she wasnโt ours. If Iโm honest, I almost started to forget, that Sherry hadnโt given birth to her that night in July. She felt so much like part of the family, looked it too. I thought it was just wishful thinking.โ
He coughed into his hand.
โThen you came back, Rachel. And it was the way you looked at her, the way you were with her. The similarities. Carter looks like a Price, but she also looks like you, not in the obvious ways, but itโs there, in her smile. The way youโre both alwaysย ๏ฌddling, always moving somehow. I just had this
bad feeling, when I saw you two together. I tried telling Sherry. She told me I was being ridiculous, that it wasnโt possible. I think I knew, after that dinner party, for the documentary. I was almost sure.โ
Bel straightened up, her back against the wall of the container, the foam insulation pressing in likeย ๏ฌngers.
โThatโs what you were asking Grandpa that night.โย She narrowed her eyes at her uncle.ย โWhat the microphone caught you saying. You werenโt asking about Rachel. You were asking him about Carter.ย Where was she? Where did theyย ๏ฌnd her?ย Because Grandpa knew where Carter came from, who her mother really was, but he couldnโt remember. He canโt remember any of this. I asked you about that conversation. You lied to my face.โย Her voice found its strength, carrying her forward.
โIโm sorry, Bel. I was protecting my daughter.โ
โExcept sheโs not your daughter! Sheโs your niece too! My sister!โย Charlie shifted, the chain dancing behind him.ย โIs she mine, Rachel?โ โOf course sheโs yours,โย Rachel spat.ย โExcept sheโll never be yours.โ
โIโm sorry, Charlie.โย Je๏ฌย faced his brother.ย โI didnโt know she was your daughter. Dad lied to us, all of us.โ
โDonโt apologize to him!โย Rachel hissed, theย ๏ฌre back in her eyes, now the ghosts were gone.ย โIf you think your dad is a monster, Je๏ฌ, take a good hard look at your brother. All of this is because of him. Pat only kept me in here because Charlie asked him to kill me. Pat convinced himself he was saving me, from him. Charlie wanted me dead, which means Carter would have died too. Thatโs your family, Je๏ฌ.โ
Je๏ฌย did what Rachel said, turned around, took a good hard look at his brother. So did Bel, and Charlie Price was a di๏ฌerent shape now, not the man she ever knew. He was no family of hers. She had a mom, and a sister, and that was all she ever needed.
โPlease,โย Charlie whispered, underlit by theย ๏ฌashlight, upward shadows he cast on himself, silver pooling in his eyes.ย โHelp me, Je๏ฌ.โ
Je๏ฌย coughed into his hand. Turned back. Blinked.ย โI have to let him go, Rachel. Please give me the key.โ
Je๏ฌย had chosen, and heโd chosen wrong.
โUncle Je๏ฌโโย Bel began.
โNo, Je๏ฌ,โย Rachel said darkly, eyes hardening, standing her ground.ย โIโm choosing to believe you. That you didnโt know. That you thought you were giving an unwanted baby a home, that youโre a good person. You donโt always have to listen to him. You can choose.โ
โPlease, help me,โย Charlie choked.
โI have to let him go,โย Je๏ฌย cried, eyesย ๏ฌickering, torn in two.ย โI have to.
Heโs my brother. My family.โย He chose wrong again.ย โNo!โย Bel held out her arm. Je๏ฌย pushed it away.
โNo, Je๏ฌ.โย Rachel backed up until she was against the wall.ย โYou can choose!โ
โPlease give me the key, Rachel.โย He reached out toward her, no chain to keep him back.
โNo,โย she whispered, a shift behind her eyes, but it wasnโt fear. Rachel stepped forward to meet him, elbow to his chest.
Before Je๏ฌย could grab her arm, she pulled it back and swung, launching the key out the doorway, into the dark night.
It disappeared and Bel held her breath. Heard the tiny clink as it landed, somewhere out there, in the metal maze.
โNoooo!โย Charlie howled, kicking out at the boxes of food, theย ๏ฌashlight falling over, a silver streak along theย ๏ฌoor, throwing them all into shadow.ย โYou bitch! Find it, Je๏ฌ. Find it!โ
Je๏ฌย stared out into the night, mouth open and shut, chewing the air.ย โIโll neverย ๏ฌnd it. Itโs pitch-black out there, junk everywhere.โ โJe๏ฌ!โ
โI tried, Charlie,โย he sni๏ฌed.
Silence, just the chorus of their breaths, and a ringing in Belโs ears.ย โForget the key.โย Charlie straightened up, hand on his brotherโs shoulder,
reeling him back in.ย โGoย ๏ฌnd a handsaw. There must be hundreds of saws out there. Find something to get me out of this chain, Je๏ฌ. Now!โ
He shouted that last word, piercing the night, bringing Je๏ฌย back to life.
Rachel too, arms locking at her sides.
Je๏ฌย looked at Charlie, eye to eye, brother to brother. He picked up theย ๏ฌashlight, their faces distorted, eyes glowing white. Je๏ฌย turned, pointed it out the open doorway.
โOK,โย he said, walking through.
Rachel whipped around, found Belโs eyes in the dark. Then she found her hand, held it tight.
โBel, run!โ
