Page 124 of Our Daughter's Bones

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Sixty-Nine

October 12

Dear diary

I am nervous. I don’t know what will happen. I just hope I fix everything. We are all responsible for our own lives, right?

When Mackenzie opened her eyes, she saw a dazzling white light. She blinked profusely until the light dwindled into an orb that floated away from her. Gray-stoned walls rose around her. They erupted through the earth, shaking the ground. They climbed higher and stopped around the orb.

She was in the bottom of a well.

She looked down. Her chest was flat. Her body was small. She was young. A child.

She trailed her hands over the concrete slabs. The rocks were moist even though the well was dry. Moss cushioned her seat. Vines snaked through the cracks in the rocks. The only sounds that echoed were her harsh breathing and water dripping.

A movement caught her eye. Black liquid flowed out from one of the cracks. It branched off and spread around the wall.

Ink.

More ink spilled out of the cracks, splitting and merging, painting a canvas on the walls surrounding her. It swirled and spun into meaningless shapes and indecipherable words.

Until one word popped up.

Monster.

Then another.

Erica.

Soon the ink spelled out random words and phrases from Abby’s journal in her handwriting. The words and sentences scribbled all the way to the top of the well, where her eyes could not reach.

Shining too bright.

I can help.

Quinn.

Listen to me.

Game.

Dreams.

The words were splattered everywhere—incoherent and grimy.

“I like this.” Her father’s voice came from her side. He sat next to her, wearing his flowery shirt and beige pants. He looked at the words on the wall, mesmerized.

“What about it?”

“How this is our place, Micky. No one disturbs us here. It’s just us. Your mind and mine.”

“It’s onlymine.” She looked away.

“I’m a part of you.”

“You never were. Never will be.”

“I like her.”

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