The Follower Kate Doughty (general ebook reader .txt) 📖

now, and that Cecily’s opinion doesn’t matter because she’s such a mess?

But when she continues speaking, what Amber has to say is even worse than what Cecily had imagined.

“Were you awake last night?” Amber asks, her voice flat as if she’s trying hard to keep the emotion out of it.

Cecily freezes, unable to answer.

“Why didn’t you call me? Or come and get me?” Amber presses.

Cecily hesitates. Her mind flashes back to the makeup remover, all those weeks ago. To the feeling of her skin melting, the smell of her own burning flesh . . .

She doesn’t realize how hard she’s trembling until she tries to open the gloss, until she’s dropping the wand and hyperventilating. Amber jumps to her feet and calls for Rudy.

The next thing Cecily knows, her sister’s worried face is inches from hers, and Rudy is right beside her.

“It’s okay, just breathe,” Amber says, and Cecily forces herself to take deep, calm breaths. She wonders now, like she’d wondered last night, how long she had frozen up. “The police are on it, remember?”

“And so are we,” Rudy adds as he appears in the doorway. He’s got his phone in his hands and is typing as he speaks. “We’re going to figure it out.”

Cecily feels Amber’s hand on her shoulder and turns to find her sister holding out a cup of water. She takes it gratefully. When she looks back at her sister, Amber’s face is flushed.

Cecily tries to speak. “I’m sorry, I—”

“No, no,” Amber cuts her off. “Of course you had a stronger reaction, after everything that happened . . . Cecily, I’m sorry. I really am. That wasn’t fair.”

Cecily shakes her head. “I wish I’d done something, it’s just—I was just so scared, I—”

“So was I,” admits Rudy. “I don’t think I would have gotten out of bed if Mom and Dad and Amber hadn’t been awake first. I was terrified.”

Cecily swallows. “It’s okay—I’m okay. I am,” she says, trying to speak it into existence. She gives her siblings a shaky smile. “Thank you.”

When she looks back at Amber, she’s surprised to see that Amber is almost crying herself. She watches her sister swipe at her eyes. “Sympathy crier,” Amber says, sheepish. “No, no, that’s not true. It’s just—I’ll miss you down there, Cece.”

Cecily envelops Amber in a tight hug. “I know you want to figure things out, but I just want to get out of this house as soon as possible. Good luck today—come visit upstairs whenever you want some air. And keep me updated.” She feels Amber nod before she pulls back, then gives her sister and brother the best smile she can muster. “You’ll be amazing. I know you will.”

Cecily takes a teaser photo for the account: Amber and Rudy in the bathroom mirror, all dressed up. They look great. As she stands behind the camera, Cecily can’t help but think of how the roles have reversed. But she can’t be mad. All she can do is hope that they’ll be okay.

She posts the photo before Amber can edit it into oblivion. We’ll miss Cecily at the open house, but we’re so excited to welcome everyone to Tremont Street!

But the comments coming in beneath the post aren’t the shouts of support that she’d hoped for.

Looking awfully happy for kids with a half-blind sister.

Where’s Cecily?

Fake fake fake

And, all too quickly, there is one from the follower:

I hope you all enjoy what I’ve done with the place.

And another:

Ask the Coles to show you what those hardwood floors really look like.

CHAPTER 23

Amber

Amber deletes the comment instantly, but not before several hundred followers see it, screencap it, and scatter it over the internet. At that point, there isn’t anything that the Coles can do. Despite Mrs. Cole’s initial hesitations, she agrees to call the police, who dispatch officers for the open house. But even the presence of Officer Perry and two of her colleagues doesn’t make Amber feel any better, or any safer. She watches Perry walk around the kitchen, examining the new flooring, appliances, and baseboards with the meticulous precision that Amber supposes comes with being an investigative police officer. But still, she thinks bitterly, is small-town officer Perry really capable of taking down the person who attacked her sister with acid? What if something happens? What if they get attacked again? The vandal had been walking around their house at night—how can she possibly feel safe after that? As much as Rudy wants to solve the mystery, Amber is beginning to think that maybe Cecily is right. Maybe the best thing to do is to sell this house and leave as soon as possible.

But the key to that is, of course, selling the house.

As she gets ready, she can hear her mother laughing. She’d been practicing it all morning, laughing and laughing and laughing into the mirror, searching for the perfect tone and timbre. She’d found it.

So Amber forces a smile on her face and shimmies into the dress she’s going to wear for the open house. It’s tight and red. She chose it because it usually makes her feel fearless—and it breaks the plus-size fashion “rule” of no bodycon dresses—but all she feels now is fragile. She tries not to think about how an identical one is currently hanging in Cecily’s closet. She tries to summon some of her sister’s old confidence as she emerges from her room.

When Amber steps into the hallway, Cecily’s door is already closed and locked from the inside. Rudy steps out of his room wearing a red bow tie to match her dress. He gives Amber a tight smile. The fact that they are dressed like this only makes Cecily’s absence more apparent.

Amber remembers the last time she was “matchy-matchy” with Cecily: at their parents’ anniversary party. It feels like a lifetime ago.

Downstairs, they hear the door open and the first of their mom’s gales of fake laughter, practiced to perfection.

Footsteps patter into the