Rebel (Renegades 2)

RUBI: Where is Mabel’s house?

WES: Mabel who?

RUBI: Birdie wants to borrow sugar from Mabel. Where does she live?

Rubi slowly, carefully moved the yellow Legos back into the yellow pile, as if Emma were a lion and might pounce on her any second.

WES: Mabel’s been dead for fifteen years.

She read the message twice, her head clearing now that Emma was sobbing quietly, curled into a ball in the kitchen chair. “Oh no. ” She turned and sprinted toward the front door. “Birdie?”

The door was open, cold air sweeping in.

“Fuck. ” She stepped out on the porch, searching the darkness. “Birdie!”

Nothing. No voices, no footsteps, not even a rustle of leaves.

“She wanders. ”

Wes’s words cut through Rubi, a knife of terror. “Birdie!” She ran down the steps, scouring the darkness, but saw nothing but those damned trees. “Shit. ”

Now what?

“Rubi?” Abby called from the porch.

/> “Stay inside, Abby. Birdie went for a walk, and I need to find her. Can you go inside for me and close the front door?”

“I…don’t like being alone. ”

Oh. My. God. How the hell had she gotten into this?

Rubi started back up the steps and guided her inside. “You’re not alone, honey. Emma’s here, and you’ve got to watch Dora find the chocolate bush. ”

“Tree. ” Abby climbed onto the sofa and curled into the corner. “Chocolate tree. ”

“Right. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just taking a walk around the house, and I’ll come right back in. ”

Abby laughed at something the monkey did—Rubi never wanted to hear the name Swiper ever again…like ever—and was instantly reabsorbed into the cartoon. Rubi took one more look at poor little Emma, wishing she had the first idea of how to soothe the girl.

“Emma?” She crouched in front of her. “Can you help me find a flashlight?”

She lifted her head, pushed off the stool, and walked to a cabinet beneath the sink and pulled out a Maglite.

Rubi took it with a smile. “Wow. You are the smartest little girl I’ve ever met. ”

Emma sniffled, still not meeting her eyes when she said, “I like flashlights. ”

“Have you ever played shadow games with flashlights?”

Her pretty blue eyes flicked to Rubi’s for a split second, then darted toward the floor again. “No. ”

“It’s almost bedtime. After I find Birdie…”—please God let me find Birdie—“I’ll teach you how before you go to sleep. They’re really fun. ”

“Okay. ” She turned and climbed back into her chair. With her chin propped in her hand, she stared at her color-coded piles of blocks.

Rubi’s phone buzzed again as she quietly shut the front door behind her and flipped on the flashlight.

WES: Is everything okay?