He lowered his eyebrows. “Let you go? Brooklyn, I’m protecting you.”
“By keeping me locked up?”
“You’re not locked up. You’re in a hospital recovering from surgery.”
The door’s locked, you psychopath.I’d checked countless times. “So you stole my kidney, told everyone I know and love that I’m dead, and now you expect me to just roll over and be your prisoner?”
He sighed. “Of course not. And just for the record, I love you. I love you so much that I moved mountains to keep you safe. Andas for the kidney stealing thing, would you please stop saying that out loud? That sounds terrible.”
“Itisterrible.”
“No, it’s an excellent lesson, don’t you think? Always read the fine print. Speaking of lessons, I’ve hired a great tutor for you once you resume your school year. It’s virtual of course. We can’t let anyone else see you.”
It wasn’t an excellent lesson at all. What he’d done had to be illegal. I was a minor. I couldn’t sign my kidney away even if I wanted to. And why was he changing the subject? “I’m not doing virtual learning. I’m going back to Empire High.”
“No. You’re not. You’re not stepping foot back in New York City until I tell you it’s safe.”
“That’s not fair…”
“Not fair? Life isn’t fair, Brooklyn. If life was fair I’d still be with your mother. We would have raised you together. We would have had everything.”
I swallowed hard. He didn’t need to tell me life wasn’t fair. But we had a really different picture of what our lives would be like if life was fair. Because I wasn’t picturing him in mine at all. I was picturing my mom still alive and just the two of us back in Delaware. Happy and carefree and whole.
“You have to let me go. Please, Dad. I can’t stay here. I can’t.”
He shook his head. “It’s too late.”
“No it’s not. Just undo whatever you did. Say it was a prank or something. And we can all laugh about it in a few years.”
“You don’t know Isabella like I do. You need to stay dead, or you’ll actually be dead. Do you understand me? I’m protecting you. I’m doing the best job I can under impossible circumstances. So you will stay here for as long as I say you’ll stay here. And you’ll have no contact with the outside world, other than with me. Do I make myself clear?”
I could feel the tears spilling down my cheeks. My father was usually kind to me when he wasn’t snatching organs. But I’d seen him mad like this before. Like the anger was oozing out of him. He was probably seconds away from breaking his cane in half.
I’d lost this argument. Because I was too scared of him to continue it. But it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. I wasn’t staying here. I’d figure a way to get out. And I’d run to Matt. I’d tell him I was sorry. I’d apologize to Kennedy too. I’d apologize to everyone.
Because I didn’t want to be dead. I didn’t want to be forgotten. I didn’t want to start over again. My dad couldn’t erase my existence as easily as he wanted. Because the dead had to agree to stay dead. And I didn’t agree to any of it.
Runaway - Chapter 10
Saturday
I didn’t say a word as Miller let himself in that night. I’d had hours to think about what my dad had told me. Hours to try and think of a way out of this mess. But it was a little hard to think of a way out when it felt like my brain had stopped working. Maybe the nurse was right. Maybe I was slowly killing myself by not eating.
“Are you awake?” Miller asked.
I didn’t turn to him. “I’m dead. How can I be awake?”
He laughed and the bed dipped as he sat down next to me. “So your dad told you everything?”
“He said my funeral was well attended. Apparently I should be happy about that.” I turned to face Miller, but I couldn’t see him in the dark. “Can you turn the light on?”
He didn’t respond.
“Miller, please let me see your face.”
“You wouldn’t recognize me even if the lights were on.”
I swallowed hard. “Why did my dad do this to you?”
