Chapter 10

I should've known that Heidi and Tanya would figure out I was talking about Edward. I've mentioned once or twice that I'm close to my next-door neighbor, and it's not like I have a lot of other friends. So, after the girls heard my story, they put in an anonymous call to CPS. They didn't tell me about it until I asked because they were afraid I'd be mad.

They were right.

I was really mad.

But after two days of not talking to them, I let it go. They were just trying to do the right thing. They only kept it quiet to help me out with Edward, so I could say I honestly didn't know anything about the call.

I've learned more about CPS, though. Heidi invited Tanya and me to her house—the first time I'd ever gone to someone else's place—and we used her computer to research the agency and their procedures. What we found out was good and bad, depending on how you look at it. According to some forum posts and blogs, CPS doesn't like to take kids out of their homes or away from their parents. Even if that does happen, it probably won't be permanent. Sounds like most agencies are overworked and under-funded, so the situation has to really serious and obvious for CPS to do anything major.

Personally, I think Edward and Mary Alice's situation is that serious, but I don't know how obvious it would be to a CPS worker who doesn't have the right to go in a house or talk to anyone without a court order. Somehow, I can't see Edward's parents letting them get a look at their family life without one. To make matters worse, I learned that parents can refuse medical treatment for their kids based on religious reasons unless there's worry of death or permanent harm. I don't know if Mary Alice's issues are bad enough for that, but how can anyone know if she's never checked out by a doctor?

It's looking like the only thing that came out of calling CPS was trouble for the family. I don't know how Edward's dad reacted to it all, but I'm positive Edward didn't escape without some sort of punishment.

It's been three weeks now that I haven't seen him…or any of the Masens, for that matter. The curtains are closed, the house is dark, and the car isn't in the driveway—even after working hours. Every day that the weather's nice, I go outside after school and look for any sign of them. When school lets out for the summer, I watch from the porch every free moment I have between chores and babysitting. My day isn't as busy now that Mama's between boyfriends. She just broke up with Greg again for like the fourth time. I'm glad about that because he was getting way too handsy.

I put Greg's creepiness out of my mind and go back to my usual worried thoughts of Edward as I sit on the porch and stare out at the street. The sun gets lower in the sky, but I barely pay attention to my surroundings. I don't look at kids playing in the yard across from mine, or the birds searching the grass for bugs, or all the cars that drive past. But when one slows down in front of my house, I blink my eyes and focus on it.

It's old and black.

It's very familiar.

It's theirs.

If I wasn't so surprised to finally see the family of four, I probably would've jumped up and run to the car out of relief. That, of course, would have been Not Good, so I'm glad that I end up just sitting on the stoop with my mouth hanging open.

Mr. Masen is driving, and his wife is sitting in the passenger seat. Edward is in the back behind his dad, and he's staring at me as they go by.

No, he's glaring at me.

He's never given me such a hateful look. It cuts me up inside. I feel like I'm exploding in pain and withering away at the same time. I want to gasp at the hurt, but I'm still frozen in place.

I watch as the family files out of the car after parking in their driveway. Edward's dad marches straight into the house like he's trying to invade a country or something. Esme gathers up Mary Alice from her car seat and carries her to the front door. The two-year-old points to all the things she passes and blurts out their names in her enthusiastic little soprano. I'm beyond relieved that she seems to be the same happy kid she was the last time I saw her.

Edward goes to the trunk when he gets out of the car. His shoulders are slumped, and he keeps his eyes on the ground, even as he drags two big suitcases behind him. I'm dying to hug him but can't even take a chance saying hello from across our yards. After that angry glare he shot at me, I doubt he wants to talk, anyway.

He closes the door when he gets inside the house, and as soon as my brain comes back online, I rush to my bedroom to start writing another note. It doesn't say anything much different than the other four I've pushed through the hole over the past few weeks, but it's the closest I can come to actually having a conversation with him.

And once again, even though he's back home now, all I can do is wait.

With Edward, sometimes it seems like that's all I ever do—wait for something to happen so I can react to it.

The next two weeks are the longest I've ever had. I think I check behind the bush at least fifty times, but there's never anything for me. My messages to Edward are still lying on the ground in a pile on his side of the fence. I don't know which is worse: not hearing from him because he's gone or knowing that he's home but is ignoring me on purpose.

Eventually, I start to wonder if that's his way of saying he doesn't want to be friends anymore. Did he end eight years of friendship because of something I didn't even do? I know I shouldn't have run my mouth about his situation to anyone else, but it's not like I was the one who made the call.

If I wasn't sure Edward would get in trouble for it, I'd go to his house and refuse to leave until he explained what was going on. I'd make him listen to my side of the story, and then I'd beg for forgiveness. But I've caused enough mess already. Maybe I'm getting what I deserve; maybe losing Edward is my punishment for betraying him.

I think about all these things as I sit on the front porch and stare out at the world around me. It's become my new favorite way to spend time. I get caught up watching people going about their lives around me. It's like I'm a viewer on the set of a familiar reality show. I follow the story, but I don't interact with the people in the show. And they, of course, don't realize I'm there at all. Heck, even my own mama walks by me without saying a word unless it's to ask about dinner.

That's why I'm surprised when a man stops in front of me early one afternoon.

"Hello, Miss," he says politely. "Is your mom or dad home?"

"Why do you wanna know?" I ask in a cautious tone. In his jeans and golf shirt, he looks more like a salesman than a person on some sort of official business, but I know better than to give away info like that.

The man smiles and holds out a business card stapled to a flyer. "I'm with CBW Landscaping. We've been contracted by the city to plant street trees in the grass easement between the sidewalk and the street." He nods to the paper in my hand. "That lists the day we'll be by your house, and we ask that the work area is cleared of any parked cars or other obstructions."

I give him a little nod just to show I heard. We haven't had a car since Mama's was repo'd a few years back.

"Alright, Miss. If you could make sure your parents get that, I'd really appreciate it. If there are any questions or concerns, our contact information is on the card. Feel free to—"

He stops talking at the sound of a nearby door being thrown open and smacking against something. We both turn our heads toward the noise, and what I see makes me cold with fear.

Edward steps out onto his front porch. He looks straight at me with a panicked look on his face.

His hands and the white tee shirt he's wearing are stained with dark red.

Blood red.

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