Free Scar by Kelly Favor Page B

feelings that rose up at the unexpected display of emotion.
    “I love you Mom,” she told her. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
    “We can’t lose you, Caelyn. Please don’t ever put us through that again.”
    Her father hugged her as well, and his cheek was rough and his whiskers scratched her face like she remembered. He smelled of aftershave and his eyes were red-rimmed. “We were sure that he’d kidnapped you and done something terrible with you,” her dad said.
    “Who?” Caelyn pulled away from his grip. “Elijah?”
    “He was escaped from prison,” her mother said. “Of course we thought anything was possible, and you never contacted us to tell us differently.”
    “Elijah didn’t kidnap me,” Caelyn told them. “And you heard how he saved that family from the house fire, right?”
    Her parents agreed that they’d heard the story, but weren’t sure they believed it.
    “It’s on video,” Caelyn told them. “Elijah saved those people.”
    Deena was rolling her eyes. “I guess when he’s not busy stealing cars and dealing drugs, he saves people from burning buildings.”
    “Deena, so help me God, you better shut your mouth,” Caelyn told her. “Why did you guys even bring her? You know how we feel about each other.”
    “You are also still family. You’re sisters and that counts for a lot in my book,” her father replied.
    Caelyn shrugged and then silence descended on them, as nobody seemed to know quite what to say next.
    “How about we grab some breakfast on the way home?” her mother asked, breaking the silence. She was obviously trying hard to sound chipper. “Does that sound good, honey?”
    Suddenly, it dawned on Caelyn that her mother meant to take her home right there and then. “Mom, I can’t leave yet.”
    Her mother’s expression darkened. “You cannot and will not stay here with that boy. It’s over, Caelyn. You’re lucky the police haven’t arrested you for the things you did.”
    “I know. But I can’t leave him.”
    Her father folded his arms and his cheeks grew red. “How much more do you intend to put us through? Do you know that your mother’s developed an ulcer? Do you know that I’ve hardly slept a wink in three nights? All we do is worry about you, Caelyn.”
    Caelyn’s mouth went dry and her throat tightened as she looked at her family. Their faces were all drawn and tight. She realized that she was causing her parents a great deal of pain and distress, even if they hadn’t always handled things the right way.
    Maybe it really was time to stop putting them through hell.
    But then she thought about the fact that Elijah would probably be going to jail for a very long time, and this would be her last chance to spend time with him. How could she just leave and go home now?
    She bit her thumbnail and thought for a long time. “Can I just have a few hours?” she asked them. “Just let me have one last visit.”
    Her parents exchanged uncertain glances.
    Deena snorted. “Don’t let her play you,” she said. “One last visit will turn into another night and then another visit. She can’t stay away from him. Maybe he brainwashed her or something.”
    “Deena, I’m serious. Shut your mouth. Or I’ll…” Caelyn caught herself before she said anything more.
    Deena’s lips tightened as she realized that Caelyn had been close to revealing her secret. “Whatever,” Deena said, flipping her hair dramatically. “I’ll sit in the waiting room for a few hours. What do I care? I’ve got homework I can do.”
    “I’ll bet,” Caelyn said, smirking.
    Deena flashed the middle finger at Caelyn and flounced away.
    “Excuse me, young lady,” her father yelled after Deena. “That is unacceptable behavior.
    You have no idea , Caelyn thought, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

    ***

    They finally let Caelyn into Elijah’s room again.
    This time, a different police officer was in the room with him—a young guy with a goatee and sideburns. When she came in,