Free Gone (Gone #1) by Stacy Claflin Page A

with her fingers, finding it to be fine. She would have to climb in and let her exhausted body adapt to the temperature.
    Once she acclimated to the water, she scrubbed herself clean. She didn't want to waste any time. Chester was sure to become angry if she took her time.
    When she put on the clean clothes, she found them to be exactly her size. He had really done his homework, finding someone who even wore the same size as Heather. If Macy hadn't lost all that weight, she'd be too big to replace Heather. Then she might not even be in this mess. In a way, this mess was the fault of those jerks at school.
    Macy shook her head. It didn't matter now. For now, she needed to eat and then explore the house to see if there was a way out.
    Once dressed, she dug through the drawers to find a brush. All she could find was a comb, and it didn't want to go through her hair. But after everything else she had been through, that was a minor inconvenience.
    Looking in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. Her skin looked horrible, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Her stomach rumbled as she combed her hair into place as best as she could.
    She rummaged through the drawers for makeup, but found none. Seriously? Nothing? Macy sighed. It probably didn't matter. Who was she trying to impress?
    Macy hung the towel on a hook and took a deep breath. Now was the moment of truth. She was going to have to walk into the kitchen and face her abductor. Hopefully he would feed her without making her jump through any more hoops. Her stomach growled again. She could smell the cooking food, and it made her mouth water.
    Turning the doorknob, she took another deep breath as she prepared herself for what would come. As she walked down the hall, she could hear a TV. It sounded like the evening news. They were talking about politics. Boring.
    When she entered the kitchen, she saw two places set at the table. Her fake dad had his back to her, cooking something over the stove. She stood still, not wanting to alert him to her presence. She looked around the room, hoping to find a way of escape. Not that she expected to get away just yet—all she wanted was to eat, anyway. She would attempt to get away later, perhaps while he slept.
    Finally, unable to take the smell of the food, she cleared her throat. He turned around. "Oh, good. You're all cleaned up. You must be starving. Sit down and eat. Tomorrow's a big day."
    Macy raised an eyebrow. What did that mean? She didn't intend to stick around and find out. She would go along with him for the time being, but at night she could find a way to escape. Then she would never have to know what else was up his sleeve.
    He laughed. "Don't seem so surprised, Heather. We need to get you ready to see your grandparents again. Sit and eat. I know you're hungry." He turned back to the stove.
    She stared at the food on the table, the smells tempting her. Finally she walked to the table. As she pulled the chair out, her mouth watered enough that she had to swallow it to keep it from escaping.
    Sitting, she stared at the pasta, the fruit salad, and the cornbread. She was so hungry that she wasn't even going to question what was in it. She'd already broken her vegan diet, who cared if the bread had milk or butter in it?
    Piling the food on her plate, her hands shook from hunger. She stared at the full plate for a moment before picking up the fork.
    Then she dug in, barely stopping to breathe as she emptied the plate. When she was done, she was surprised to see him sitting at the table, also eating.
    He smiled at her. "So good to see you eating again, Heather. Have some more. I made it for you."
    She held her face still. Would she get used to being called Heather? Now that she finally had some food, she wasn't going to complain.
    "Tomorrow's a big day since you haven't seen your grandparents in so long. It's getting dark, so we'll get ready for bed soon."
    Macy's heart skipped a beat. What did he mean by getting ready for