The Deepest Roots by Miranda Asebedo

Author:Miranda Asebedo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

Twelve

WHEN I GET HOME, I take a shower, as if I could wash off Garrett’s gaze. I put on my old sweats and a T-shirt and crawl into bed. Not even Steven’s cold nose on my cheek can make me feel better when he settles in beside me instead of hanging out with Mom. Dogs know when you need them.

I did the right thing trading the Mach for rent. Okay, maybe not the right thing, but the only thing.

I’d kept my deal with the Truett sisters when I found the Mach and restored it using only my talent as a Fixer. It had taken almost six months to finish. I Fixed the car in their barn, and they taught me everything they knew about being a mechanic, which turned out to be a lot. The tall Truett sister, Abigail, had run the farm, a Strong Back who could toss a square bale of hay on the bed of their Apache pickup as if it were a toy. The shorter Truett sister, Bernadette, was a Reader, which explained how she’d easily identified me as a Fixer. She’d helped their mom with the farm machinery back in the day, and even though she wasn’t really a Fixer, she had a knack for turning the complex gears and pulleys of any machine into simple parts that were easy to understand.

Sometimes I still drive by their farm just to remember how I’d felt when I was there. Like the world was full of possibilities, if only I tried hard enough. And it didn’t matter if I was one of those strange Cottonwood Hollow girls, or if Mom was in the process of creating another ex-boyfriend, or if we lived in a trailer that had seen better days.

All that mattered was that I could Fix that car.

And now that car is gone.

My eyes feel suspiciously hot and wet, and I finally do what I’ve wanted to do since I sold the car. I cry, my face pressed against Steven’s fur, until we both fall asleep.

Someone taps on my bedroom window. Steven gives a low growl, punctuated by a soft “woof.” I sit up, wiping at my face in case there’s any evidence of my earlier weakness. I yank the mini blinds away from the window. It’s Lux and Mercy.

Lux motions for me to come outside.

I look at the clock. It’s almost midnight. What the hell are Lux and Mercy doing here at this time of night? My heart pounds. What if something’s wrong? I hurry through the dark trailer, Steven trotting behind me. His nails click on the linoleum when we get to the kitchen. By the front door, I stop and slide on Lux’s borrowed shoes.

“Stay, Steven,” I tell him.

Steven whines, but for once does what he’s told.

“What are you doing here?” I ask Lux and Mercy.

“I found something,” Mercy says. They’re both dressed in regular clothes, and I’m still wearing an old T-shirt and the sweats I sleep in. “So I texted Lux, but your phone’s not working yet, so .

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