The Place We Were Made by Lauren Jones

Author:Lauren Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lauren Jones

I press send on the message as the door swings open. Bea stares down at me for a second before stepping into the closet and closing the door behind her. We’re plunged into darkness again and I take her arm to guide her down beside me.

“Talk to me,” she says as she reaches over and takes my hand in both of hers.

“Mom is annoying me.”

Bea’s chuckle cuts through the stillness of the room and her thumb traces the silver ring on my middle finger. It matches the one on her index finger. “What’s she doing to annoy you?”

“She’s acting like everything is okay. The same way she did when Alex was struggling in LA.”

Bea drops her head onto my shoulder. “She does that when she’s scared.”

“We’re all scared. A few weeks ago, everything was normal. Now you’re leaving. Eve won’t speak to any of us. Dad is hiding out above a bar, and something is going on with Alex. He was acting weird when we spoke last week.”

She rubs my arm. “I think it’s all bad timing. Everything is happening in quick succession.”

I relax back against the wall. There is so much change happening, and it would be easier if Mom acknowledged it. At least then we could talk about it and maybe both of us would feel better.

“Are you at least having a good time?” I ask.

“Is it too early to be homesick?”

“Yes. You haven’t left yet.”

She sighs. “I’m excited to see London and meet Jamie’s family, but I’m going to miss home so much. Especially you.”

“I’ll miss you too, but I keep reminding myself that it’s only a year. By the time you come back, I’ll have Mom and Eve talking again, and we’ll be renting one of those fancy houses at Sterling Lake for summer vacation.”

I look over at Bea, and from the sliver of light under the door, I can see she’s frowning. “You’re unusually optimistic.”

“Why do people keep saying that?” I ask, my shoulders dropping petulantly.

“Maybe all this bucket list stuff has given you a new perspective. I know I felt empowered after I got my tattoo.”

“I’m still not sure I’m going to do that.”

“It’s on the list.”

“Yeah, but it’ll hurt.”

“Yeah. It will hurt like hell.”

I shrug dismissively. “I don’t even know what to get.”

“Get something that means something to you. I got the stars because I wanted a tattoo to represent us.”

Bea leans back, lifts her arm and unzips the side of her dress. Inked on her ribcage is a small cluster of stars. Four of them, to be exact. Two are delicate, pointed and identical in every way, one is big, bright and dazzling. The fourth is the most intricate: thick outer lines with a lace-like pattern in the center.

“I love your stars,” I say as she zips up her dress.

“And I love having them. It means I get to take my siblings with me everywhere I go. Even when I’m all the way over in London and Alex is God knows where. Or when Eve isn’t speaking to us.

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