Dissipate: Book Two

Chapter 14

Sabrina McLain:

After rummaging around

Dad's old tool shed

for about five minutes,

I finally found a

hammer and a screwdriver.

Racing back into the house

and taking the stairs

two at a time,

I reached the bathroom door,

panting.

I hope it wasn't too late.

I quickly got to work.

I took the back of the hammer

and used it to

pry up the hinges

off of the door.

Screeching like a banshee,

they popped off.

One of them grazed my cheek

and a bloody slice

opened up

right under my eyeball.

I took the screwdriver

and unscrewed the doorknob

from the door.

Grabbing it, I lifted the door

out of the doorway

and dropped it

onto the floor behind me,

not caring

whether it broke

anything

or

not.

I was pretty sure

that Mom wouldn't care

if a piece of her floor was

ruined

if I saved Baylee's life.

I charged into the bathroom

and immediately saw her.

She was lying in the bathtub,

face down,

in a few inches of

bloody water.

A long, jagged

cut

rang the length of her right arm,

from her pinky

to her armpit.

It leaked blood into the water,

making red blossoms

that undulated like

red jellyfish

around her pale, pale body.

Her dark brown hair

was fanned out

across her thin shoulders

and she wore

her favorite pair

of white jeans

and a purple shirt.

She loved purple.

"Baylee! B-B-Baylee?" I asked,

my voice sounding

far-away

and alone

in this room.

And Jennah,

if you are reading this,

Jennah, if you are an angel,

then you know

how scared I was.

Because Baylee and Mom

are the only family I have left.

And if Baylee was dead,

then I'm not sure

I could deal with

three angels

up there

as family.

You and Dad is bad enough.

And I know

that people say

that angels are in a better place.

But life is pretty nice

down here

and I'd rather keep my

little sister

here with me.

Because

you and Dad

were too young to die.

And if a fifteen-year-old

and a thirty-nine-year-old

are too young to die,

then a eleven-and-three-quarters

year-old

is too young to die.

And Jennah,

if you could,

can you ask God,

if he's not too busy,

to please have Baylee

be alive.

Because no one ever

taught me what to do

if I find a corpse

in my bathtub.

Yes, Yes, Yes, it's another cliff-hanger. And I know you guys are probably contemplating strangulating me, but I promise, the next chapter will reveal whether or not Baylee is dead. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I think it's better this way. -S