Sanctity by S. M. Bowles Read Free Book Online Page A

me back into bed and pulled the covers up to my
chin. 
    “Oh, Michael, I had the best time! 
Thank you so much for coming to see me again.”
    He kissed me on the top of my head and spun
to leave. 
    “Wait,” I called to him, “when will you be
back?”
    “Soon, Elayna, I will come see you again as
soon as I can.”
    “I’ll miss you,” I hurriedly blurted
out.
    He stopped midstride as though frozen in
thought.  “Here,” he said with a touch of pity.  He came
back and put his hands one on each side of my face and poured his
gaze into mine.  I felt an odd fuzziness creeping over my mind
and wished over and over again that he would stop but I was unable
to break free from whatever it was that he was doing to me.  I
saw the images from that night as though they were being rewound
and painted over; covered up so that I wouldn’t be able to remember
them.
    I reached for his hands to pull them away,
“Please,” I whispered.
    He shook his head, “It’s better this way but
I promise the next time I come back they will be there for you,
just not until then.  I’m so sorry,” he said.

Chapter 5
     
    We began getting snow off and on that year
around Thanksgiving and there was plenty to make it worthwhile to
play outside after school.  I had a friend named Erica who
lived in the building next door.  My mother picked me up after
school one day.  We had had a recent storm and as I got into
the car I asked her if we could try and play with Erica when we got
home. 
    “I don’t have much to do, so I guess that
would be alright.”
    When we pulled into the parking area I saw
Erica exiting her building and waved to her as we drove by. 
She waved back and ran the length of the sidewalk to where we
parked.  Before I could unbuckle and get my door opened she
was beside my window anxious to see if I could join her in the
snow.  My mom got out of the driver’s seat and said a quick
“Hello,” to Erica before opening my door.  I made a hasty
escape from the backseat and told Erica that I just needed to get
changed and I would be right out.
    I motioned my mom to hurry as she gathered a
couple of grocery bags from the trunk of the car.  After she
let us in I quickly changed from my school clothes into play
clothes.  I wriggled into my snow pants and found my hat and
gloves.  My boots were on a mat by the door and I began the
struggle to get them on.  As my mom finished putting the
groceries away she glanced over and saw that my efforts were not
being rewarded.  She came and helped me, twisting first one
foot into a boot and then the other.
    Once I was all bundled up I asked if I could
head down.  “Sure, sweetie, I’ll be right out,” my mom opened
the door for me and I scrambled down the hall and down the stairs
rather than waiting for the elevator. 
    Erica was standing idly by the front door
waiting for me, “Do you want to go sledding?” she asked as
soon as I got outside. 
    “Sure but I have to wait for my mom, she
said she would be right out.”
    While we waited for her we gathered up some
of the fresh snow.  We tried building a snowman but it was not
sticky enough and we ended up with little more than a snow
mound.  We found some twigs for arms and scavenged the banks
that the plows had piled up looking for something to use for eyes,
a nose and a mouth.  As we placed our pebbles my mom joined
us. 
    “Not very good snow, huh?” she asked.
    “No but can we try sledding?”
    “Sure, if it’s OK with Erica’s mom. 
Would you mind running in and letting her know where we’ll
be?  I don’t want her to worry when she can’t see you
here.”
    Erica and I went together and hurried back
as soon as our permission to go sledding had been granted.  My
mom was waiting at the corner; she had my sled anticipating that
Erica’s mom would be fine with the proposed activity.
    “C’mon, let’s go,” I grabbed my sled and
egged Erica on into a run for the hill. 
    There was not enough room for