This Changes Everything by Denise Grover Swank Read Free Book Online

in frustration.
    “Not yet,” the
light said, his voice becoming gentle again.
    The nice voice
had turned mean, but he’d done it to save her, right? Didn’t that make him
good? “What are you?” Ellie whispered between hiccuped breaths.
    “Not what, but who .
And you will find out soon enough.”
    Ellie looked out
the door, expecting the man to come back and kill her, but all she saw was the
shadow close to the floor. It jerked, then stopped moving. She screamed, releasing
a fresh round of sobs.
    “ Ellie ? ”
her mother’s soft cry came from the hall. “Ellie, are you okay? Momma’s here.”
    “ Momma ! ”
Ellie screamed until she was hoarse, fighting against the force still holding
her in place. “ Momma ! ” she wailed, becoming light-headed from her hysteria.
    “Ellie.” Her
mother’s voice was faint.
    The light bounced
in front of Ellie for several seconds before fading until it was barely
visible, then moving to the side.
    Ellie burst from
the closet, pushing off the floor with the fingertips of one hand while she
clutched Bunny with the other. Blinded by her tears, she tripped on her
nightgown and fell to her knees in the puddle of blood in front of her closet,
releasing another high-pitched scream.
    “Ellie!” her
mother’s faint voice called, terrified.
    “Momma!” Ellie
called out, finally getting to her feet and running out the door. But she
stopped in the doorway at the sight of her mother.
    Momma lay on her side,
her body sideways across the floor. The front of her shirt was soaked in blood.
“ Mommaaaaa ! ”
The word gushed out in a wail of grief and fright as she took in the large puddle
of blood covering the floor.
    Her mother’s head
shifted to the side and she rolled on her back as her eyes found her
daughter’s. “Ellie, call 911.”
    Ellie froze in
panic, unable to move or even breathe.
    “Ellie, it’s
okay.” Her mother used her soft voice, the one that made Ellie believe
everything would be all right. Her eyes sank closed and she released a gurgled
breath before opening her eyes with a sad smile. “Come here and sit with me.”
Her hand lifted off the floor and her fingers curled inward.
    Ellie’s chest
released and she sucked in a breath before falling to her knees and inching
forward, terrified. Her gaze shifted from her mother’s pale face to the pool of
blood that still spread out across the floorboards, filling the cracks and
spreading outward. Her stomach revolted and she felt like she was going to
throw up.
    “ Ellie .”
    The briskness in
her mother’s voice startled her and her gaze lifted, her chin quivering.
    A soft smile
lifted Momma’s mouth as tears rolled out of her eyes and down her face. “That’s
my girl. Look at my face. Don’t look down, baby.”
    Ellie moved closer
until she was next to her mother, sitting on her bottom. The fold of her
nightgown skimmed the edge of the thick red puddle. The cotton fabric absorbed
the liquid, seeping up to her legs.
    Momma reached out
a hand toward Ellie’s, making three attempts to grab hold. “My dear, sweet,
Ellie.” Her chin quivered and her voice broke.
    “Momma.” Ellie
started to sob again.
    “I love you,
Ellie.” Her mother stared into her face, her eyes soft and adoring. “I’ve loved
you since the moment I knew you were in my tummy. I almost lost you then, you
know.” She paused and took a breath, wincing in pain. “Elinor Dare Lancaster—you’re
a fighter and don’t you ever forget it.” She coughed, and blood oozed from the
corner of her lip.
    The blood trailing
down the side of her face filled Ellie with panic. She dropped Bunny and
grabbed her mother’s other hand. “Momma, I’m scared .”
    “I’m sorry,
Ellie. I’m so sorry.” Her mother choked on a sob, her face wet with tears. “You
have to be strong for your daddy. No matter what happens, know that he loves
you.”
    Ellie nodded,
unsure what else to do.
    “Someday you’ll
fall in love. Find a man like your father,