Velocity Read Online Free Page B

turned on the shower. I watched clouds of steam float out, filling the already warm room. The chill inside of my bones wouldn’t go away. Turning the water up as hot as I could stand it, I let it blast down on my face as I shut my eyes.
    I was not going to fall apart. I had to do whatever I could, and draw on the strength that had to be somewhere inside of me. I wasn’t going to fall off my depressive precipice again.
    I finally collapsed back into bed, my fluffy bathrobe wrapped around me. My brain was still running a mile a minute, but I managed to shut my eyes and drift off.
    In my dreams, I saw a strange, twisted black tree. The tips of the orange leaves were on fire. The roots moved in the ground like dark, restless snakes. I walked towards it as the leaves rustled, whispering to me.
    ###
    I heard noises before I woke. I opened my eyes and saw Hugh banging around in my dresser drawers. I sat up, still wearing my bulky robe, the belt twisted beneath me. A suitcase lay open on the bed, and Hugh was throwing my things in it.
    “What’s going on?” I asked, instantly panicked. “Where am I going?”
    He assessed the suitcase quickly, then flipped the lid shut and fastened the clips. “We’re leaving town.”
    “What?” I shouted, jumping out of bed. I almost fell, but I shrugged off the robe. “What are you talking about?”
    He was already dressed, and I saw his own suitcase at his feet. A line of anxiety burned from my heart down to my stomach. Hugh sat down and patted the spot on the bed beside him.
    “Phillip Rhodes wants us out of town,” Hugh explained. “Well, convenient timing for us, because we need to go out of town to get answers.”
    “But what you said, about not running away…” I protested.
    “We’re not running away, kiddo.” For the first time in a while, a genuine, enthusiastic smile had crept its way onto his face. “We’re going to get help. And if Phillip and Thornhill think we’re gone, that will buy us a little more time. Whatever they’re planning is still not going to happen for a while, at least from my evidence. Don’t worry, we’re not leaving forever. We’ll come back as soon as we get what we need.”
    “There’s no changing your mind, is there?” I asked, crossing my arms.
    “Nope.” He hopped up, grabbing both suitcases. “Get dressed. We’re running on a tight schedule.” He left the room.
    I got dressed hastily, throwing my hair into a ponytail and grabbing a t-shirt and jeans. I assessed my bedraggled dresser and realized that he hadn’t packed much. So the trip he was planning must not be a long one. I tripped into socks and shoes and joined him in the kitchenette.
    He was a chugging a mug of coffee, his jacket hanging on his shoulders. Retrieving his baseball cap, keys, and wallet, he nodded at me.
    “Ready?” he asked, high color on his cheeks.
    I zipped up my own coat and retrieved my gloves from the pocket. “You’re not going to get away from answering the rest of my questions, you know. Even if we go to Antarctica.”
    He came over and kissed my forehead firmly. “You’re just as tenacious as your mother. Don’t worry, kiddo. I plan to answer them shortly.” He checked his wrist watch. “We have an appointment to get to.”
    “But Hugh…”
    He grabbed my chin gently but firmly, and peered into my eyes. “No more of that ‘Hugh’ stuff. Your mother was the one who started that tradition. Call me dad, like a normal kid. I like the way it sounds.”
    I smiled. “Okay, Dad.”
    ###
    During the mysterious car ride, I thought about Jenna. I wanted to know why she was taken back into the Dark realm.
    “Do you know about the other worlds? You said something about Dark?” I asked.
    “I know a few things, mostly what your mother told me and what I figured out myself. I get that Limbo is the place most ghosts hang out, and Dark is more like where the wild things are.”
    “Jenna was with me for a while,” I said, studying my hands. “But