The Missing - Kiersten Modglin (the reading strategies book TXT) š
- Author: Kiersten Modglin
Book online Ā«The Missing - Kiersten Modglin (the reading strategies book TXT) šĀ». Author Kiersten Modglin
āWe were in the car with my mom. It was Theoās fourth birthday. Weād pulled into the driveway, and he unbuckled his seatā¦ I didnāt think anything of it; he did it all the time. Mom didnāt see him in time. He was holding on to the doorā¦ I remember Dad standing on the porch. Theo was banging on the window waving at himā¦ Somehow he grabbed hold of the handle, and the door opened. He fell face-firstā¦ Mom reached for him, but it all happened so fast. He was crushed by the tire before she had time to stop.ā The visions of the story swept over me as he replayed them, each moment of the scene that mustāve played out, the guilt his mother must live with, the pain of his father watching it unfold from feet away, powerless to do anything.
āThatās terribleā¦ā I managed to squeak out. His face was solemn, despite blinking through tears that trailed down his cheeks. He didnāt bother wiping them away, and I wondered how many times he mustāve had to relive the event aloud. āIām so sorry, Noah. I didnāt mean to pry.ā
āItās hard to talk about him.ā His Adamās apple bobbed up and down with a hard swallow. Finally, he looked over, meeting my eyes. āBut itās good to talk about him, too. My parentsā¦theyā¦they couldnāt talk about him. Still canāt. My mom couldnāt walk past his pictures for years without falling apart. Itāsā¦I donāt know if it ever wonāt be raw. For any of us.ā
I stood up without volition, making my way toward him and wrapping an arm around his back. He stiffened slightly under my touch but didnāt shrug me off or push me away. Instead, he went back to watching the fire.
āIām still coming to grips with the fact that Iāll probably never see them again. And, I think what terrifies me the most about that, is knowing that theyāll have to go through losing their only other son. I donāt think theyāll survive it.ā
āThey arenāt going to lose you,ā I promised, the words eerily similar to what Iād said to Harry the night before. I forced the thought away. āWeāre going to find our way home.ā
āI know you want to believe that, but I just donāt see how.ā
I fought back bitter tears. āI just have to believe it. I canāt give up. Not yetā¦ā
āHave you ever lost anyone?ā he asked, turning his face toward me. āAnyone you were close to?ā
I shook my head, almost regrettably. āNo, not really. Both sets of my great-grandparents died when I was really young, but I donāt remember them all that much. Just pictures and stuff. And thereāve been a few of my classmates whoāve died since we graduated. Nothing like what youāve experiencedā¦ Iām sorry.ā
āYouāre sorry you havenāt lost anyone?ā he asked with a small grin.
āIām sorry you have.ā
He jutted his chin toward Harryās grave. āWell, now we both have.ā
āYeah, I guess youāre right.ā It didnāt feel equal, not really, but was there a way to measure grief? To decide who felt more pain? My pain felt significant in that moment. I couldnāt imagineāand didnāt want toāhow Noah mustāve felt the day he lost his brother, and so many days after that. The pain was unbearable to even think about.
āI donāt want to be,ā he said, his eyes lingering on mine for a second too long. I looked down, my face burning with embarrassing heat. I needed to move away from him. We were too close. Why had I moved to be near him after what had happened in the woods? āDonāt worry. Iām not going to kiss you.ā It was as if heād read my mind. I guess I hadnāt done a great job of hiding it.
āI wasnāt thinking thatā¦ā
āYeah, you were.ā His determined stare was an obvious dare to get me to look at him, but I couldnāt. Heād see only shame there, because the truth was, I had enjoyed the kiss. Iād be lying if I said I hadnāt thought of doing the same thing since heād saved my life in the jungle on that second day. But what did it matter? I had a husband. Feelings like what I was having were not allowed.
āHarry said he thought you had a thing for me,ā I admitted, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear and staring at the fire with unyielding concentration.
āHarry wasnāt wrong.ā
I looked at him then, unable to resist the pull of his gaze any longer when plagued by the truth in his words. āI never knewā¦ā I lied.
āYes, you did. But it didnāt matter before, when I thought you were married and we were going home.ā
āI am married,ā I said firmly, āand we are going home.ā
His eyes softened, and he cocked his head to the side slightly. āYou are married, but we may not be going home. And sooner or later, we all have to come to grips with that.ā He looked away then, patting his leg. āLook, Iām not going to force you to do anything you donāt want to do. If you want to stay loyal to your husband for the rest of time, more power to you, but all Iām saying is thereās a very real chance we arenāt making it off this island. Thereās a very real chance we could all die tomorrow. Or next week. Or the week after. James and Ava got that. Theyāre taking advantage of every moment they have on this islandā¦ Theyāre having funāā
āI wouldnāt call any of what weāre doing funāā
āTheyāre having the most fun they can, then,ā he said. āAnd I donāt see why we canāt do the same.ā
āSo, because weāre the only other two on the island, I should sleep with you?ā
He scoffed. āNo, you should sleep with me because weāre on a
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