"'Mom, please listen to me," my voice pleated. I walked very slowly to the bedroom, feeling Alice's worried stare on my back. I shut the door behind me, trying to think clearly through the terror that gripped my fumbling brain with its steady tentacles.
"There now, are you alone? Just answer yes or no."
"Yes."
"But they can still hear you, I'm sure."
"Yes."
"All right, then," the voice continued. "Say, 'Mom, trust me.'"
"Mom, trust me."
"This worked out rather better than I expected. I was prepared to wait, but your mother arrived ahead of schedule. It's easier this way, isn't it? Less surprise, less anxiety for you."
I waited. Was this a prank call? A joke?
"Now I want you to listen berry carefully. I'm going to need you to get away from your friends; do you think you can do that? Answer yes or no."
"No."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I was hoping you'd be a little more creative than that. I guess you're just a pussy. Guess I'm just going to have to kill your mom."
I almost gasped. Somehow, there had to be some way to stop some of this madness. I remembered that we were going to the airport. The Phoenix Airport: crowded, famous, confusingly laid out, windows up the...
"Yes."
"That's better. I'm sure it won't be breezy, but if I get the slightest hint that you have any company, well,

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Chapter 21

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