Aunt Kari glances toward the sound of the ringing phone with a puzzled expression. She looks back at the two of us, shrugs, and then rushes into the kitchen to grab it before it goes to voicemail. I stop and listen for a second. Nothing big, just polite conversation. I continue sweeping, thinking it’s probably someone trying to sell eco-friendly cleaning products or something. But then, her voice rises in a very Un-Aunt Kari like tone. “What? . . . This can’t be happening,†she cries. “There’s no way I’m letting her go back there.†At the mere tone of her voice, my heart drops into my tennis shoes. The subconscious threat that has hovered in the back of my mind suddenly leaps into my chest. My stomach squeezes into a ball at the realization — I’m the her she’s speaking of. I drop the broom, and it bounces to the carpet, making only a muffled thump. Still, Uncle Derek glances over at me. Evidently, he hasn’t heard the conversation going on in the other room. That’s when I realize the inevitable has happened … My mother is out of jail.
Books in the Karina's Journey Series From House to Home From Good to Bad From Lies to Truth Girl Unbroken - A Novella