The Rules for Disappearing

by Ashley Elston

  It’s hard to swallow. These two people I didn’t even know a month ago are now risking so much for me. “Thanks, Pearl. I’ll explain everything as soon as I can.”

  She ambles back off to the house. Ethan pulls up next to his truck. “Follow me in the car.”

  He cranks his truck, and we drive into the back pasture. There’s an old barn that looks like it will fall down at any moment. He jumps out and opens a side door. Once the truck is inside, he stacks some square hay bales in front of the door. You can’t even tell there’s an opening now.

  I climb over to the passenger side as Ethan opens the door. “We’ve got one more stop to make before we hit the road.”

  I wrap my arms around my waist and stare out the front windshield. “Where are we going?”

  “Ben’s.”

  Okay, definitely not what I was expecting. Ethan dials his number as we pull into the driveway.

  “Hey. Can you come outside a minute?”

  Ethan hangs up the phone, and we both hop out of the car. “I don’t get why we’re here.”

  Before Ethan can answer, Ben comes out of a side door.

  He’s in pajama bottoms and a Natchitoches Football T-shirt. He rubs his hands together, blowing out a puff of warm air. “You better have a good reason for dragging me out here.”

  “I need a favor. Forget all the stupid shit, I really need your help.”

  Ben gets serious. “What do you need?”

  “We have to get out of town for a while. A couple of days. I need everyone to think me and you are headed to the cabin. Drive your truck there and stay until Sunday.”

  Ben folds his arms across his chest. “What’s wrong?”

  Ethan shakes his head. “It’s not my story to tell. Just do this for me.”

  Ben waits a few seconds, then says, “When do you need me to leave?”

  “Now if you can. Here’s my phone. I got a text waiting to be sent to Mom. I need you to send it and one to your mom when you get there.”

  Ben takes the phone from Ethan. “Anything else?”

  “No. That’s it.”

  Ben and Ethan stand there looking at each other. “You’re gonna owe me big-time.”

  Ethan nods. “Yeah.”

  They shake hands, then Ethan motions for me to get back into the car. I just witnessed hell freezing over.

  We stop once right on the outside of town to fill up with gas, grab a map, and use the bathroom.

  Ethan spreads the map across the hood and studies it. “Scottsdale is a helluva long way from here.”

  I stand next to him. “I can still take the bus.”

  He laughs at me and says, “It’s far but it’s almost a straight shot. It’s all interstate from the minute we leave Louisiana until we get to Arizona. If we don’t make too many stops, we can probably make it in a little less than twenty-four hours.”

  I nod, looking at the path he traces with his finger along the map.

  He glances at me. “It’s gonna be a hard trip doing it that fast.”

  The last eight months have been hard, but this trip is the only thing I have any control over. “I’m ready.”

  Ethan folds the map and pulls me in for a hug. “It’s strange to look at you and not think of you as Meg. Or Avery.”

  I giggle into his chest. “Think about how I feel. Before I open my mouth, I have to think, Okay who am I and what’s my story?” I giggle again. I’m half delirious.

  He shakes his head, like he still hasn’t quite absorbed all of this yet.

  We get back in the car and hit the interstate. I spend the first hour riding backward, looking for the Suburban. About ninety percent of this trip will be on interstate, and while that’s great for making good time, it’s awfully boring out the window. Especially in the middle of the night.

  We’ve been in the car about an hour and a half and haven’t spoken once since we left the gas station. And neither of us has touched the radio. The silence is thick.

  I’m still in awe of Ethan. He jumped into this road trip with me blind and has more sense about it than I do. He’s left this awesome fake trail, and I was just going to grab the earliest Greyhound out of Shreveport. And I know what we’re up against. My plan sucked. He’s right, I’d have never made it out of Louisiana on the bus once the suits started looking for me.

  I grab a pillow and lean it against the door to watch him drive. “Who’s Fred?”

  Ethan frowns and then smiles. “Fred is Pearl’s boyfriend she thinks no one knows about.”

  “Where’s the cabin?”

  “South Mississippi, near the Gulf. It’s a fishing cabin Pearl’s husband had before he died. She lets me go there whenever I want.”

  “What made you pick this car?”

  He cocks his head and looks at me. “Blame it on all the movies I watch, but I’m trying to drop us off the face of the earth. The Feds can pull credit cards. Cell phone records. They can track us through OnStar or GPS. They’ll probably go to Pearl first, then me. They know what my truck looks like. Even though this car is a little flashy, it’s Fred’s. Not many people know him and Pearl are an item, so hopefully they won’t be looking for his car. And when Ben gets to the cabin and sends that text, that’s where it will look like we are.” He chuckles after he says this. “They may pick us up on the street cameras if they go back and look at tonight’s tape, but there’s not much I can do about that. There’s hardly anybody else on the road right now to blend in with.”

  Good Lord. He’s thought of everything.

  “What does the text to your mom say?”

  “If I keep answering these questions, you have to answer some of mine.” He smiles and the dimple digs deep in his cheek.

  I would have never gotten this far without him. He deserves a few answers.

  “Okay, deal.”

  “The text says, ‘Heading to the cabin for a few days. Everything’s fine. Don’t be pissed. See you soon.’”

  “I can’t believe you thought of all of that. So, basically your phone will send a text from somewhere in Mississippi, and Ben will be there waiting. You know once they get to him, they’ll know what we did.”

  He laughs. “Yeah, but they’ll be over in Mississippi scratching their heads. It’ll buy us some time. They can jump on a plane or whatever. We need all the help we can get.” We drive a few minutes before he asks, “Why’s your family in Witness Protection?”

  I stare out the windshield. “It’s nothing we did. It’s not like I’m part of some crime family. It’s just one of those being-in-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time kinda things.”

  The only protection I can give Ethan is his ignorance. Maybe when this is all over, I can tell him everything.

  “How many times have you moved?”

  I curl up in the seat. “Natchitoches was our sixth placement since the beginning of June last year.”

  He lets out a quiet laugh. The kind of laugh that you do not because something is funny, but because it’s all too much to take in. “Everything makes sense now. All these nagging little things I had in my head about you. You seemed so normal one minute, and then you’d wig out the next.”

  I playfully slap his arm. “I think I held it together pretty well.”

  “What was the original plan? I’m hoping it was a hell of a lot better than the one you concocted tonight.”

  I let out a huff. “It was a good plan. Catherine and I were going dress shopping in Shreveport on Friday. I was going to give her some lame excuse and get on a bus to Phoenix. I was going to take care of what I need to take care of there and then head back to Shreveport on Sunday. I could have been back in class by lunch on Monday.”

  Ethan laughs. Loud. He looks at me and shakes his head. It’s actually a few minutes before he quits laughing. I stare out the side window, trying to ignore him. It was a good plan until Mom fell apart.

  “So they were gonna move you in the morning. Would I have ever seen you again?” His voice is serious now.

  I look at
him. “No. There would’ve been no sign we were ever there.”

  He reaches for my hand. We both seem content for the moment to just watch the miles drop away in front of the headlights.

  RULES FOR DISAPPEARING

  BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:

  Never tell anyone your secrets. They’re called secrets for a reason.

  MY eyes feel gritty and I’m having trouble opening them. The light is bright, blinding me when I’m finally able to crack them. Someone is shaking my shoulder.

  Finally, the dark fuzzy shape comes into focus. It takes me a few seconds, and then everything comes crashing back. Ethan.

  He looks exhausted. I sit up quickly. “How long have I been asleep?” A glance out the window does not help pinpoint our location. We’re stopped at a gas station right off the interstate.

  “We’re on the other side of Fort Worth, about halfway to Abilene. You’re gonna have to take a shift because I don’t think I can keep my eyes open for another mile.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” I quickly undo my seat belt and hop out of the car. My legs are wobbly, and I really need to pee.

  Ethan looks at me from over the roof. “I’ll fill the car up. Go get whatever you need inside.”

  I reach into the car for my bag. I half walk, half run to the store, trying to get my legs to work. Once inside, I quickly spot the restroom.

  Cringing, I step inside. It’s gross. Somehow, I manage to use the toilet while keeping the plastic bag on my lap. There’s no way I’m setting it on the floor in here.

  Another balancing act at the little sink. I wash my hands and pull my toothbrush and toothpaste out of my bag. Once my teeth are brushed, I actually feel human again. My eyes are burning and red from sleeping in the contacts. They’re coming out. They’ll work well in Scottsdale, but I’m done with them until then. I get out the little case to put them away.

  Back in the store, I grab a honey bun and fix a cup of coffee, then wait in line at the checkout. Ethan walks inside. When he gets close, his eyes squint as he looks at me closer. Not paying attention, he walks into a display of chips.

  He changes course and comes to me in the line. He gets really close. “I knew your eyes were different in that newspaper article, but they are really blue.”

  I giggle. “Yes. They are.”

  He whispers in my ear, “Once we get back in the car I’m sleeping for a couple of hours and then we’re talking. Really talking about all of this.”

  I love this car. It’s a totally different experience driving an old muscle car than any sports car on the market today. You really feel the engine when you hit the gas, and it makes a pretty cool rumbling noise, too.

  Ethan told me before he completely passed out to watch my speed. The last thing we need is to get pulled over. It’s hard, though. I want to gun it and feel this car haul ass, but I restrain myself.

  Maybe on the way home.

  I glance over at Ethan, like I’ve done a hundred times since he fell asleep. He’s reclined, mouth wide open. He’s dead to the world.

  He’s gonna want answers when he wakes up. I don’t blame him, but hate pulling him into this. As much as I want to keep him ignorant of the finer points, I don’t think I can talk him into letting me go to Price’s alone once we’re in Scottsdale. Not that it matters. I don’t know if I can do what needs to be done alone. It would be worse to let him walk in there and not know what we’re up against.

  My mind wanders as I drive. Will I run into Elle or Laura? Probably not. Do I want to see them while I’m there? No, not really. With Brandon dead, a lot of my anger at them is gone. Laura could have been with him, and then she’d be dead too. I like to think my disappearing on Elle and Laura that night may have been the reason Laura and Brandon weren’t together at his house. Maybe overhearing what I did saved her life.

  I drive for a few hours. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, to look at through this part of Texas.

  Ethan starts to wake up as we pass through Midland. He tosses and turns in his seat for a few minutes before he finally gives up. He raises the seat and rubs his eyes.

  “Where are we?” His voice is scratchy.

  “Just passed Midland. Sign said Odessa is next.” I turn to look at him. “Do you need to stop?”

  “Yeah, but I can wait until Odessa.” He reaches into the backseat and opens the ice chest, pulling out a Coke. He holds it out to me. “You want one?”

  I shake my head. “No, I had coffee.”

  He settles back in his seat and cracks the can. Yawning big, he stretches his legs and arms out.

  “You can go back to sleep. I’m fine to drive a while longer.”

  He arches his back and rubs his face with his free hand. “No, I’m good. How long was I out?”

  I glance at my watch. “About three hours. Not long enough.”

  He takes a deep drink of the Coke. “You didn’t sleep much more than that. It’s enough for now.” Ethan leans back against the seat and turns his head toward mine. “Okay, blue eyes. Spill it.”

  “Can I tell you everything but the exact details of what put us in the program? I’d rather not name names.”

  “For now. But you’re gonna have to tell me eventually. Whatever you need to do in Scottsdale, I’m going with you.”

  I nod and take a deep breath. “I lived in Scottsdale my whole life until last June. My dad was a pretty successful CPA there. Not a big firm but a handful of really big clients. We lived in a nice house in a golf course community. Lots of nice things—cars, clothes, you name it.” I take another deep breath. I had no idea how hard this would be to say out loud.

  “I witnessed something I shouldn’t have. Something terrible.” I don’t want to tell him I didn’t remember it until a few days ago. I don’t want to tell him I’ve hated my dad for months for something he didn’t do.

  Ethan nods, urging me to go on.

  It’s enough encouragement for me to keep going. “The longest we stayed in a placement was ten weeks. Most we were only there four or five. It was hard, all the moving. Changing names, new schools, new towns. Mom didn’t handle it well.”

  “Is that normal—to move that much?”

  I shrug. “I don’t think so.”

  A tear escapes, sliding down my cheek, and I brush it away with the back of my hand.

  We pass a sign for a gas station at the next exit.

  “Pull over. Let’s take a minute to talk,” Ethan says.

  I take the exit and pull into the gas station, stopping in front of the pump. We turn to face each other in the car.

  “Mom was a casual drinker. But she started drinking a lot once we were in the program. It was too hard for her. She was a very social person back home: lots of committees, lots of clubs. The suits took her to a detox facility last night. I don’t know where she is right now.” I’m crying and I can’t stop. I haven’t had anybody to talk to about this, and now it’s just bursting out of me.

  Ethan reaches behind the seat and tears off a paper towel from the roll Pearl gave us, and hands it to me.

  I mop up my face while Ethan watches and waits for me to continue. “There’s something in Scottsdale that may help us stop running. I’m the only one who knows for sure where it is. I didn’t tell Dad I was leaving. With Mom gone, he has to stay with Teeny.”

  Ethan smiles when I say Teeny’s name. “That’s the second time you’ve called her that. What’s her real name?”

  I let out a short laugh. “It’s Elena. Elena Boyd. Teeny has been her nickname forever. It’s what we all call her when it’s just us. I about died when I said it in front of you the other day.”

  Ethan shakes his head. “Does she have blue eyes, too?”

  “No, just me. But we’re both blond. She was hardly speaking by the time we got to Natchitoches. All this moving was getting to her, too.”

  Ethan looks like he doesn’t believe me.

  “It’s true. She’s different around you and Pearl.”

/>   “So what are you trying to find in Scottsdale?” he asks.

  I lean back against the door and close my eyes. “I’d rather not tell you. You’re better off not knowing.” Especially when he gets questioned by the suits.

  “I’m gonna see it whenever you get it. Open your eyes and look at me.”

  My eyes open. Ethan holds my hands and pulls me in close. Our faces are inches apart.

  He speaks quietly. “I’m in this. It doesn’t matter if you tell me what it is or not; I know more than the marshals or anyone else wants me to. I’m not gonna say this doesn’t scare me. It scares the shit out of me. But the best thing you can do is prepare me. Let me know what I’m up against. Keeping me in the dark is not going to help.”

  He’s right. I tell him the whole story about Mr. Price and Brandon and the man with the scar named Sanchez. I tell him about losing my memory and the accounting ledger I’m hoping to find in Price’s wall.

  Ethan is quiet a minute and then pulls me in for a kiss. It takes me by surprise but not for long. I’m kissing him back. His hands are in my hair and the scratch of his whiskers rubs me raw. His hands skim my sides, and I want to crawl across the seat, into his lap.

  Several quick raps on the window makes us both jump as if we’d been shot. An old man in overalls is peering into the car.

  “Either pump or move this car.” He turns and walks off.

  Ethan throws on a baseball cap and hops out. God, we’re sitting in a parked car at a gas station, making out. I’m almost embarrassed to get out. A few minutes of kissing and all rational thought flies out of my head.

  No matter what, Ethan is in this all the way now.

  With the tank full, we spare a few minutes in the store, then it’s back to the Mustang.

  Ethan pauses before putting the car in reverse. “I’m starving. Let’s eat real quick before we get back on the road.”

  My stomach rumbles at the mention of food. We eat in the car, picnic style, with the food from the cooler. Pearl threw in lunch meat, bread, cheese, and mustard. We make some sandwiches and share chips out of the bag.

  “If you’re gonna give the ledgers to the Feds, why didn’t you just tell them where they are and let them come get them?”