Lizbet's Lie

by Brenda Maxfield

  He leaned close, and the faint smell of earth came with him. His breath whispered over my face, and he brushed my cheek with his lips. So tender, so fragile, a promise. "I'll be back tomorrow," he whispered and let go of my hand.

  Johnny joined Winter on the street. They walked together slowly and after a few steps, paused and turned back to wave at me through the darkness.

  Farah joined me on the porch, and we watched them fade into black. Farah nudged my shoulder. "They're nice."

  I nodded.

  "Maybe there's more to this community of yours than I thought."

  I glanced at her and saw in her eyes a look of grudging respect. "Maybe there is," I said, and for the first time since I'd gotten home, I half-believed it.

  "Do you think your parents will change their minds?"

  "About prosecution?" I knew that was what she meant, but I asked anyway.

  "Yeah. Let the pig rot behind bars."

  "No."

  "But don't you think—?"

  I put my hand on her arm. "Please stop. Let it go. Some things will never change."

  She pressed her lips together. We sat and stared off into the night.

  "Ned is over the moon for you," I said.

  She smiled huge. "Goes both ways."

  "It's killing Momma."

  "I know."

  Tree frogs croaked out back. I could imagine their throats flicking in and out.

  "Do you think I could talk to Beverly again?" I asked.

  "Beverly? The counselor from the Home?"

  "Yeah."

  "We could call Edie and find out. You want to talk to her?"

  I chewed the corner of my lip. "I do."

  Farah brushed her hands over her legs. "All right then."

  "Farah, I knit baby blankets all the time."

  "I know."

  "What's wrong with me?"

  I watched the bugs circling the streetlight down the road.

  "What's wrong with any of us?" Farah asked. She tugged on a long piece of grass next to the top step until it broke off in her hand.

  "I'm not sure what I believe any more."

  "I've never been sure." Farah sighed.

  The screen door opened, and Ned came out and joined us. "Momma and Dad aren't mad at you."

  I looked up at him over my shoulder. "Yes, they are."

  He squatted down behind Farah and me. "No, they aren't. They just didn't want you hurt. They still don't."

  "Momma has a funny way of showing it."

  "I know, but she's never going to change, Lizbet."

  Ned touched Farah's shoulder. "You sure you want to stay the rest of the weekend?"

  Farah reached up and put her hand over his. "I'm not leaving. Except for my brother, Sam, you guys are my best friends."

  Ned smiled. "Good. But it might be awkward around here in the morning."

  Farah looked at me. "Probably, but I don't care."

  I stood up and took a deep breath. "I think I might start knitting mittens."

  Farah and Ned stood with me.

  "Yellow ones?" Farah asked and laughed.

  "Until the yarn runs out. Can't be wasteful, you know." I smiled at her, and the three of us walked back into the house.

  The End

  A Note from the Author

  Friends, if you enjoyed Lizbet's Lie, please take a moment to rate it and leave a review. It can be as simple as a couple of sentences and would be very much appreciated! Thank you!

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  Read The Lance Temptation, Book One of The Edgemont Series. Sophomore Emili Jones has had it with being a boring, straight-A student. Itching for excitement, she sees plenty of it in classmate Farah Menin's life of frequent dates and edgy adventure. Hoping the popularity will rub off, Emili latches onto Farah and manipulates herself into best friend status. The connection helps her land the hot new guy, Lance Jankins, but there's a catch. Now a pawn in Farah's dating games, Emili is on a crash course to betrayal. Will she realize it in time to save herself?

  Read Along Came Jordan, Book Two of The Edgemont Series. When it comes to love, sophomore Emili Jones is famous for brainless decisions. At her new school, she falls for Jordan Lawman but stuffs down her feelings, believing they can only lead to pain. When Laine Meadow, the reigning social queen, sets her sights on Jordan and senses competition in Emili, war is declared. On top of Laine's jealous torment, Emili struggles to help her little sister who suffers from selective mutism and will speak only to Emili. Her mother's suspicious behavior and her father's job loss add to the turmoil.

  Read Farah's Deadline, Book Three of The Edgemont Series. Sassy, strong-willed, and pregnant, Farah Menins plans to be married at sixteen after her dad dumps her in a "special home" to be rid of her. Trapped in a place full of rules, Farah refuses to admit defeat — not when marriage would give her an out. A dead baby, a mystery brother, and a house fire threaten to derail Farah's plans. The confusion is compounded when Lizbet's brother shows interest in her. With time running out, will Farah be able to salvage any of her dream?

  Read the novella Someday You'll Laugh, A (mostly) True Love Story. Stunned when her boyfriend announces they should be free to see others when he leaves for college, Brenda pastes a smile on her face and walks away. Far away. Only to find herself irresistibly drawn into the arms of another guy.

  Find all of Brenda’s books at:

  http://www.brendamaxfield.com/brendas-books.html

  About The Author

  Brenda Maxfield’s passion is writing. What could be more delicious than inventing new characters and seeing where they take you?

  Maxfield is a high school teacher who spends most of her waking hours with young people. She loves chatting with them and hearing their views on love and life. Her students are magical, and she is honored to be part of their lives.

  Maxfield has lived in Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Costa Rica. Presently, she lives in Indiana with her husband, Paul. They have two grown children and three precious grandbabies, special delivery from Africa.

  When not teaching, Maxfield loves to hole up in her lake cabin and write — often with a batch of popcorn nearby. (And dark chocolate, of course!)

  Maxfield enjoys getting to know her readers, so feel free to write her at: con-tact@brendamaxfield.com. To learn about all her books visit: http://www.brendamaxfield.com Happy Reading!

  Also From Astraea Press

  Prologue

  Before the Fall…

  “Why are you doing this?” It was probably the stupidest question ever. Sloan knew exactly why he was doing it, but she needed to keep him talking. Keep him driving. She had a bad feeling what would happen if he stopped. The gun lying on his lap was a big clue. The fact that he’d told her what would happen was a bigger one.

  She was going to die.

  He laughed humorlessly and pushed the gas pedal harder. “You aren’t that stupid, Sloan. You know what’s going on. I tried to warn you. You can’t say I didn’t. Gave you plenty of opportunities. I tried to get you to drop it, but you wouldn’t.”

  “I will now. I promise. I’ll go back and tell them everything.” Anything to keep him talking.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. You’ve never been a good liar.”

  The car turned around a curve, one of the easier ones. Brown Hollow had a lot of curves, a lot of blind spots, and lots of animals that could run out in front of a vehicle. It also had a very pretty overlook to the river and a waterfall that had been rated one of the best in Tennessee. She couldn’t let him get her to the Falls.

  “I can. If I’m motivated enough.”

  He ran his fingers over the pistol. “Are you motivated?”

  “Very much.”

  He smirked. “I don’t believe you. You are now, that’s for sure. Quaking in your fancy dress, but what about when you get home? What if you see him and
change your mind?”

  “I won’t.”

  “Excuse me if I don’t believe you.”

  “Don’t you think shooting me is a bit dramatic?” Sloan asked, trying her best to stay calm. Despite her best efforts, her fingers shook.

  Morbid as it was, she’d often thought about the best way to die. Asleep in her bed when old and gray seemed the best option. Drowning, the worst. Shot? Depended on where he shot her, she supposed.

  At eighteen, she never thought she’d have to consider such possibilities.

  “Who ever said anything about shooting you? Haven’t you been paying attention?” He glanced at Sloan with a twinkle in his eyes and then back to the road. The lonely road that barely got any traffic.

  “Then what?”

  “Did God give you wings?”

  That caught her off-guard.

  He spoke again when she didn’t answer right away. “Give you wings. God. Did He give you wings when you were saved?”

  “No,” she muttered, not liking where this was going.

  “What? Sorry, didn’t hear you.”

  “No,” she said louder, hopefully with more defiance.

  “No. Well, too bad. A saint like you. A perfect creature, even if it’s in your own mind, like you should have the wings of an angel to go with that crooked halo you like to show off.”

  “I don’t…”

  With his right hand, he grabbed the gun and held it up to her temple, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut. He was crazy, totally crazy.

  And she was totally alone with him.

  “You do. You know you do. You’ve been little Miss Perfect since you started this church mess, and it needs to stop. You need a reality check. You need someone to show you the way.”

  He pushed the barrel of the gun harder against her head. She tried very hard not to flinch. Who knew what he’d do if she did?

  Please, God, don’t let him kill me. Please. Don’t let him. She screamed the prayer in her mind without moving a muscle.

  “I owe you something, Sloan, and I’m going to get it tonight. You can talk, you know.” He chuckled and put the gun back in his lap.

  Her muscles gave way and Sloan fell over in her seat, sucking in a deep breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. She was afraid of what he thought she owed him. The first thing that crossed her mind was he was taking her somewhere to force her to sleep with him. That brought the question, would she do it if he had a gun to her head? Or would she let him shoot her before he touched her again?

  “It’s not what you’re thinking, Sloan,” he said like he could read her mind. After taunting her for a week in the shadows, maybe he could. “I wouldn’t touch you. Don’t want to touch you. Been there. Done that. No, I have a much better plan for you. We have to test the theory.”

  “What theory?” she asked barely above a whisper. There was no stopping the shaking now. She was freezing even though he had the heater on full-blast. Strange for May.

  Just like old times.

  Her red-sequined prom dress wasn’t exactly keeping her warm, and the fear sucked whatever heat she had out.

  “Your wings. Weren’t you listening?” Up ahead, illuminated by the Mustang’s headlights, Sloan saw the sign which sat between yellow and black arrows, warning of a sharp curve ahead. Chapel Falls

  “We’re going to see if an angel like you can fly or if you are a sinner like the rest of us and fall.”