Abducted by Aliens (Tales From Angondra Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

of you to say that. Really. But I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m not a lesbian or anything. I just prefer to stick to my books. Reading to kids twice a week is about the closest I can get to having a family.”
    “I didn’t mean to....”Carmen stammered.
    Marissa waved her hand. “You told me all about your marriage breaking up, so I might as well tell you my story. I grew up in that neighborhood. I grew up in an apartment right around the corner from Penny’s Peppermints. It wasn’t the easiest place to grow up, as you might imagine, and when I was seven, my parents split up and left me.”
    Carmen frowned. “What do you mean, they left you? Do you mean your father left? Or your mother?”
    “Both of them,” Marissa replied. “My father ran off with a waitress from Seattle, and my mother moved back to Arkansas to search for her old high school sweetheart. I didn’t even know they were gone until I woke up one morning and no one was there to cook my breakfast.”
    Carmen stared at her. “So what did you do?”
    Marissa shrugged. “I got the cereal and milk out of the fridge and made breakfast for myself and my two younger brothers....”
    Carmen gasped. “Your younger brothers!”
    Marissa nodded. “They were four and two at the time. I took care of them....”
    Carmen covered her mouth with her hand, but she couldn’t stop the cry from tearing out of her soul. “Four and two! And you were seven!”
    Marissa nodded again. “Someone had to take care of them, so I did it. I took care of them by myself for seven months.”
    Carmen’s jaw dropped. Then she shut her mouth with a click. “How did you do it?”
    Marissa gazed up at the ceiling. “I don’t really remember much about it now. I remember some of the ladies in the apartment building used to give me money and food and clothes for the boys. One of them used to come to the apartment and make us hot meals every now and then, and they used to check and make sure our bedding and our clothes weren’t too dirty.”
    Tears stung Carmen’s eyes. “And you kept that up for seven months!”
    Marissa smiled, but her own eyes misted over. “I think one of them must have reported us to Social Services. They eventually came and got us.”
    “Thank God!” Carmen exclaimed.
    Marissa studied her. “Not really. I never saw either of my brothers again.”
    Carmen couldn’t stop the tears from overflowing her eyes. One of them coursed down her cheek and splashed on her hands. “I am so sorry. I never should have asked you about that.”
    Marissa waved her hand. “Everyone in our neighborhood has a story like that. It’s the nature of the beast. Just ask Aria.”
    “Did Aria have a similar experience?” Carmen asked.
    Marissa shrugged. “I should let her tell you herself. I’m just saying no one is worse off than anybody else. I only wanted to explain to you why it’s kind of hard for me to get close to people. After my parents left, I thought I had a nice little home and family with my brothers. I thought in my childish little way we were doing all right. Then they left, too, and I’ve never had a real home or family since. I don’t think I ever will.”
    Carmen bowed her head and sniffed. “I’m sorry, Marissa. I only wish there was something I could do.”
    “You’re doing it,” Marissa replied. “You’re a cop. You’re doing what can be done to make the world work the way it should. Now we’re here, and you’re doing what you can to deal with this mess, too. Just make sure you understand the rest of us are doing the same thing. We’re all in this together.”
    Carmen raised her eyes to Marissa’s face and nodded. “All right. I understand now. You can count on me.”

Chapter 6
     
    The room vibrated, but no sound entered the cell. Carmen got to her feet, and the others looked around, but they had no way of telling what was happening. When the vibrations stopped, the four women stood together in the middle of the room.
    “How long do