Empty Streets Read Online Free PDF Page B

welling with tears. She pushed away her feelings, trying to replicate the numb feeling she had when she was in the Sims. Her father uncharacteristically reached over to touch her small hand, curled into a fist on the table. She stared at him, cheeks flushed, and he stared at the table.
    He whispered, "Be patient, my curious child. The world will open up to you soon enough."
    He stood, leaving the table abruptly. His bedroom door clicked softly behind him. Her mother stood as well, wringing her hands.
    "You two," her mother said, not taking her eyes off of the bedroom door, "clean up dinner." She left them in silence.
    "What. Was. That." Ezra blew out a breath, raising an eyebrow at Eri.
    "No idea," Eri said, shaking her head.
    Ezra yawned deeply. "You're nuts. And I need to sleep." Ezra stacked as many dishes as he could and took them to the sink. Eri followed with the rest.
    As she watched Ezra trudge off to bed, worry flickered in Eri's mind. He had slept most of the day. The dark smudges under his eyes remained, hollowed caverns housing shadows.
    Eri wandered into the living room, turned on the TV and nestled into the couch. She charged through the twenty-eight channels they had before determining there was nothing worth watching. She leaned against the arm of the couch, letting her eyes relax. The room grew distant and blurry. She blinked slowly, falling unexpectedly into a tunnel of sleep.
    * * * *
    Eri opened her eyes to the green glow of the keypad, its gaze assessing her.
    She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, the grogginess of sleep slowly lifting. She could hear the rustle of movement in the basement and assumed Ezra was on the Sims. The house was still and solid, the air heavy and thick.
    She thought about the way her dad had looked at her at dinner, the way Bodhi had raised his eyebrow at her after class, the way Ezra had squeezed her hand before dinner. She wondered if she was the only one who thought about things, who wondered if all of her world was orchestrated by a being of some sort, a god who was directing her movements like wind pushing against a leaf. She had two opposing fears: being trapped within a concrete cage and facing the unknown, with it the penalties that came with deviating from the prescribed existence.
    She sat up, rubbing her face. She glanced at the clock; ten forty-seven in the evening. The beat of her heart picked up. She felt fear, but it was not enough to immobilize her.

Chapter 6
    Answers
    Eri tapped on her lamp and opened her clothing trunk, a nervous energy pinching her fingertips. She dug out an old pair of tennis shoes and pulled them on, knotting the laces clumsily. She tugged on a black short-sleeved t-shirt and thin black cotton pants, quickly pulling the top half of her hair back into a rubber band.
    She pulled the tapestry away from the wall, squeezing her body between the wall and the cloth. She found the window with her hands and tugged at the corner. The old, dry tape cracked, falling away, pulling the tarp with it. Opening the window and looking down, she sucked in a small breath. The ground was a dizzying distance away.
    Eri swung one leg out of the window, letting out a breath of air and sucking in another. Her sweaty hands clung to the window frame as she swung her other foot out, twisting her body so she faced the building. She used her upper body to lower herself until she was dangling from the window frame. She felt along the wall with her feet until she found an old metal spike from the absent fire escape. She lowered her feet to the spikes as she felt along the wall for something to hold onto.
    Distracted by the thoughts of how she was going to get back in, she lost her balance slightly and tried to brace herself against the wall. She didn't have anything to pull herself forward with. Her hands tingling, she had one last clear thought before she fell: do not fall on the porch. She pushed off hard with her right foot, hoping she might at least be able