The Fall of Sky: Part One Read Online Free PDF Page B

hair. It was a mess, and the lack of conditioner made me want to cut it all off. I had to remember to do some shopping today before rehearsal and the show.
    “Hey, Saul. You haven’t heard from Liv, have you?”
    He shook his head, already feeling his way toward the bathroom. Most motel rooms were all the same, so he had no difficulty getting there without his walking stick. “No, sorry. I didn’t hear her leave. She didn’t tell you where she would run off to?”
    “No.”
    “I hope she’s okay. She seems pretty adept to finding her way around. I’m sure she’ll show up soon.” He paused at the door and waited for me to answer, maybe feeling guilty that he wasn’t as concerned about her whereabouts as I was.
    “You’re probably right,” I muttered, letting him off the hook.
    “Up for some breakfast when I’m done? I’ll be fast.”
    I nodded at first before realizing he can’t see me. “Yeah, sounds good.”
    “Good! Just a few minutes. Be right out.” His faded blue eyes twinkled with his cheeks folding up into another bright smile, which forced my mood to inch just a bit higher.
    With that, he disappeared into the steamy room I’d left behind. Finished pulling the sopping messes of hair into a ponytail, I scampered over to my suitcase, stuffed away my dirty clothes, and re-zipped the case. I was tired of feeling like a mother hen to Liv. It was definitely time to rethink our relationship.
    The bag of money peeked out from under my side of the bed, and I bent down to retrieve it. Checking the insides for the wads of bills, I sighed. We’ll pay dearly for every last penny of this money. I felt it in my soul, a dread that stuck to me like a shroud of cobwebs. I pulled loose a couple of twenties, stuffed the bag into my own oversized purse, and waited for Saul. Maybe breakfast would keep me from killing my sister. She’d better not walk in before I’d eaten. It would be the last thing she did—I’d make sure of it.
    Sitting in a worn, fake leather booth at the local Denny’s, I shifted in my seat until the waitress sashayed her way to our table, smacking her gum as she asked for our orders. Her hair was an artificial red, one that no one naturally possessed. The array of curls were held up by a handkerchief tied and pinned to the mass. She wore heavy makeup, and her red lipstick stuck to her two front teeth in small smudges. Long chains dangled from her thin neck, making me rub my own at the thought of the weight they must own. I was a minimalist. Even Liv, with her gobs of makeup and jewelry, kept it tasteful. I wasn’t even sure if this one’s long, acrylic nails were within the Health Department’s code.
    I was relieved that she was just the waitress and not the cook, to say the least. “She must be a fright to look at.” Saul’s voice echoed in my ears, bringing me back to the table as I flushed for getting caught staring at her. Wait, how would he know that?”
    “How can you tell?”
    “The way you paused while you were talking to me, right before she arrived. It sounds like a shocker to me.”
    His skill in observing the noises around him made me stop tapping my nervous foot on the floor. I wondered briefly if it would be harder to hide things from a deaf person. Doubted it.
    “Yeah, she’s just over the top with her enhancement routine and jewelry. Hope her dangles don’t drop into my oatmeal.”
    Saul let out a laugh but cleared his throat as the waitress returned with our coffees and cream. I poured five packets of sugar into mine and half the cream. Saul just lifted an eyebrow at the sound of my additives as I stirred.
    “What?”
    “You seem pretty wound up already. All that sugar might not be a good idea.”
    “Oh, clamp it. Sugar calms me down. If there’s a time I am fraying my nerves, it’s now. Liv is going to get her comeuppance when she comes back for putting me through this shit over and over again. I’m sick of it, so don’t you start now, too.” I took a deep