Body of Ash Read Online Free Page A

manila envelope. With a smirk, the same one he gave parishioners when they needed a reminder to tithe, he slid it across the table to her.  “Happy birthday, Darling.”
     
    Rachel glanced at Jason. She wanted to hold his hand while she opened it, wanted the security of his nearness, his promise of a reality outside of these four walls. He was unaware of the fear brewing in the pit of her stomach. Her parents didn’t believe in buying gifts. 
     
    Sliding her fingers along the sealed end, she felt the unpleasant sting of a paper cut.  Bright crimson stained the glossy brochure as she slid it from the sleeve. Confused, she glanced at her mother.  Angel a’s face was expressionless .
     
    Rachel looked down at the booklet in h er grasp. “Miss Hall’s School …It’s a boarding school?” As the words passed her lips, her head grew dizzy. “It’s in Pittsfield .”
     
    Far from home, far from my life here.
     
    “You’re lea ving on Monday. I ’ve made all the arrangements,” Brian offered, but he stared at his wife. “It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
     
    Is he waiting for her to disagree?
     
    Rachel glanced beseechingly at her mother, but Angela stared at her plate, her own lasagna untouched.
     
    Rachel’s throat dried up with the pleas she knew they would not acknowledge. Was this why they finally agreed to m eet Jason – so they could make it clear there was no room in her life for warmth? Or was this about the growing chasm between them? 
     
    Are they sending me away so they can separate?
     
    Setting her news on the table, she didn’t care that her drops of blood dripped on the perfect linen.  
     
    The evening passed before Rachel found the courage to test her voice again. She didn’t want the treble in her tone to give satisfaction to her parents. They didn’t deserve the chance to comment on her tears while cla iming it was for her own good.
     
    As she walked Jason outside, a breeze wove through the trees. She watched as a leaf skittered across the bottom step.  Rachel gripped his hand.  He was the only one who co uld save her. 
     
    In their year of dating, he had done just that. There were many days when his smile and laugh cut through the walls of self-doubt her parents built brick by unremitting brick.  It was th e first time she felt heard , her opinions and dislikes valued.  Through his kisses, she believed he found her beautiful and spirited. 
     
    If sent away now, to a school as oppressive as her parents, she would get sucked back into t he darkness he freed her from.
     
    “Are you okay?”  Jason’s face bent to meet hers. From the way he me t her eyes, he knew she wasn’t.
     
    “Wh at am I going to do?” H er body trembled. Stepping into his embrace, she wanted him to wrap around her and shield her from the wind, the world, h er parents. “I can’t go away.”
     
    “It will be alright. I can come and visit you,” he whispered against her forehead.
     
    As she leaned into him, she wanted to believe it would be, but Pittsfield was over an hour away.  Without Jason’s presence, she would suffocate. How long would it take before he grew tired of making the trip?  How long until the only voice from home was that of her mother or her grandmother with an excuse as to why they couldn’t visit?
     
    Nausea spread through her middle as the thought of another girl on the back of Jason’s bike seeped into her mind. She wanted to rally against it, to fight and stomp the imagery into the walkway. Her tears burned her eyes and the back of her throa t ached from holding it all in .
     
    So this is what it feels like when your heart breaks?
     
    Burying her face into Jason’s chest, she breathed in his familiar scent. She tried clearing her mind to make a plan. She was seventeen, almost old enough to leave home. Could she somehow escape them? An idea began to take hold. It wriggled in her mind, unfolding possibilities.
     
    “Maybe we can change this,” she stepped