The Girl Who Never Came Back Read Online Free
Author: Amy Cross
Sophie was still trying to find a balance between the two.
"Go on," Charlotte said with a smile. "Someone needs to keep an eye on those dragonflies, and it might as well be you. If they bite you, just bite back harder. They're mean little things, and sometimes you have to put them in their place." She glanced at Ruth, checking for the usual expression of irritation; sure enough, her sister had a face like she was chewing on a wasp. "If you see a dragonfly named Henry," Charlotte continued, turning back to Sophie, "tell him he still owes me a rabbit."
"You're silly," Sophie said with a faint smile.
"All the best people are silly," Charlotte replied.
"Go and play," Ruth said sternly.
As Sophie ran toward the river, Charlotte took a sip of her lemonade before turning to her sister. She immediately realized that she was in trouble: Ruth looked even more pissed off than usual, as if she was ready to bring hell-fire down on the entire house. In a way, it was a miracle that things had been going so well. Charlotte had already spent a night in her sister's house without there being an argument, so conflict was overdue.
"I suppose you think you're smart," she said eventually, with obvious disdain in her voice.
"Not particularly," Charlotte replied.
"Bullshit!" Ruth continued, keeping her voice low as she pretended to still be reading her magazine. "You think you can just waltz in here and upset my daughter, and then waltz out again and leave me to pick up the pieces."
"If you say so."
"Not if I say so," Ruth replied. "It's the plain, unvarnished truth. You've always had this smirk on your face whenever you come to my house -"
"Whenever you invite me, you mean," Charlotte pointed out, before a flicker of sadness arced through her chest. "What do you want me to tell her? That I'm a barren fuckhead? It's not like you're the goddess of fertility. You've still only plopped out one, and I know damn well that you and Tony have been trying for more."
"You're forgetting," Ruth muttered, still keeping her gaze firmly focused on the magazine, even going so far as to turn a page in order to further the impression that she was actually reading its contents, "I know you too well. If you only came to cause trouble, I don't know why you wanted to visit for the weekend at all."
"Because you and Tony begged me to come and disturb your ruinous boredom?" Charlotte replied with a smile. "God forbid that you might have to actually spend some time together." She paused, before feigning a look of shock. "My God, you might actually have to sleep with your husband!"
A flicker of indignation crossed Ruth's face, but she still didn't look up from the magazine.
"What would you be doing this weekend if I hadn't come?" Charlotte asked. "You'd be plucking your own eyes out due to sheer boredom."
"Don't try to play games with me," Ruth added, finally looking over at her. "I know you too well, Charlotte. You think you can sit on the edges of my family life and take pot-shots at everything. It's true, isn't it? You think you're so fucking superior to everyone else, just because..."
Charlotte waited for her to finish. "Just because what ?" she asked eventually, with a faint smile. She knew this was, more or less, another variation on the same argument that she and her sister had been having for more than a decade. She was faintly amused by the whole thing, although she felt a little bored. After all, Ruth wasn't exactly an inspiring sparring partner, and their bickering was well-scripted by now. In fact, Charlotte was amazed that Ruth still found the whole thing entertaining enough to keep picking these arguments.
"Please don't upset my daughter," Ruth continued, keeping her voice low even though Sophie was now a couple of hundred meters away, playing by the riverside. "When you say silly things about having twenty children in your basement, she believes you. I know it might be hard for you to remember what it was like to be her age, but she's very
"Go on," Charlotte said with a smile. "Someone needs to keep an eye on those dragonflies, and it might as well be you. If they bite you, just bite back harder. They're mean little things, and sometimes you have to put them in their place." She glanced at Ruth, checking for the usual expression of irritation; sure enough, her sister had a face like she was chewing on a wasp. "If you see a dragonfly named Henry," Charlotte continued, turning back to Sophie, "tell him he still owes me a rabbit."
"You're silly," Sophie said with a faint smile.
"All the best people are silly," Charlotte replied.
"Go and play," Ruth said sternly.
As Sophie ran toward the river, Charlotte took a sip of her lemonade before turning to her sister. She immediately realized that she was in trouble: Ruth looked even more pissed off than usual, as if she was ready to bring hell-fire down on the entire house. In a way, it was a miracle that things had been going so well. Charlotte had already spent a night in her sister's house without there being an argument, so conflict was overdue.
"I suppose you think you're smart," she said eventually, with obvious disdain in her voice.
"Not particularly," Charlotte replied.
"Bullshit!" Ruth continued, keeping her voice low as she pretended to still be reading her magazine. "You think you can just waltz in here and upset my daughter, and then waltz out again and leave me to pick up the pieces."
"If you say so."
"Not if I say so," Ruth replied. "It's the plain, unvarnished truth. You've always had this smirk on your face whenever you come to my house -"
"Whenever you invite me, you mean," Charlotte pointed out, before a flicker of sadness arced through her chest. "What do you want me to tell her? That I'm a barren fuckhead? It's not like you're the goddess of fertility. You've still only plopped out one, and I know damn well that you and Tony have been trying for more."
"You're forgetting," Ruth muttered, still keeping her gaze firmly focused on the magazine, even going so far as to turn a page in order to further the impression that she was actually reading its contents, "I know you too well. If you only came to cause trouble, I don't know why you wanted to visit for the weekend at all."
"Because you and Tony begged me to come and disturb your ruinous boredom?" Charlotte replied with a smile. "God forbid that you might have to actually spend some time together." She paused, before feigning a look of shock. "My God, you might actually have to sleep with your husband!"
A flicker of indignation crossed Ruth's face, but she still didn't look up from the magazine.
"What would you be doing this weekend if I hadn't come?" Charlotte asked. "You'd be plucking your own eyes out due to sheer boredom."
"Don't try to play games with me," Ruth added, finally looking over at her. "I know you too well, Charlotte. You think you can sit on the edges of my family life and take pot-shots at everything. It's true, isn't it? You think you're so fucking superior to everyone else, just because..."
Charlotte waited for her to finish. "Just because what ?" she asked eventually, with a faint smile. She knew this was, more or less, another variation on the same argument that she and her sister had been having for more than a decade. She was faintly amused by the whole thing, although she felt a little bored. After all, Ruth wasn't exactly an inspiring sparring partner, and their bickering was well-scripted by now. In fact, Charlotte was amazed that Ruth still found the whole thing entertaining enough to keep picking these arguments.
"Please don't upset my daughter," Ruth continued, keeping her voice low even though Sophie was now a couple of hundred meters away, playing by the riverside. "When you say silly things about having twenty children in your basement, she believes you. I know it might be hard for you to remember what it was like to be her age, but she's very
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