This Changes Everything Read Online Free Page A

weeks.”
    “Then what’s up
with the hang-up calls the last two days?”
    She didn’t
answer.
    “Exactly. I’d
rather be safe, Amanda. He threatened to hurt her. We can’t take any chances.”
    “You’re right,
but he’s been missing for weeks. Since the calls stopped. The police think he’s
gone.”
    “I hope he is,
but I couldn’t bear it if something happened to her. Especially if he did it
because he was upset with me over some ridiculous zoning issue.”
    Ellie peeked
around the corner and saw her parents hugging and she breathed a sigh of
relief. Momma and Daddy wouldn’t be hugging if they were getting a divorce.
Momma had to be worried about something else.
    They ate dinner, everyone
quieter than usual. Ellie usually talked through most of the meal, telling them
about her day, but tonight she picked at her food. Something didn’t feel right,
and she couldn’t figure out what it was. A heavy weight pressed on her ribs, and
her hand wouldn’t stop itching.
    Her mother looked
up from her plate, worry in her eyes. “Ellie, are you feeling okay?”
    Ellie shook her
head. “No. My chest hurts.”
    Momma leaned over
and pressed the back of her hand to Ellie’s forehead. “You don’t feel like
you’re running a fever. Do you want to go upstairs and put on your pajamas? We
can watch TV in my bed before you go to sleep.”
    Ellie nodded and
picked up her plate to take it into the kitchen.
    “Don’t worry
about that, Elliphant,” her father said. “You go get ready for bed and we’ll be
up in just a little bit.”
    Ellie headed for
the staircase at the front of the house, her parents’ voices drifting after
her.
    “I’m telling you,
Amanda. Something’s wrong.”
    “I have to admit,
she’s acting strangely.”
    “Maybe you should
try talking to her. She might tell you.”
    Ellie stopped on
the steps, eavesdropping again. She knew it was wrong, but was it wrong if they
were talking about her?
    “I will.” Momma
paused and Ellie heard the clink of silverware on a plate. “But first I need to
tell you something. It’s about my trip to Charlotte a few days ago.”
    Her father was
silent.
    Momma’s voice
softened and Ellie couldn’t make out her words. Her father’s voice joined in,
also too quiet to hear. Disappointed, Ellie crept upstairs, making sure she
missed the creaky spot on the wood floor in the hall. She didn’t want Momma and
Daddy to figure out she’d been listening. After she put on her pajamas and
brushed her teeth, she headed for her parents’ room but stopped in the hall
when she heard raised voices coming from downstairs.
    “You should have
told me instead of going to Steven, Amanda!” her father said. He wasn’t yelling, but it
was much louder and harsher than he usually spoke.
    “I couldn’t,
John. I signed an NDA. I can’t even tell you all the details, and I knew you’d
insist that I did. Besides, I didn’t tell Steven. I only asked for access
to papers in the library.”
    Their voices
faded and Ellie realized they probably moved into the kitchen. Her fear
returned. They were fighting, and it wasn’t about the curse.
    She climbed into
her parents’ bed, snuggling under the covers and turning on the TV with the
remote. Her mother came in several minutes later. She changed into her own
pajamas, climbed into bed, and pulled Ellie into the crook of her arm. Ellie
snuggled against her mother, soaking in her warmth.
    “Ellie, I know
something’s bothering you and I’m worried about you. Will you please tell me
what’s wrong?”
    She hesitated.
She didn’t want to admit to eavesdropping. It was better to start with Claire.
“Claire heard her dad say he wants a divorce and wants to move back to
Greenville.”
    Her mother’s hand
smoothed over the top of Ellie’s head and her voice was soft and gentle, the
tone she used when she comforted Ellie after one of her many nightmares. “That
must make Claire very sad.”
    “Yeah.” It felt
good telling Momma about