The Sister’s Secrets: Rose. Katlyn Duncan

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       Prologue

      Rosemary knew it wasn’t the morning when her eyes cracked open. The waves crashing against the shore were louder than ever. The darkness in her bedroom might have affected some people, but not her, not at that moment. Moonlight filtered through her curtains, billowing them as if ghosts danced under the sheer white fabric. She narrowed her eyes slightly, sharpening the edges of the furniture in her room.

      Damp sheets clung to her body, and the taste of the salt in the air filled her mouth. She pulled her hair back and rolled it around her hand, tugging the thick strands off her neck.

      According to the fish clock hanging from the wall, it was 11.22 p.m.

      Why was she awake?

      Maybe a sound from outside woke her up? Her body tensed. Was someone about to rob them? She heard Reen in the back of her head: ‘Don’t be such a worrywart.’

      She stood up, ready to alert Mom and Dad. But Mom didn’t sleep so well. Waking her up for no reason would make for a rough day tomorrow. It was the weekend, and she was sure that Mom would be miserable if she disrupted her sleep in any way.

      She flattened one leg of her shorts, her fingers brushing against the fresh scratches on her knees. Reen played harder lately, and Rose was up for the challenge.

      Then, she heard it.

      This splash was different from the rhythmic movement of the ocean outside of her house – the background noise of her life.

      She strained to hear the voices that filled her ears. Two people spoke in hushed tones. Both were female.

      Mom?

      Padding across the room, she flung open the curtains. The dark mass of water making up her front yard reached out to the infinite sea.

      No one was on the beach. Rose strained to hear and place the voices. The binoculars, from Dad for her tenth birthday, sat on the desk. If she could figure out what was going on, there was no need to alert her parents. Besides, there was no way that she was going back to sleep after this.

      She lifted the binoculars and peered through them. No one came out to the private beaches of The Burrow unless they were looking for trouble. She at least wanted to tell Dad what was happening.

      Then she saw it. Something reflected off the water. The white light flickered several times before blinking out entirely.

      She couldn’t make out the words around the whispers, but they intensified. A tugging sensation in her stomach forced her to put her binoculars on the sill and propelled her to climb over and onto the wooden patio.

      Whispers, faint and teasing, reached all corners of her mind. The voices were familiar yet, bizarre.

      Rose pinched her arm to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Sharp, biting pain radiated over her skin.

      Definitely not dreaming.

      As her feet pressed into the soft sand, she tilted her head to the side to listen for the whispers.

      They were gone.

      She stood straighter and peered into the distance. It might have been a good idea to bring the binoculars, but she had an idea where she’d seen the flickering light. If she went back, she might miss what she was looking for.

      The water pulled the sand from under her feet as she walked over the surf. The cool liquid over her skin warmed the chill in her spine. Water did that to her.

      That same pulling sensation tugged at her chest, beckoning her forward.

      She walked further until the ocean touched her ankles, then her knees, and stopped when it reached СКАЧАТЬ