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DESPITE THEIR RECONCILIATION, Eva did not sleep in Debbie's bed. Some time in the morning hours after Christmas, the Gallaghers began to settle down. Eva, however, could not leave Matty's side.
Outside, the sun began to rise, bleaching the night sky pale silver. Light filtered in through the windows in the kitchen. Eva and Matty both lay limp against the couch, facing each other. A constant smile played about his lips.
"God, you're so grown," Matty whispered, cutting into a momentary silence. "It makes me sad."
Four years does that to a person, Eva wanted to say, but she feared that it would instill guilt. Matty had explained the story in full, of how he and Mallory had searched high and low for their family, their little sister, but had never succeeded in any solid leads. After a year and a half, they'd given up hope that they would ever find the Healys on their own.
Eva reached forward fingers that had been tentative hours before, and brushed Matty's stubbled cheeks. "You look just about the same."
Matty gave a feeble chuckle, but there was a terrible sadness in his eyes. He watched Eva, his baby sister, quietly, and she knew that he still felt that guilt she'd tried to bat away from him. Perhaps he could see the real change in Eva, the weight of fours years alone with a pair of careless, violence-loving parents. Possibly he was wondering how Eva had survived all that time without snapping or dying.
"You said," Matty whispered, "that Mom and Dad got close to killing you the other day. What did you mean?"
Eva shifted on the couch uncomfortably. She found that she did not like to tell him the truth about what had been going on at home. For some odd reason, one she could not understand, she felt embarrassed—as if Matty had not witnessed their parents' true nature. It was true, they had favored Matty and Mallory over Eva, but still....
"Just that, I guess," Eva replied, eyes darting away from her brother.
"Give me the story."
"Well..." Eva felt that she needed to steady her heartbeat before she could speak properly, but it would not slow. "It's really not as bad as I said. I went to pick something up from the house, and Dad caught me. He wasn't happy with me."
"What did he do?" Matty's voice was barely over a whisper.
Eva shook her head. "All he did was put a gun to my back—but I doubt I was in any real danger, you know? Mom was the one who needed to be worried about. He put the gun to her head. That's why I punched out my window—" Eva brandished her bandaged hand "—to distract them."
