Sparked (The Metal Bones Series Book 1) by Sheena Snow Page A

suitcase, and without missing a stride, signaled for Robotatouille to follow him out the door.
    The three of us stared at the floor, not knowing how to interact with one another.
    I played with my fingers.
    “Dad, I—”
    His head came up, revealing watery eyes and a pale face. The gray in his eyes was set off against the red lines, making them even more vibrant. I took a mental picture.
    “Oh, Vienna,” Mom said, her eyes soft and blurry.
    I wished those tears were because I was leaving. I wished those tears were for me. But I knew they weren’t. They were for the situation. Not me. What would Mom’s friends think about her after this?
    “It’s going to be all right.” Dad clasped his hands in mine. “You’ll see. We’ll be together again.”
    My hands shook in his. Dad’s arms came around me, holding me tight. I swallowed the knot forming in my throat. This was the second time today Dad hugged me.
    I buried my face in his shirt.
    “Vienna.” Mom slipped her clammy arms around me and I jerked, not expecting the touch.
    “Vienna.” Mom bit her lip. “You know that—”
    “Mom, it’s okay.” I didn’t want to hear her excuses. This might be our last hug, and I wanted to remember it being as positive as possible.
    “Your mom means to say that we love you and we only want the best for you,” Dad said.
    Sure Mom did.
    I nodded and pushed out of Mom’s embrace.
    Dad’s fingers tightened into my shoulders. “We’ll get you back. I promise.”
    Mom walked over to the window and scrunched the drapes in her fists. “Whoever is stalking you will pay. And believe me they will pay dearly.”
    Mom didn’t need to make a scene for me.
    “This isn’t goodbye,” Dad whispered, “this is only until we meet next time.”
    “Of course,” I said.
    “We’ll miss you,” Mom said.
    I pressed my lips together. It was difficult to hear the things Mom was saying. It was almost making me think she cared.
    I shook my head. Mom was probably glad to be getting rid of the child with the missing gene.   
    Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders and we walked out into the frigid air. Sprinkles of snowflakes danced in the air and melted at our feet.
    Robotatouille gestured to the black Dodge Charger sitting in our driveway with the engine running.
    “Are you ready?” Robotatouille walked to the car door.
    Dad’s arms drifted away from my shoulders as I headed toward the car. Robotatouille opened the door for me, and I saw my suitcase, pillow, blankets, and cans of food in the backseat.
    “Safe journey.” Robotatouille nodded and then shut the door, locking me in.
    I stared at Mom and Dad through the dark, tinted windows. Would I ever see them again?
    They seemed to swim away from me as we pulled out of the driveway. As if suddenly realizing, Mom stumbled forward and said something, her lips moving.
    I frowned.
    What are you saying?
    Mom placed her hands over her heart and mouthed it again. I squinted, trying to figure it out but her lips moved in strange ways.
    What looked like tears were rolling down her face. Dad held her as we started down the street. I watched until gradually they became smaller and smaller, until we turned the corner and I couldn’t see them at all.
    And then it hit me. Like a rush of wind before a storm.
    I knew what Mom had been trying to tell me. The way her lips moved, the way she placed her hands over her heart, the way tears rolled down her face, it was so obvious. How could I have missed it?
    I played back the scene in my head. Mom’s lips moved in slow motion. The audio of her voice filled my ears. And I heard the words.
    I love you.

Chapter 13
    Bile rose in my throat.
    How could Mom do this to me? How could Mom spring this on me at the last moment? Did she expect me to believe it? Had it been only for Dad to see?
    I swallowed.
    Or had it been real? Had Mom really meant it?
    I bit my lip. Did Mom . . . Did Mom love me? The child she never wanted, the child she couldn’t share her