Katlyn Duncan - The Sister’s Secrets - Rose

KATLYN DUNCANgrew up in a small town in New England, but her head was always in the clouds. She wanted to travel and see the world but was happy enough to write her own characters and live through them. Katlyn started writing at a young age and never really stopped. Even if she wasn’t writing a novel or a movie script, she was jotting down ideas in her journal or on Post-it notes. She never thought (even though she dreamed) they would lead to her actually becoming published someday. One of her proudest moments was winning $50 for a writing contest in sixth grade. And Katlyn bought her very own television with it. In that same grade, one of her most influential teachers taught her that reading was an escape and she hopes she can bring that to her readers as well.

Katlyn currently lives in lower New England, a quick train ride to New York City, with her husband and adorable wheaten terrier in a Victorian fixer-upper.

‘I will definitely be reading more from this author again.’

‘Engaging and thought provoking.’

‘I was completely glued from page one and didn’t want to put it down.’

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Taken

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Possessed

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Betrayed

This Summer

This Christmas

Darkest Dawn

As You Lay Sleeping

Six Little Secrets

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018

Copyright © Katlyn Duncan 2018

Katlyn Duncan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © October 2018 ISBN: 9780008314903

Version: 2018-09-03

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Author

Readers Love Katlyn Duncan

Also by Katlyn Duncan

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Acknowledgements

The Next Book From Katlyn Duncan Is Coming in January 2019

Dear Reader

Keep Reading …

About the Publisher

For Mom.

Thanks for being the first reader for all my books. I was waiting for a good one to dedicate to you and I hope this one conveys how much I appreciate and love you.

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 her chest. Her foot outlined the familiar dip in the ocean floor.

One more step and she wouldn’t be walking anymore.

With a glance over her shoulder, she pushed forward.

The shock of the water at her shoulders stung like a thousand little needles prickling her skin. The salty water seeped into her mouth. Her arms moved to her sides and her legs kicked out as she treaded water.

There were no other sounds around her, not even the whispers.

Even though she felt at home in the water, the creepiness of the situation snapped her back to reality.