The Difference Between Him and Her

By Casey J. Hansen

Skai St. Cloud has always been runningevery new destination bears a new name and a different story. But Skai isnt on this journey alone. She befriends a missing and only survivor of a plane crash, Sonny Heartly, who is running from her uncle. When Sonnys psychotic uncle catches up to them, Skai is desperate for an escape route from her reality. Her plan backfires when she runs into Tyson Curt, who prevents her from moving on due to his own personal agenda. Leaving her nowhere else to run, Tyson convinces her to live and work for him while providing her safety from Sonnys uncle. Soon enough, Skai is too late to realize that her past has always been hot on her heels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493159857

Casey J. Hansen

Cassandra J. Hansen studies Writing and Psychology and lives in Washington with her parents and little sister, Gabrielle. When she is not writing, Cassandra is either reading, going to school, or spending time with her friends and family. Other works of Cassandra J. Hansen found on Amazon and Nook include: Lorie’s Phantom series: Keys and Locks One in the Same Lorie Incarnate (coming soon)

Book preview

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

HIM AND HER

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Casey J. Hansen

Copyright © 2014 by Casey J. Hansen.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 01/03/2014

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

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CONTENTS

Devastating Plane Crash Leaving A Missing Survivor And 75 Dead

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

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Acknowledgments

Dedication

For my mother, who ran,

and to my father, who caught up with her.

For Gabrielle Hansen, Melanie Eggelston, Haley Comfort,

and Alexis Chittenden.

Thanks for being my reason to smile.

So wake me up when it’s all over.

When I’m wiser and I’m older.

All this time I was finding myself and I didn’t know I was lost.

– Avicii, Wake Me Up

Not really sure how to feel about it.

Something in the way you move

Makes me feel like I can’t live without you.

It takes me all the way.

I want you to stay.

– Rihanna, Stay

DEVASTATING PLANE CRASH LEAVING A MISSING SURVIVOR AND 75 DEAD

O N THE NIGHT of August 15, 2000, an American Airlines DC-12 lost its right engine and plummeted to the ground at 9:37 p.m. Just after liftoff from the Texas Airport in Dallas, the flight traveled three miles when the right engine failed and burst into flames. It was bound for Connecticut on the hot summer day. The cause of the combustion is still being investigated. None of the passengers survived the accident except twelve-year-old Sonny Heartly, who was being escorted onto the flight along with her parents, both of whom were victims.

The answer of how she is the only survivor of the crash is still unknown. An eyewitness of the dreadful scene rushed to help any survivors and reported seeing a young girl run into the forest.

I called out to her, but she kept running, John Able claims to the Tribune reporter. She ran straight for the forest, and I lost sight of her through the trees. Search parties began around eleven o’clock following the crash and will continue all week.

She’s out there somewhere, says Sonny’s uncle, Jim Heartly, her only relative. I lost my brother. I can’t lose my niece as well. As frantic as Heartly is to find his niece, he is lucky that she is only missing.

Sonny was last seen wearing an oversized red hoodie, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers. She is 5’ tall and has black hair with blue eyes. Any information about Sonny Heartly’s whereabouts must be reported right away.

CHAPTER 1

Skai

V ERA, NANCY SAID again for the fourth time in two minutes. Vera Anderson.

I dragged my eyes away from the brown stain peeking out from under the light-blue rug on the white carpet and looked at my therapist blankly. It was the only imperfection in the room, and it reminded me of myself. She couldn’t see what was hidden underneath my skin, and she never would. Her bleach-blond hair framed her face, not a hair out of place, and her ice-blue eyes searched mine. Her stare was so intense that for a second, I began to panic, like she was looking into my soul and she could see what I am. Nancy blinked, and my panic washed away. She didn’t see anything.

What? I asked, a little sharp and too quickly. Nancy didn’t flinch.

Is Sonny in the room right now? Every therapist asked the same question, and everyone got the same answer.

No. My response was automatic. It was a lie. Sonny was sitting right next to me on the sofa with her legs and arms crossed. She hadn’t been paying attention until Nancy said her name. But the therapist didn’t see her. Only I did, and Sonny liked it like that. If she let herself be seen, disaster would arise, and I couldn’t let that happen. She was also the reason I had nightmares every night and why I needed therapy. I don’t know where she is. It was not a complete lie, but it was also not the full truth.

It’s almost time to go. Sonny craned her neck to look up at the clock on the wall. I followed her eyes and grabbed my purse, running my fingers through my stubborn tangled, frizzy hair.

Nancy sighed and put her clipboard on the glass coffee table. Will you be here on Wednesday?

Yes. Lie.

Call me if you have any more bad dreams.

Okay, I said even though I never do. She said that after each session. I will. Sonny gave me a look of confusion and then vanished. I would be gone tomorrow. We’d been here too long. Sonny always got stressed out being in one place for so long. So, we run.

I could hear Sonny’s footsteps echo in the parking garage, but when I turned to let her catch up, no one was there. I was alone as I jabbed the car keys into the lock and twisted it. The Jeep roared to life, and Kelly Clarkson’s Dark Side blasted from the radio. I screamed as my heart raced, and I punched the volume button off.

Holy shit! Sonny yelled from the passenger seat. I keep telling you to turn the volume down before you turn the damn car off!

Watch your mouth. You’re more educated than that, I scolded her and exited the building.

What should our new name be? she asked as I pulled onto the highway on our way to our temporary home.

Should I keep the name Vera? I sort of like it. Sonny flipped through the radio stations for a good song and turned up the volume. The Oregon rain pounded mercilessly on the windshield. It was a stark contrast between the dry and humid places I’d lived. My neighbors had said that in the summer, it would dry up, but we wouldn’t be here that long.

"You need a new one. Vera can be traced. Besides, new state, new name."

She was right. I had been seen with too many people. It was my own fault. Coming to a new place was easy. It was the leaving part I didn’t like. I always met a few people who were dragged into my mess. One day I made plans to see them tomorrow, but the next day, I’d be gone. I hate good-byes.

Okay. Your turn to pick. Sonny nodded and looked out the window at the passing cars, her face pensive.

I like the name Skai. The sound rang in my ears.

Skai what? She thought some more.

Skai Finn.

No, I snorted. I’ll be Skai St. Cloud.

Ha. Nice. All right, hair color. How about dark red? I thought about it and smiled.

Done. I pulled off the highway and stopped at a red light. I flipped through the channels and found nothing. Sonny pressed the volume button off.

What’s Washington like? she asked and curled her legs up onto the seat.

How should I know? I have never been there.

Don’t look at me when you talk to me in public. Sonny slinked down in her seat, as if anyone but me could see her.

Why? I asked and looked around. The guy in the car on the side of Sonny’s window was giving me an odd look. I flipped him off and pressed my foot on the gas when the light turned green.

Well, that was ladylike, Sonny teased and sat back up in her chair.

Since when do you care what people think of you? I ignored her banter and checked the rearview mirror. Sonny pinched her face together in a scowl. She was just a kid; of course she was going to be insecure. Hey. I rubbed her kneecap, and she looked up at me. It’s just you and I, kid. We’ll be gone by tonight. She reclined her chair back and closed her eyes.

What if he lives in Washington?

He doesn’t, I told her.

But what if he does?

He doesn’t, I said again and repeated it in my head until I believed it myself. I pulled into the little garage, and the lights turned on automatically. The rent on the house would expire next month. We had been here in Portland for five months, spent four months back in Salem and another five months in Eugene. Sonny always said six months in one place is too long, and I agreed. My alarm clock on the bedside table blinked 3:00 p.m. I only had a couple of things left to pack, including my bedspread, two pillows, toiletries, and makeup. Sonny was gone again, and I didn’t ask where she went. A few boxes were scattered around the living room. I would ask Sonny to help me load the car, but she was no use. They would just pass right through her hands.

The house came with its own furnishings provided by the owners. All I had were a couple pots and pans, a few mirrors, face and body towels, plates and table utensils, chairs, candles, lamps, books, and two bags full of clothes that consisted of yoga pants, sweats, jeans, T-shirts, tank tops, sneakers, and the classical bra and panties. I didn’t need much. I was never a material girl. I survived with what I needed, not what I wanted. It was unbelievable how much money I had saved up not spending it on details and fancy stuff. I shopped at Goodwill, Value Village, and the Dollar Tree. I loved thrift stores.

It was around five when I saw Sonny again. Her red hoodie was pulled over her face. It was too big on her, but it kept her warm in the winter. Her hands were shoved in her jean pockets, and she was kicking at the tires. I made room for the last box into the trunk.

Ready to go? I asked and took in a deep breath.

Vera? she asked and peered at me through her hood.

It’s Skai now, remember?

"Promise me