I see a small twitch in his shoulders before he turns to look at me.
"Yes, it’s locked in the safe. Why do you ask?" he says, raising a brow as he loads the dishwasher.
"I saw some wild animal in the bushes nearby. Could’ve been a black bear, maybe a coyote."
"Don’t worry, I doubt it’ll try to get through the fence."
I let out a nervous huff. "You never know. It could be hungry or rabid. Tell Skye and Storm not to go outside, not even into the yard."
Dad studies me carefully. "Sure, I’ll tell them," he says calmly.
But I’m not done. "You probably shouldn’t keep the gun locked up. Maybe keep it closer, just in case," I mutter.
He watches me for a moment, then turns back to the dishes without answering.
We finish breakfast and head out to the driveway. Dad straps Sun into his car seat while Rain and I climb into the back of the SUV.
I sit next to Sun, who keeps watching me. Every time the car bumps over something, I flinch from the pain.
When we hit a speed bump, I can’t help letting out a quiet groan. Dad glances at me in the mirror.
"You alright, Bay?"
"Yeah," I mumble. "Just a stomachache."
"Probably nerves. First day at a new school, meeting new people…"
Then I feel a small hand gripping my forearm. Sun’s eyes are focused on me, oddly intent.
I want to pull away, but instead I give him a crooked smile. He’s probably having a rough time too, it’s his first week in preschool, and no kid likes being separated from his parents. But Dad decided to pick up a few extra music classes at another preschool, and he and Father thought it would be good for Sun to spend a few hours there every day.
Soon we stop in front of Rain’s middle school. He jumps out, waves, and heads toward the building with a spring in his step. Rain’s the kind of kid who gets along with everyone. He’s twelve and a half, already taller than all of his classmates, definitely growing into an alpha. A group of his friends is waiting near the entrance, and they greet him with some complicated handshake before disappearing inside.
Then it’s just me and Sun in the car as Dad turns around and drives toward my high school. I notice him glancing at me fromtime to time in the rearview mirror. Once or twice our eyes meet, and I catch a glimpse of concern in his aquamarine eyes.
"Bay… are you sure you’re alright? I’m sorry to keep asking, but I can’t shake this scary feeling. It’s like there’s a dark cloud hanging over you. Are you really that anxious about the new school?"
"I’m not afraid of school," I say flatly, and it’s the absolute truth. I couldn’t care less about a bunch of kids who probably have no idea what it means to come face to face with darkness and pain. Or maybe some of them do. Either way, I doubt we’ll be chatting about it over blueberry muffins in the cafeteria.
"Did you get some negative comment under your video or something?"
My laughter is bitter and sharp.
"Seriously, Dad? You think something like that could ruin my mood?"
"So something did ruin your mood."
I let out an angry sigh.
"I’m a teenager. Let’s just call it hormones," I say through clenched teeth.
Sun is still holding my hand. I don’t pull away. There’s something soothing in his grip, that small hand and those big trusting eyes watching me so closely.
We finally pull up in front of my new school.
Jackson High is big. A lot of students come here from the suburbs and nearby towns, it’s a pretty mixed crowd, and the place is packed. My middle school was small and rural. This is going to be different.
"We’ll go to the main office with you to get your schedule," Dad says.
