“I’m okay,” he said, shrugging her off.
She tried not to feel hurt as he left.
Seth’s hand touched hers. “I’ll go for a walk with you if you want.”
Adria took in a breath. “No, I think I just want to go to bed.”
Changing into a t-shirt, she crawled under a large comforter, and it wasn’t long before she felt Kaydon slide in behind her and Seth lay down in front of her.
Kaydon’s hand wrapped around her middle, pulling her in close, and Seth stared into her eyes, brushing a stray hair from her face.
“What’s going on with your brother?” she said.
Seth closed his eyes. “He won’t talk to me.”
Kaydon adjusted behind her. “Me either.”
Adria felt her eyelids getting heavy, but her mind wouldn’t quiet. Part of her wanted to march after Bryson right now, demand he stop shutting them out—after everything they’d been through, didn’t she deserve that much?
But another voice whispered that pushing too hard might drive him further away. She closed her eyes, torn between respecting his space and the gnawing fear that if she didn’t chase after him soon, he might disappear altogether.
“Me three. We will get it figured out. I promise.”
CHAPTER 45
Her house was quiet and dark. The only light was from the moon outside.
Adria’s bare feet padded down the stairs.
There were noises coming from the kitchen.
She moved as quietly as possible.
The room was cold, and she pulled her arms across her body.
Fear gripped her, and Adria had trouble pushing forward.
She hovered in the doorway, frozen. Listening.
Soft cries came from up ahead.
“You are not afraid of anything,” she whispered to herself. “Move your feet,” she ordered her body under her breath. Willing her limbs to move, she crossed the threshold into the kitchen.
On the counter was her mother’s cookbook. Adria ran her fingers along it. Tracing the mountain symbol on the front.
To its right lay a pan on the stove, its contents black and smoking.
The moonlight seemed to flicker in and out, and after a few steps, the room filled with a haze and Adria fell into complete darkness.
Standing still, she listened to the sounds of her own breathing and whimpering coming from the closet door ahead.
Bright light spilled from under the frame.
Adria held her breath and shuffled forward in the dark.
Hand on the doorknob, she heard soft voices.
“Honey, it’s so good to see you.”
