“None of your business.” I look away and hug my knees tighter.
“Whatever.” The girl pulls out of her brother’s grip and races across the backyard.
“Don’t go in the water,” he shouts after her.
We hear her fading voice call back to us, “I won’t.”
The boy comes toward me and hunkers down on his heels. I automatically flinch backward.
“I’m Damiano. What’s your name?”
Close up, the boy is even more good-looking than at first glance. He has thick lashes and beautiful dark brows. His jaw is defined and will become even more so as he grows. His voice is already deeper than the boys my age. But it’s his eyes that entrance me. They’re bleak, and too wise for his age.
I look at him warily, and then finally answer, “Lucy.”
“You know what this place is, don’t you? That’s why you’re so scared.”
I nod.
He glances toward the creek where his sister is. “My sister doesn’t know. I lied to her. She thinks Dad is in there helping people. But I, um…” He swallows, and for a moment, his kind expression cracks. He looks desperately unhappy, like he’s carrying a weight too heavy for someone so young. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to keep the lie going.”
Despite my own misery, something in my chest twists for him. We’re both alone, just in different ways.
“Come down to the stream with me and Lily. We’ll see if we can catch a fish.” He uses the same forced cheery tone that worked on his sister, but it doesn’t work on me.
Damiano drops the smile. “Listen. I’ll tell you the truth. You can’t sit here. It’s not safe. You smell that?”
A chemical scent hangs in the air. I’ve noticed it getting stronger throughout the day, seeping into my clothes and hair.
“They’re not just selling here. They’re cooking.”
“Does that mean making drugs?” I ask.
“Yes, and the ingredients are horrible chemicals that will make you sick.” Damiano stands up and holds out his hand to me. The defiant expression in his eyes tells me he’s not going anywhere until I agree to go with him.
I stare at his outstretched hand. Two days I’ve been alone. Two days of stealing stale bread and lukewarm water from the kitchen when the scary people weren’t looking. Two days of making myself invisible. And now this boy—this stranger—is offering his hand to me like I matter.
I put my hand in his, and he helps me to my feet. I expect him to drop my hand as we cross the grass toward the creek, but he holds it firmly. After being cold, alone, and scared for so long, the warmth of his fingers feels like he’s scooped me up in a hug. The frightening house melts away. Everything melts away. I’m only aware of the tall boy walking beside me, keeping me grounded.
Keeping me safe.
We reach the creek and our shoes touch stones that have been smoothed by the water. I want to go on holding Damiano’s hand. Actually, what I really want is to bury my face in the front of his T-shirt and sob while he holds me, but weakness makes people irritated with you, or it makes them want to hurt you.
I drop Damiano’s hand and pretend to be interested in the water. Lily has picked up a stick to poke some water weeds.
“Lucy is going to help us fish,” Damiano tells her.
Lily looks me over with a critical scowl. “Your hair is curly, like mine and my brother’s, but yours is blonde.”
I don’t know what to say to that.
“Our dad is a paramedic,” she boasts. “He comes here to help people, and we have to wait.”
Damiano shoves his hands in his pockets, his jaw tight. The lie is costing him something.
“What are you doing here?” Lily asks me.
“I’m waiting for my mom.”
