And the music does the crying for us.
Chapter 68
Brooke
It’s been three days since the kids got here.
For three days, the house has echoed with quiet footsteps and doors that close too softly. They stay in their room together like if they separate, something else will be taken from them. They eat when I bring food to them. They shower when I remind them. They don’t explore the house. They don’t ask questions. They don’t trust us.
I can’t blame them at all.
Ryan watches everything like he is storing information away for later use. Elise doesn’t talk much, but her eyes say enough. She studies us constantly, assessing and calculating, waiting for one of us to prove her instincts right. I can feel her suspicion even when she’s silent.
Seth and I wake up tangled together in the kind of sleep that only comes after too much adrenaline and not enough time to grieve. His arm is wrapped around my waist, holding me close like I might vanish if he lets go. For a few seconds, everything feels almost normal, which makes it worse when reality comes rushing back in.
The feeling fades quickly.
We get dressed without talking much. I tug on a tank top and jeans. Seth pulls on his shirt, and grabs his phone from the nightstand.
We walk into the living room and find Travis and Naomi on the couch. They are sitting close to each other. Travis’ arm was slung behind her shoulder. The space between them feels electric in a way that is hard to ignore. Naomi’s top hangs half off her shoulder. Travis looks rumpled and wide awake at the same time. They both straighten when they see us, like they were caught doing something they weren’t supposed to.
“Morning,” Travis says, rubbing his neck.
I arch a brow at them. “You two okay?”
Naomi clears her throat before answering. “Yeah. Just… talking.”
Seth’s attention shifts past them toward the hallway. “Have you seen the kids?”
Travis shakes his head slowly. “Not for a few hours.”
Something tightens painfully in my chest, and my first instinct is to tell myself they’re fine. My second instinct is to stop lying to myself.
“They usually don’t come out without Brooke,” Naomi adds quickly. “I figured they were sleeping.”
Seth turns toward the hallway without another word. I fall into step beside him because I already feel the change in him, the way his shoulders set and his pace tightens.
He knocks on the door firmly. “Elise,” he calls. “Ryan.”
There’s no answer.
He knocks again, harder this time. “Hey. It’s Seth.”
Silence answers him again, and my pulse starts to climb. A cold wave moves through my body. He opens the door slowly, and everything inside me drops.
The room is empty.
The beds look untouched. There are no shoes by the door. There are no backpacks on the floor. The window remains locked from the inside.
“No. No, no, no.” I rush past him and check the bathroom. The bathroom is empty. I open the other room down the hall. That room is empty too.
We rush back into the living room. The security monitors glow in the corner of the living room. Travis is at the keyboard within seconds, fingers moving fast and precise. The footage rewinds, and the house feels like it is holding its breath with us. Naomi stands behind the couch tense, like she is waiting for the moment the screen confirms our worst fear.
We all lean in. There they are.
It is early morning, an hour ago. Elise moves first. She has the keys in her hand, and the sight of that makes my stomach twist. Ryan follows her without hesitation. They pause at the door like she is listening for something beyond the walls, like she is checking for danger before she moves.
Then they're gone. The van backs out of the driveway and disappears down the road.
