Willow
“Go over it one more time,” Logan demanded.
It was dawn, the sun just barely cresting on the horizon. Everything was wet and covered in debris from yesterday’s storm; mud and leaves and broken branches as far as the eye could see. The three of us stood on the crumbling walkway in front of the farmhouse—Logan strapped in full gear, alert and eager, while Lucas and I were slumped and disheveled, having just rolled out of bed.
Logan had woken us just minutes ago, informing us of his decision to scout ahead on his own. This wasn’t entirely unheard of; Logan had, on occasion, left us alone in order to do some solo exploration. Yet, there was something that felt distinctively off about this; it had come out of nowhere and Logan never did anything without careful, calculated consideration.
“We need to stay in the house as much as possible,” Lucas replied cheerfully, despite having to repeat himself for a third time at Logan’s behest. “And keep our weapons on us at all times.”
“And be quiet,” Logan added.
“And only sleep inside and make sure the room is barricaded while we’re sleeping.”
“And be quiet,” Logan growled.
“And make sure to boil the water before drinking it.”
“And be fucking quiet!” Logan exploded.
“Bro, that’s the opposite of quiet,” Lucas replied lightly, giving his brother a friendly knock on the shoulder.
There was a beat of silence while Logan glowered at something off in the distance and Lucas tried to nervously smile everything away. I could only stand there with my arms folded over my chest, neither glaring nor smiling, wishing Logan would leave already. I was sick of him, but also sick over what I’d said to him.
And maybe you should stop acting like your father!Replaying the moment over in my head, I inwardly cringed. Their father had been a cold, cruel monster of a man and although Logan wasn’t exactly a warm and friendly person, I would never call him cold or cruel. Room temperature, maybe; grumpy as hell, definitely, and with all the personality of a bologna sandwich… but not at all like their father. Not even close.
“We’ll be fine,” Lucas said. “It’s not like you haven’t left us on our own before.”
“And how many times have I shown up just in time,” Logan bit out. “Because I’ve lost count.”
I had to fight against the urge to roll my eyes. In Logan’s warped mind, every little thing Lucas and I did constituted as a near-crisis. Like the time Lucas had fallen into a dried-up creek bed and sprained his ankle—nothing else had happened, and we hadn’t been in any immediate danger. Three summers later,Logan was still bringing it up.
“We’re not kids anymore,” I snapped before I could stop myself.
Two sets of ocean blue gazes shot to me, one narrowed in accusation, one wide and imploring, begging me to back off.
“Then fucking act like it,” Logan snapped back.
“I would if you’d let me!” I yelled, nearly stamping my foot. Lucas hurried to grab my hand, squeezing it tightly. “We’ll be fine,” Lucas said to Logan, still squeezing my hand. “Right, Willow?”
“Yes,” I bit out. “We’ll be fine—just go.”
Logan’s expression hardened considerably, his cold gaze turning downright icy. “Sleep inside,” he said, facing Lucas. “Barricade the damn door. Boil the water. Keep your weapons on you at all times and be fucking quiet.”
Ever the peacekeeper, Lucas flashed Logan another placating smile. “Barricade, boil, be quiet—you got it. And you be safe out there, okay?”
Logan gave Lucas a single sharp nod before turning away. As he started down the overgrown walkway, I ripped my hand free from Lucas’s and rushed back inside the house. Climbing inside my sleeping bag, I ducked my face beneath the soft, raggedy material and closed my eyes. I was glad to be rid of Logan, happy that Lucas and I could be on our own for a little while—only instead of reveling in those feelings, it was my guilt that was taking center stage. And wasn’t that just like Logan—leaving me too upset to even enjoy his absence.
The familiar thud of Lucas’s steps preceded him down the hall; entering the office, he sat down on the floor beside me, leaning into me. “He’s just going through something,” Lucas said. “I know he’s worse than usual, but he’s just stressed and… and going through something…” Lucas trailed off, sounding helpless.
We were all going through something—the whole goddamn world was going through something. But that didn’t give Logan the right to keep treating me as if I were an inconvenience. As if he wished I wasn’t here at all.
Pushing the sleeping bag away from my face, I looked up at Lucas. “Do you ever think about going our own way?” It wasn’t the first time I’d conjured up the idea of ditching Logan, but it was the first time I’d voiced it.
Lucas blinked. “What—like away from Logan?”
“I’m not saying we just up and leave him in the middle of nowhere,” I hurried to amend. “Just that once we find somewhere decent, maybe we could venture out on our own. Luke—we’ve never been on our own. Remember all our plans—we were going to travel the world!”
The girl I used to be reared her rebellious head—thegirl who’d been trapped inside a small stifling town, governed by a set of rules that had never made sense to her. That town and those rules were long gone and yet I was still feeling trapped—trapped by Lucas’s stifling big brother and governed by another set of rules that also didn’t make sense to me.
