Page 114 of Into the Dark, We Go

"You’ll come home right away, right?" she urged.

"Yeah."

"Right away. Wherever you are, just come home."

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I gotta go, Mom. I love you, too."

Hanging up on her was the hardest part, but I had to do it before I broke down completely. I wanted to leave her with something better than our last argument to remember me by.

I stood there for a while, feeling an emptiness inside me, expanding until it filled every corner of me. Something dark and cold was spreading through me, and it was calming in a way that felt wrong. I wiped away my tears and went back to the room.

To my surprise, I found June preparing to go out.

"Oh, good, you’re alright," she said with relief. "Want to grab something to eat? There’s a taco place nearby."

"Tacos for my special meal? Why not?" I replied, forcing a smile.

"Don’t say that," June chided softly.

"I’m sorry."

"I’m not really hungry, to be honest," she admitted, her shoulders slumping.

"Neither am I."

We stayed in.

I paced the motel room,nervous energy coiling tighter with every passing minute. It had been hours, and still no word fromMitch or Nick. They’d forbidden us from calling—said they’d check in when they could.

I couldn’t shake the fear that something had gone wrong. Maybe they’d run into Robert’s men. We had no idea how many were part of his gang. His coven. For all we knew, they might’ve been patrolling the whole town, maybe even watching the cemetery.

The minutes dragged on, and I checked the clock on the wall obsessively, willing the hands to move faster. 9:47 PM. 9:52 PM. 9:59 PM.

"Why didn’t you leave with Nick? I thought you guys were together or something."

June’s words made me pause, and I exhaled, feeling the weight of my recent decisions pressing down on me. "No, I went home. He went back to Minnesota. We’re not together."

June’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"

I faltered. "Because he has his life, and I have mine. Had. Whatever."

"I’m sorry I outed you guys. It wasn’t nice. I was just..." she trailed off, searching for the right word to name her emotions.

I waved a hand to dismiss it. It didn’t matter anymore.

June’s gaze softened. "Do you still love Lucas? Is that why?"

I winced. She’d hit a nerve. "I don’t know. The more I think about our relationship, the less fond I am of the memories. It’s like... I was blind to a lot of things, and now I’m starting to see everything for what it was."

June’s lips curved downward in a soft, sympathetic frown. "Why? Did he treat you poorly?"

"No, but he kept secrets, apparently. And perhaps that’s what killed him. And the entire time, he made me feel like I was the one who was crazy and controlling. But the truth is, I was just never enough."

"I’m sure he loved you," she tried comforting me, but her words only fueled my anger. I didn’t need pity, especially not from a nineteen-year-old.