Page 94 of Into the Dark, We Go

I cringed internally at his attempt to include me; it was so poorly veiled. He kept trying to diffuse the tension, but it wasn’t working.

"No, but I also think we’re in over our heads," I replied, unsure where my thoughts were leading. "Maybe we need to step back a bit."

"Easy for you to say," June crossed her arms, her voice pure poison. "You’ve got your replacement boyfriend there. But I don’t think a replacement sister is an option for me."

"Hey!" Nick snapped, slamming his book shut. "Cut it, June."

"You two started it!"

"Enough," Mitchell intervened, rising from his seat to position himself between them. "If this is gonna be a problem, we need to rethink our approach. We’re this close," he pinched his thumb and index finger together, "to finding out what happened to Amanda, Lucas, and Nick’s Mom."

The mention of Lucas’s name hit me like a slap. I had been betraying him all along. I didn’t even know if he was actually dead, yet I’d been acting like it didn’t matter.

"I’m not staying," I blurted, the words escaping before I could reel them back in. But the thought had been simmering in my head all day. There was no point in staying. I would only make things worse. Thankfully, we still had the rental car, sparing us the awkwardness of a tense ride together.

"Nellie," Mitch called me in a soft voice.

"No. I’ve thought about it." I stood, resolute. "I found what I was looking for. There’s a reason for Lucas’s disappearance, but nothing we could take to the police. At some point, we need to accept what’s happened and move on."

"If it’s about what June said," he hesitated, "then it’s nothing. I mean, that’s your personal business, and June and I will stay out of it. Right, June?" He gave his sister a stern glance.

"Great," June scoffed. "So, you got yourself a new boyfriend, and now you’re done with us. And I’m somehow at fault?"

I stared at her for a few seconds and slowly shook my head. "This isn’t about that," I said, trying to keep my frustration in check. "It’s about facing reality. I’m sorry about your sister, June, but I’m leaving in the morning. You guys can stay and do what you need to do."

"We’re just five days shy of the full moon. You’re really planning to take off?" Mitch said, trying to convince me.

"I am. And I’m sorry—for everything."

"Nothing to be sorry about," he threw his hands in anI give upgesture, finally letting it go.

It might look like I was running away, and maybe I was. I had backed myself into a corner, and the only way out was to leave. But it wasn’t just about escaping the mess I’d made. This discomfort had shown me something I hadn’t been ready to admit: I had to stop chasing ghosts. Besides, our search had taken a strange turn. The witches, the sigils, the grimoire, the woods with a life of their own. It was too much to take in and far from what we had expected to uncover.

Maybe it was time. Time to walk away from the search for Lucas, the mystery that had consumed so much of my life. Time to stop clinging to the idea that finding out what happened to Lucas would finally let me move on. Chasing answers wouldn’t change the past, and I couldn’t keep risking everything for a chance at them. I had to let go. I had to do it now.

Nick stayed silent, re-immersed in his book, as if he hadn’t even heard us.

It was time to close this chapter of my life.

26

Chapter Twenty-Six

September, 2020

"Drop me off at the airport?"

To my surprise, Nick left with me in the morning. I hugged Mitch and June goodbye, but June was still frosty; her stiff posture and cold shoulder made that clear. We’d only known each other for a couple of weeks, but leaving felt bittersweet all the same.

I expected Mitchell to question why Nick was leaving, but he said nothing, his arms crossed over his chest. Nick definitely wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and he’d grown on me slowly, but Mitch and June had remained neutral to negative towards him. The four of us made a good team.

Until I went and ruined it all.

"Want me to drive?" Nick asked after we loaded our bags into the car.

I handed him the keys.

"I can’t believe you’re leaving too," I remarked. "You never found out what happened to your mother."