Page 34 of Our Darkest Summer

I glanced at the clock on my nightstand, then stood up, stretching my arms. It was past four in the morning, and I had played multiple matches in the past few hours. It was time for something else. I opened the door and looked over the hallway. The white door of my parents’ bedroom across the hall stood bright in the darkness. I closed my door behind my back and made sure my brother’s was still locked before I stopped in front of the guest room.

I was only here to make sure her door was locked.But when I found it open and remembered that the key to the room was placed somewhere else, I stepped inside. Kinsley was breathing evenly under the blanket covered with white papers. I turned on the flashlight of my phone and leaned closer.

She must have stayed up long after our talk. She wrote down every information we had so far, gathering the questions that scratched my brain as well. I straightened up, surveying the room and my eyes landed on her crossword puzzles on the nightstand.

Her sacred escapes.Her chess. Kinsley was just like me, she needed her mind to be occupied. If not, it would go to places she didn’t want to revisit.

I lifted them up, and thumbed through the pages to find each already solved. I placed it back down and walked to the window, running my fingers over the frame again. I’ll have to find something that would prevent it from opening.

“Thomas?” Kinsley breathed, and I went still.

The hairs on my arms rose from the way my name fell from her lips. I turned around, and stepped closer to the bed. Her eyes were open but she wasn’t completely awake. Without thinking through what I was doing, I sat down on the mattress and smoothed over her hair.

“Go back to sleep, Sage,” I whispered, my fingers getting lost between her silky locks. “Everything’s all right.”

My heartbeat fastened as she slowly closed her eyes again. I watched her lay there, breathing softly under the blanket.

If what I was doing was wrong, then why the hell did it feel so right?

Chapter Sixteen

Kinsley

I woketo the sound of birds. Soft chirping layered beneath a distant crow’s cry, like the world was gently shaking itself awake. For a moment, I stayed still, caught in that dazed space between dream and memory.

Had Thomas come by last night? I vaguely remembered the weight of him near me, the warmth of his voice, but that could’ve been another dream. As embarrassing as it was, it wouldn’t have been the first. I reached for my phone on the nightstand, squinting at the screen as I rubbed sleep from my eyes. A message lit up:

THOMAS

Went into town to get some stuff. Connor’s at home. The key’s for your door, and the board in front of your window is for your own protection.

No, you’re not being imprisoned.

If you were, you’d know.

A morning crossword clue for you: Two words. Ten and eight. U and S. Hint: you won’t like it.

I blinked at it, my mind still foggy. Then the words clicked into place.

ME

Unpleasant surprise

I sent the reply, frowning.

Unpleasant surprise.From Thomas, that could mean anything.

ME

Mildly curious. Want to fill me in?

After waiting a beat to see if he replies, I put my phone aside, and glanced at the plank pressed against the window. Not nailed, just wedged there, to prevent it from opening.

I sat up, and the notes I’d scribbled half-asleep the night before slid off my blanket, scattering across the floor. The small key Thomas had mentioned was waiting on the nightstand. I turned it between my fingers, then crossed the room and slid it into the lock. The floorboards were satisfyingly cold under my feet. I walked to the closet and pulled on a top and shorts.

It was a beautiful morning, and while the past two days had been different from what I expected, I made the decision to spend a few hours on the porch and enjoy the sun.

But first, I wanted to check the house from the outside. I strode down the stairs and cut through the living room, stepping out onto the back porch. The air was fresh and warm, and I closed my eyes, filling my lungs with it while the sun caressed my skin. Then I looked up at the guest room’s window. If someone climbed up here, they could’ve left something behind. Even thesmallest of things could give us a fingerprint. The window sat high but it wasn’t an impossible climb.