Page 49 of Our Darkest Summer

He was smiling as well and the sight made my eyes round. I truly never saw that man smile before. I couldn’t even imagine he was capable of it. On the other side of Lizzie stood Connor. His sandy blond curls were lighter back then, and he was wildly grinning into the camera with half of his teeth missing.

“That’s a very handsome smile you got there,” I joked, and Connor reached over to take a look at the photo.

“Ahh yes, I lost three teeth just in that week.” He beamed, proudly.

I glanced at Thomas, who was busy looking at another picture, before throwing it back on top of the pile.

“I don’t think this has a point,” he said. “These were taken years beforeithappened.”

Connor shrugged. “Why do you have to be like this? Can’t you just enjoy looking at old photos?”

Thomas made a face that suggestedno. “We should get some sleep if we want to try to make actual progress in the morning.”

Connor and I shared a look. We were both clearly curious, but Thomas was right. We needed to keep our heads in the game and sleep deprivation could only hold us back. We packed the photos back into the box and Connor returned it to his room.

I was the last to take a shower and when I stepped back into Thomas’ room, Connor was already asleep under the duvet, while Thomas rolled out a sleeping bag on the floor.

It was Connor’s idea to sleep in one room at least for tonight, and we both agreed to it. I would’ve been lying if I said I felt safe in the guest room, even with the board blocking the window.

“I’ll take the floor,” Thomas said. “You can share the bed with Connor.”

I shook my head. “It’s your room,” I insisted. “I’ll take the bag.”

“Kinsley.” His tone was tired, and my stomach twisted from the sound. “Just roll with it.”

He sat down and I did the same, before I lay back on his mattress.

I heard Connor mutter something in his sleep before I pulled the duvet over my head, squeezing my eyes shut. The overwhelming scent of Thomaswas all around me. A mix of rain and crisp air. It filled my lungs, and I buried my head into his pillow.

Images of him hovering over me under the pier floated into my mind and a heat wave rushed through me. For the first time in months, I fell asleep with the promise of a dream…

Chapter Twenty-Three

Kinsley

The forest wasdark around me, the pine needles crunched under my careful steps.Why did I come here?I looked up, searching for stars over the thick canopy of the trees, but the sky was empty. A blanket of heavy clouds swallowed the night whole, leaving only darkness behind.

“Dad?” My voice echoed through the forest but there was no answer. No footsteps. No sign of life.

But I’d seen him. He was just here, wasn’t he? Walking ahead, his broad shoulders disappearing between the trees?

A branch cracked somewhere close by.

I froze. “Dad?” I turned, expecting to see him standing behind me.

But I was alone. A sharp pain throbbed at my temple, deep and pulsing. I reached up on instinct, my fingers grazing something wet, sticky. I flinched at the sting. Lowering my hand, I stared at my fingertips, my breath catching.

Blood.A deep crimson shade, glistening under the slivers of moonlight breaking through the trees.

The ache in my skull tightened, and memories slipped through the haze. My father wasn’t here. Not now. Maybe not ever. He had a new family. Then why was I here?

My grip tightened on the backpack straps digging into my shoulders. My pulse hammered as I searched my surroundings, my thoughts scrambling for something solid to hold on to.

I was at school—no, not school. Coldwater.

A party.

The lake house.