Page 72 of The Curse of Redwood

A sarcastic comment was on the tip of my tongue. The expression on my friend’s face kept me from saying it. His tone was light, but I could see how hard it was for him to talk about this.

“Be straight with me,” I said, resting an arm on the hood of my car. “Do you like him?”

Taylor swallowed and looked at the asphalt. “Maybe.”

I thought a moment on how best to approach the topic. I had come out to my family when I was thirteen, and it had been drama free. My parents had accepted it without question. Mainly because they’d been too busy with their own lives to concern themselves with mine.

“Am I the first person you’ve talked to about this?”

He nodded. “Not even Rich knows.”

“You wanna ride back with me?” I asked, opening the driver side door. “Rich and Danielle probably won’t even notice we’re gone.”

He beamed with a smile. “Sounds good.”

We made a quick stop at the liquor store before going to my place. Once inside, I poured us each a strong drink and we went to the living room.

“That’s what I meant when I said I might be more like my uncle than I thought.” Taylor sipped his drink before resting the glass on his thigh. “I’ve questioned my sexuality for a while, but I think it’s finally becoming clearer.”

“Do you think you’re gay? Bi?”

“Don’t know.” He moved his glass in small circles, staring at the contents as they swirled. “There have been a few guys in my life I’ve crushed on, but I’ve always dated girls. And I enjoyed being with those girls. But now I don’t know if I was lying to myself.”

“How do you think your dad will react if you tell him?”

“Oh, he’ll be cool,” Taylor answered. “We’re not religious, and he’s the farthest thing there is from a conservative. He just wants me to be happy.”

I was glad he felt comfortable talking to me. It was the main reason I had invited him over. The other reason? I didn’t want to be alone.

When I got into bed around three a.m., I slipped the necklace around my neck. Whether it had protective powers or not didn’t matter. I felt better—safer—when I had it close. It even kept the nightmares at bay that night.

I woke up around eight and shuffled into the kitchen to make coffee. Taylor had already left. The blanket he’d used was folded on the couch, along with his pillow. He had sent me a text.

Taylor:Thx for last night. You don’t know how much of a relief it is to finally tell someone.

I smiled and sent a text back.

Me:No problem. I’m here for you anytime.

When I had hung out with him at his birthday party, I never in a million years would’ve thought we’d be the close friends we were now only a few months later.

A lot had changed since then.

Ihad changed.

I worked from open to close that day, so I left my house around ten and drove to the mall. The necklace hung securely around my neck, a ward not only against outside forces, but from the ones in my head as well.

***

Two days later, I stood outside Redwood Manor. I had tried staying away, yet my feelings for Zeke had battled my fear and won. I needed to make sure he was okay. The image of him from last time haunted me.

Was he still drifting through the mansion like a mindless, unseeing entity?

Was he still lost to his grief?

My legs weighed heavier with each step forward I took, but I kept going. I climbed the fence and dropped down to the rain-slick grass in the backyard. Although I’d gone over early in the day, the storm clouds above me made it seem much darker. All it did lately was rain. I missed the sun.

The barren trees surrounding the property reminded me that even when the sun shone on the mansion, that light never fully breached through the shadows. The curse hung over the land, preventing life from prevailing.