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He squeezes my hand. “You can talk to me anytime. Even if you think it will upset me. I can handle the dark stuff.”
We arrive at campus and walk into the Psych building together. “I won’t be long,” I tell Caleb, giving him another quick kiss. “See you soon.”
I knock on Dr. Thornton’s door and he calls me inside. When I step in though, his demeanor instantly shifts. His brows furrow and he stiffens, narrowing his eyes for a brief moment before giving me a tight smile.
“Sienna, what a surprise,” he says. “I didn’t know you’d be here today.”
“I just came to drop off some more files,” I tell him, showing him the stack I brought. “Is that okay? Are you busy?”
“I am,” he says. “I can’t chat, I’m afraid. I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes. Just drop the files off and you can leave.”
“Is everything going alright with the project?” I ask, a chill of worry coursing through me. Is that why he’s upset? Has something happened with his research?
“It’s fine,” he says, waving a hand. “You know how research projects can be. You don’t need to drop off the files in person all the time,” he adds. “Just give them to your supervisor. I’ll look them over when I have the time.”
A pit forms in my stomach. As Dr. Thornton's gaze flickers over me. His furrowed brow sends a ripple of unease through me, and I find myself fidgeting with the edge of my sleeve, unsure of what to say.
“Sorry,” I apologize, setting the folders down on the corner of his desk. “I didn’t mean to bother you so much.”
Dr. Thornton sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “It’s not you, Sienna. It’s just that … something that I was expecting to get done, ended up not being done. I’m just now finding out about it.”
His tone lacks the edge I anticipated and I swallow, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “I get it. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I hope it can get done soon. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Dr. Thornton shakes his head. “You have no idea how much I wish that were true but there’s nothing you can do,” he says.
Internally, I wrestle with the instinct to push him about his mood. I could be risking our professional relationship if I try to probe into the cause of his apparent distress.
Deciding to leave it for now, I tell him, “Alright, well, let me know if that changes. I’ll just be going.”
My mind races, replaying our last conversation. When I asked him about the necklace, he seemed almost agitated with me for bringing it up. I feel like I’m only getting half theinformation when it comes to his past with the boys and his relationship with Emily. Maybe I should dig a little, just to see if I can find more information.
Walking up to Caleb in the hallway, I ask if we can go over to the library to use the computer. He tilts his head at me quizzically.
“I need to do some research on something Dr. Thornton recommended,” I lie. “Do you mind waiting in the car while I’m in the library? I’ll be fine inside alone.”
“If you’re sure,” Caleb says. “Then yeah. I’ll meet you at the car when you’re done?”
“It won’t take long,” I tell him. “I just need to look something up really quick.”
We head outside and he walks me to the library before giving me a quick hug. “I’ll see you soon.”
I head inside and go over to one of the computers. I want to do this without the boys around because I don’t want to bring up any bad memories, but I need to know more about the whole thing with Emily. It feels like there’s more to the story than what I’ve been getting, and since I can’t ask any of the involved parties, I’ll have to do it myself.
Typing in her full name, I scan the results. There are a few things about her death, but then I notice an article about her and the boys. Clicking on the link brings me to a local news site.
As I read, a growing sense of unease fills my stomach. Emily and the Ravenwoods were planning on reopening the Haven Center together. The article detailed the plans they made, and the vision they had for the Haven Center. They’d gotten funding from a few large organizations and even had a whole timeline for their re-opening.
It makes sense that after her death, they couldn’t continue with their plans. I wouldn’t be able to either, everything wouldfeel tainted. I stare at the screen, feeling like I’ve just found another piece of the puzzle that I didn’t know I was missing.
The boys must have been devastated, not only to lose her the way they did, but it meant putting their dreams on hold.
When I head out to meet with Caleb, my head is still reeling. Why didn’t they tell me about this? I wish I’d have known. For that matter, why didn’t Dr. Thornton tell me about it when I asked him about the Haven Center?
I still feel like there’s so much missing. I’m torn over asking them about it, but at the same time, everything has gotten to a better place since the fight and I don’t want to shatter our peace by bringing up Emily again.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Caleb asks as I slide into the passenger seat.
“Um, yeah,” I stammer out. “Yeah, I think so. I’m not sure.”
