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“We should have done something before now,” Nathan mumbled under his breath. “This shouldn’t be a problem.”
“We don’t know what’s going on,” Kota said. “And he wasn’t the one tying her up and leaving her to die. Despite whatever we might assume about his past, he’s never laid a finger on her.” His head lifted, the first time since getting in the driver’s seat. He peered back at me in the mirror. “Right?”
I nodded. I couldn’t remember the last time my father touched me at all. A hug? A handshake? Funnily enough, now that Kota mentioned it, I couldn’t recall it ever happening.
“Hopefully, he’s back just to check on the house, and panicked when she wasn’t there,” he continued. “It’s why we left her room the way it was. So he’d think she was still around, and she could slip in if he came back. Remember?”
I did remember. Some clothes, books, and other things had been left behind. The bed had been made. My old trunk was still there.
In the secret attic space, I’d left the old wardrobe, too, despite wanting to bring it out. It was still soundproof, and had pictures inside, along with lights and a beanbag chair. We’d thought he’d come back at least every couple of weeks, maybe to refill the fridge and pantry with food, and to pay the bills. Instead, he paid the bills from wherever he’d been, leaving Marie and me to figure out how to get food and take care of the house. He sent Marie cash to pay for it, although she didn’t tell me until I’d moved out.
I wished the car ride could last forever, or at least until my father gave up and left. I probably shouldn’t feel the way I did about my own father, but it was simpler when he was gone.
Despite my wish, we got to Summerville quickly and soon turned onto Sunnyvale Court. We turned into the road next to Bob’s Diner, the parking lot empty since it was New Year’s Day. It was odd to see it like that, though I imagined most of the staff was at camp this week.
Kota pulled the Jeep into the parking lot and then turned off the engine. He twisted, turning to face me. “Remember,” he said. “You’ve been at a camp for school, a girls’ retreat. It’s why Mr. Blackbourne got the forwarded call. Your father was trying to call the school.”
Despite his calm demeanor, his eyes were wide and his knuckles were still white from having gripped the steering wheel so tightly.
Victor pulled out his phone and passed it to me. “You’ll need to hang onto this so we can listen and track you,” he said. “I turned the sound off. It’s probably best if you hide it.”
I didn’t have a bra on, so I tucked it into my underwear at my back. With the tight shorts, it should stay at my waist if I didn’t bounce around too much. “Is that good enough?”
“It should pick up enough sound,” Victor said. “And we’ll have the cameras running.”
“No matter what,” Nathan said as he opened his door, “you feel threatened, walk out the door. I’m not going to be far.”
The others exited the car. Nathan opened my door.
There was no time to tell them what I’d heard and I didn’t dare bring it up now anyway.
My heart was pounding so loud. This was worse than the week leading to the camp. I was returning home for the first time in what felt like eons to face my father, not having any idea why he’d come back.
I breathed in the cold January air. I wasn’t sure of the time, it had to be past noon by now.
How different my world had been since this morning, or even yesterday. Camp had changed me. It had shown me how nice people could be. Despite my issues with being around girls, and the disaster I’d become around the shower, the Academy had shown me a world of kindness.
Coming back had been a trip through a wardrobe. Academy had been Narnia, and now I was back, blinking, wondering if it was all a dream because the real world wasn’t nearly as nice.
I stared at the path through the woods that led back to my house. I would go and tell him I’d been dropped off at the diner.
“If you need someone to vouch for you, we can always call Carla back at camp,” Kota said. “She’d even do it without a favor.”
I didn’t want to bother Carla. She was nice, even if we’d started out at odds when we’d first met. As much as she and the other girls were very nice, I’d left them under poor circumstances in the middle of the night, and never wanted to see them again. I was too embarrassed.
I walked with the boys. I was going to tell them they could wait at the diner. I knew at least one of them had a key. Or they could go to Kota’s house, or Nathan’s.
I could have told them that, but then I didn’t think they would listen. They would be at the doorstep if they could get that close. They’d sneak in, and even sit inside the attic space, waiting and listening.
I swallowed a thousand times on that walk, trying to get my heart to settle. My nerves had been made worse through my week of anxiety. I didn’t think I’d ever feel calm again. Especially not now.
When the path twisted and I found the bridge that would take me to my house, I paused, looking at the two-story gray building that used to be my home. The boys stood with me, Victor to my left, Kota to my right. They each held onto my hand.
Nathan was behind me and his hands found my shoulders, holding me strongly.
The house didn’t seem any different to me, but we saw the back. The shed blocked the view of the drive. The back porch, the screened in area, those were all still and quiet. The trampoline the neighborhood boys often came to use with Derrick when he was over visiting Marie, was still there. The grass was a little tall, but patches of it were brown. Despite the break in clouds and blue sky above, the day still felt gray and gloomy.
“I’ll get this over with,” I said, suddenly determined. My father wouldn’t stay on. He didn’t dare. His job called him out on business trips for long periods of time. “He’s just here to pay a bill and to check up on us. He’ll leave again.”
“Let’s hope so,” Kota said. He continued to hold my hand and found his phone with the other. He turned it on, checking the cameras. “I see him,” he said. “He’s in his bedroom, making the bed.”
“Okay,” I said and turned to look at them. “I’m going. He’s probably just here for the weekend. He’ll be gone on Monday. I can probably even sneak out during the day for walks like before. So I only need to show up sometime in the afternoon and sleep there.”
“We’ll send someone in,” Kota said, ignoring his phone now and looking back toward the house. “We’ll keep an eye on it and find a good time to head up. Someone will be in the attic at all times.”
“We shouldn’t need to go that far,” Victor said. “You said he wouldn’t hurt her.”
“It’s not about him,” Kota said and returned his eyes to me. “Do you want us to?”
I swallowed, of course, I did, although that was a risk. “Don’t if it’s not safe,” I said. “Don’t let anyone get caught.”
He nodded sharply.
That was it. Decision made. Despite heading back, I wouldn’t be alone.
I was never alone.
I left them, and crossed the bridge, still feeling their warm touches in my palms and on my shoulders. I tried to keep that memory with me. I ducked my head and kept going.
When I was halfway across the yard, I heard a short whistle. I panicked, worried someone inside would hear, and I stopped, turning back.
Kota had stepped out, waving to me.
I started to turn back. Was something wrong? I stood in the yard, puzzled, trying to figure out if he was telling me to hurry up, or to go back. With the vague way he was waving at me, I couldn’t figure out his meaning.
“Sang!” Marie’s voice came at me like a punch in the back. I spun around again, hoping Kota would retreat.
Marie sprinted halfway to me. She was barefoot, wearing jeans and a sweater and was urging me toward her. “Come quick.”
Was that what Kota had been warning me about?
It was too late to turn back now. I hurried to her. I was back.
