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“I have no idea what’s going on,” I breathed, rubbing my brow.
“Maybe Annika knows something about it?” she wondered out loud.
What? “Why would Annika know more than either of us?”
She winced as if the question physically pained her. Then she did that thing again, the one that let me know she was hiding something. Taking advantage of her guilty conscious, I popped the lock and got out of the car.
“Nova!”
I ignored her, storming up the stairs to the front porch.
I reached for the door handle, only to realize I didn’t have my damn house keys. A growl of frustration bubbled in the back of my throat.
“Nova, calm down.” Emery’s hand landed on my shoulder.
I whirled, a snappy retort on the tip of my tongue, but the fear that washed over her face stopped me from saying anything. Her dark blue eyes had gone so round, I would have laughed if my situation wasn’t so absolutely screwed.
“It’s not my place to tell you her secrets. Please, put the gun down,” she pleaded.
The gun? I glanced down at my hand. I’d forgotten I’d taken it with me. This and the necklace had become extra appendages ever since picking them up.
“God, Emery. Relax. I’d never hurt you.” I rolled my eyes and turned back to the door, keeping the gun by my side.
“Can you let us in now?”
Still moving as if I were going to start firing away at any second, she took a ridiculously long time unlocking both locks, her movements stiff. I made sure I went in first. Few steps over the threshold, however, it dawned on me I had no clue what came next. What I wanted to do, and what I needed to do, were two very different things.
I’d have liked to of climbed in bed and slept all this away. I was exhausted—mentally. That was so much worse to me than being worn down physically. The thoughts in my head whirled around with a violent intensity.
I took a deep breath and surveyed the lower level of my house. I hated admitting Annika had been right, but she had.
This place was a tomb. A miserable crypt haunted by my parent’s presence. It wasn’t safe here. I’m not sure it ever had been. It was these slowly dawning facts are what helped me decide what I would do next, knowing it wouldn’t be easy.
Leave.
I’d leave here, and if I never got the chance to come back, I couldn’t say for sure how that would affect me. At the very least I was giving myself a fighting chance. I turned to face Emery, who had yet to move away from the front door, making sure I kept the gun lowered.
What was I supposed to say to her? What could I say to her? I didn’t want to regurgitate another lie no matter how easy that was to do, but I couldn’t explain the situation either. Had this been a mere few days ago, maybe I would’ve.
Emery was my best friend. Friendship was another version of a relationship. A commitment between two people.
While not romantic, it still required a certain
amount of effort to make it last. It also required honesty and trust. With each of us keeping secrets from the other, telling her anything wasn’t a viable option anymore. No matter what, though, I would do everything in my power to keep her safe from the chaos slowly devouring my life.
“I’m leaving town for a while.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
I was shaking my head before she could finish that absurd sentence. “No. I’ll put you somewhere safe, but you’re--.”
“Didn’t you just hear me? I said I’m coming with you. You’ll keep me safe. Haven’t you been doing that for months now?”
I blinked in surprise. She responded with a spiteful smirk.
“I’m not so naïve that I don’t pay attention to what’s happened around me I know somethings been going on with you for a while now.”
I gnawed my lower lip, and crossed my arms—slowly, cognizant of the gun still within my grasp. She seemed pretty determined about this. Maybe I needed a more direct approach.
