Page 36 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“I added myself.”

“When?”

“When I took your phone.”

Will was speechless.

“Why?” he finally asked.

Liam shrugged.

“In case you had any questions, or something.”

Will snorted under his breath.

“Right,” he said, amused. “Fine.”

“Have fun.” Liam gave him a knowing wink and then headed for the exit.

Will watched him go, then glanced surreptitiously toward Oscar. Oscar happened to be looking at him, but he looked away as soon as he was caught. He still seemed engrossed in conversation with his friends.

Will sat on the couch for a few more minutes, until a couple making out finally drove him away. He wandered aimlessly around the room until he decided he should get going. Maybe Dan wouldn’t be asleep yet and they could watch something together after all.

He put on his jacket and went outside. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Will took a deep breath. He heard the door open behind him.

“Will!”

He turned and saw Oscar heading toward him. The guy hadn’t put on a coat. Apparently, he didn’t want to risk Will getting too far away.

“Hey,” he said with a small smile.

“Hey,” Will replied.

“We were talking about the movies the other day, remember?” Oscar asked, and Will’s heart began to beat faster. “Would tomorrow work for you? We could meet at the Athena at two.”

Will couldn’t help but smile.

“Sure.”

“At the main entrance?”

“Absolutely. I’ll see you then?”

“See you,” Oscar confirmed, before running back into the house.

Will walked on, grinning happily. Finally! He had no idea if Oscar had actually gotten jealous or if he was just waiting for a moment like this, but either way, they had a date.

He stepped onto the road, heading for the bus stop. That’s when he noticed a black car parked off to the side. Despite the harsh conditions, it looked like it had just driven off the lot. Will recognized it. It was Blake’s.

Driven by curiosity, he peeked inside, but there was no one there. Norma had said Blake wasn’t coming. Had something changed?

It didn’t look like Alden had gone to Norma’s house, though. The footprints in the snow led deep into the forest.

Will hesitated for a moment. On one hand, it was totally none of his business, but on the other, he was intrigued by what Blake was doing in the woods so late at night. Maybe something had happened? Maybe he needed help?

Driven more by curiosity than concern, he slid down a small embankment and then moved on, lighting his way with his phone. He tried to follow the tracks, but at some point they became confusing, and eventually he lost them completely. He was just considering turning back when he heard an irritated question, “What are you doing here?”

Will spun around and came face-to-face with Blake.