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If Adler had been here, he would’ve already made friends with the girl next door, who said hello to me this morning. I just stood like a deer in headlights and gave her a wave. I couldn’t think of anything to say, not even my name. Adler always made friends easily, he was outgoing. Being his sister had its social perks, most of my friends I met through him. He was tall, blond, and good-looking—likable and funny. Mom and Dad had lost their golden child and been left with the black sheep who would never live up to Adler’s standards. God knows I loved my brother, but we were two different people. My whole life Adler had been the life of the party, the polar opposite of his wallflower sister who preferred to listen to music or get lost in a book. I wasn’t sure how I’d manage a new school, let alone a whole new town without my brother around. Getting through life without Adler almost felt like a challenge I wasn’t up for. I was lost in my thoughts when the bell rang.
“Ellison, can you grab the door?” my mother’s voice rang from upstairs. This would be the first time I'd answered the door as a resident of this house. I yanked open the heavy door, which didn’t have a peephole like my apartment in Hartford, only to see the most beautiful boy I’d ever laid eyes on. I didn’t invite him in, I just gawked without saying anything. He had longish blond wavy hair that fell onto his face, partially covering the most intense emerald green eyes. I felt like he could see right through me.
“Hi, sweetheart. Is your mom around?” The woman’s voice reminded me that I did have manners. I smiled into her intense eyes, which mirrored the same bright green as his, and stepped back, opening the door wide for them to come in.
“Yes, she is!” my mom said as she came down the stairs and then stood behind me. She reached out her hand eagerly. My mom was desperate to make a new life for our family. I understood why, she wanted to forget the tragedy, but sometimes it felt like she was forgetting Adler, too.
“Hi, I’m Emily Kraft and this is my daughter Ellison. So glad to meet you!”
“Hi,” the green-eyed woman replied. “I’m Meghan Montgomery. We live across the street and thought we’d come by and introduce ourselves. I figured you’d be unpacking, so we brought over a casserole.” She handed my mom the dish.
“And who’s this?” my mother asked sweetly.
“This is Calvin, my son.”
“Would you like to come in? We’re still unpacking, so the place is in chaos. Ellison, I’m sure you could entertain Calvin. Show him the pool or something?”
“That sounds lovely,” Meghan said. She and her son stepped inside.
I didn’t move or speak.
All of the air in the room seemed to instantaneously disappear, my blood went ice cold and when I tried to move, I completely lost my footing.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t move.
The last thing I saw before I went down was Calvin’s green eyes filled with alarm.
Chapter 3
CALVIN
The new girl just passed the fuck out. Like one moment this angel was standing before me, then the next, she was on the floor.
Ellison.
It sounded like a boy’s name, yet somehow, it fit her perfectly. She’d answered the door in this bohemian dress and bare feet, half of her long black hair tied up in a kerchief. No makeup, but she didn’t need any. Long black lashes framed her bright blue eyes. The moment her gaze met mine, I knew. It hit me hard. This girl was going to knock the life out of me. That’s what it felt like until she was the one who passed out on the floor.
“Oh my God, Ellie! Where’s your purse. Shit, Calvin, Meghan, can you help me look for a brown leather purse?” the woman said as she rummaged through clutter and boxes.
My mother started to help her look, but I knelt beside the girl and reached out and touched her. Her forehead was bathed in sweat, but she felt cold to the touch.
“Is that epilepsy?” I heard my mother ask.
“Yes. She has breakthrough medication she carries with her. I’m afraid it’s the stress of moving,” she said breathlessly.
I caressed her hair back from her temple. I knew nothing about epilepsy, how dangerous it was or what exactly was happening to her right now. Eventually, Emily knelt beside me and placed a nasal spray up Ellison’s nose. She pressed the vaporizer twice and after a few seconds, her eyes fluttered open, then rolled back, only to open and focus again.
“Can you help me get her to the couch?” Emily asked me.
“Mom, no!” Ellison protested weakly. I put my forearms under her armpits, while her mother took her feet, and we set her on the couch, which was still covered in a drop cloth.
