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“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I wonder as we reach the edge of my property.
He hunkers down low then moves forward, motioning for me to do the same. “It could be a good thing. Or a complicated thing.”
“How?” I whisper as we near the back of the house.
He just shrugs, creeping over to the edge of the house and peering around the corner. “Looks like your aunt hasn’t pulled up yet. You’re good to go.” He lets go of my hand and turns to me. “I’ll send you everyone’s number in a group text later tonight.”
I nod. “All right.”
He offers me a smile then moves to leave, but pauses and twists back around. “Raven, if you ever need a ride or anything at all, even if it’s just to talk, call us, okay? I know we haven’t been friends for very long, but when we decide to let someone into our group, we decide that we’re going to take care of them.”
I nod, his words nearly overwhelming me.
I have friends. More than one. And they want to take care of me.
It’s … a lot to process, and I’ll admit that I’m kind of wary about how long it’ll last once they get to know me. Plus, what if I say I won’t help them? Are they just going to ditch me?
I could ask him this, but all I say is, “How many people have you brought into your group?”
The moonlight highlights his smile. “You’re the first.” With that, he turns and slinks away into the night.
15
Raven
I makeit into the house before my aunt pulls up in the driveway. My uncle is still sitting in the kitchen when I enter and is staring at his phone while grumbling stuff underneath his breath. I quietly sneak up to my room and lock the door. About a minute later, I hear my aunt and Dixie May walk into the house, their loud voices carrying up the stairway. From what I can overhear, apparently, Dixie May was at cheerleading tryouts, and then the two of them went shopping.
Eventually, someone knocks on my door and I tense.
“Oh Raven, are you alive in there?” Dixie May asks from the other side. When I make no effort to respond, she says, “FYI, you can keep my makeup case. My mom bought me all new stuff today... You should try using some of my makeup. Maybe it’ll help fix that hideous face of yours.”
Again, I don’t utter a word, lying on my bed and staring up at the ceiling. Eventually, she grows tired of taunting me and stomps off to her room.
One she’s gone, I let out a breath and allow my mind to drift to Hunter and his friends.
What happened tonight seems so surreal, as if I dreamt it. Maybe I did. Perhaps this is all just a dream. If it is, though, I kind of want to stay in it since, for the first time in a long time, I don’t feel so alone.
Still, I’m eager to know just who Hunter Hathingford really is, his background, why they’re doing what they do? And Zay and Jax too. Are they spies? Detectives? Sure, Hunter tracked the number on my phone and said he learned how to from a PI, but he’s also eighteen, and a spy or detective seems sort of out there—
I jolt as my phone buzzes.
Jesus, I’m jumpy tonight.
Telling myself to chill out, I pick up my phone, and then frown.
The message is from Unknown.
Unknown: I know something that you don’t. It’s about a little girl named Raven who lost something significant to her.
Attached to the message is a photo—a photo of the pendant my uncle just took from me.
I’d think it was my uncle who sent this message, but the pendant is lying in the snow, and we don’t have snow here right now. However, there’s a ton of snow in Wyoming, which makes me wonder if this photo was taken a long time ago. But then that leaves a lot of questions, starting with...
“Who the heck is this?” I mutter.
Unsure what else to do, I decide to text back and ask, even though I doubt they’ll tell me.
Me: Who the heck is this?
