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I nod. “It’s our best bet, even if we’re not as cute as kittens with how filthy we are.” I gesture between us, indicating the fine layer of ash coating us both.
Getting serious, Ellister trails a finger down my arm. “Hannah, I’m being completely honest when I say I’ve never seen you look more gorgeous than you do right now. You’re healthy, and you’re mine, and the fact that both of those events can occur at the same time is a miracle. A miracle of your making.”
“Our miracle. We did this together.”
“Ours, then.”
Affected by the cold air, I shiver. “Are we just going to camp out here tonight?”
We do have the sleeping bag. It’s not like I’ve never slept outdoors before, but the temperature is dropping by the second.
“No.” Frowning at the paper-thin fabric of my dress, Ellister shakes his head. “I have a better idea. Let’s take a walk down Memory Lane, shall we?”
HANNAH
More clues about what timeframe we’re in reveal themselves when we make it to Great Grandpa Waylon’s old house.
The little two-bedroom building is vacant, structurally updated, and the informational plaque my family put on an exterior post is where it belongs.
I rub the engraved metal plate. “In my universe, this was installed about twenty years ago.”
“Is there anything inside the house that might tell you more?” Ellister’s focus is on the building. “We’ll stay here tonight. I wish I could vortex us in, but my power stores are completely depleted. I can pry open a window.”
“Or we could just use a key.”
Before he can question me, I walk over to the bushes next to the front porch steps.
“Let it be here, let it be here,” I chant to myself.
After some digging around, I find the collection of gnome statues. Anyone who sees them among the rocks and dirt might think they’re simply garden decorations, but one of them holds a secret.
I pick up the gnome with the little frog coming out of its pocket.
I stand and hold it up like a prize as the metal rattles around inside the hollow container. “The spare. It’s still here. My dad is the one who put it there. When he chose this silly statue, he got such a kick out of it. Do you realize what that means?”
Ellister mirrors my happiness. “It means your father is here, and he’s an adult, so we can’t be that far off.”
My smile fades as I remove the key I’ve used many times before.
Because a disturbing feeling nags at my heart.
Deep inside me, there’s this sense of… unbelonging.
I’m misplaced.
When I think about letting myself into Great Grandpa Waylon’s house like I own the place, I feel like an intruder.
The predictability of things like the plaque and the key are a comfort, but this world doesn’t know me, even if I know it.
“What’s wrong, darling?” Ellister asks, noticing my long face. “Aren’t you happy to be home?”
“I am. But do you feel that? There’s a… wrongness about us being here.”
“I’m so used to that feeling, I guess it doesn’t stand out to me. The only time I’ve ever been content is when I’m with you.” Reaching for me, he laces our fingers.
As soon as he touches me, the discomfort dissipates, and I bring his hand up to my face so I can kiss his fingers.
He makes everything right.
