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“So, how are you?” he asks, perching on the edge of one of the armchairs. “You looked terribly upset when you came to my office.”
“I’m alright, I guess,” I say, sinking into a nearby couch. “I told you the other day that the Ravenwoods were helping me with my project but there’s more to it than that,” I admit.
“I see,” he says, smoothing his hands over his thighs.
“We’re sort of … involved. It’s complicated. But we had a fight today and I kind of left in a hurry.”
Rich sighs. “Look, I don't mean to overstep, but I should be honest with you. Getting mixed up with the Ravenwoods is risky business, Sienna. They’ve changed so much since I knew them. Back in the day, they were softer, but they’ve hardened.”
I frown, absorbing his words. “I appreciate the concern. I can handle myself.” But curiosity grows so I lean forward. “What were they like, you know, back before everything happened?”
Rich leans back, a glint in his eyes as he thinks. “Back then, they were just so different,” he muses, voice carrying a hint of wistfulness. “They had a fire inside, passion, and dreams for the future. Bastian especially—he was their ringleader. Always rallied the other kids to make sure homework got done and the center was cleaned before the end of the day.”
He paints a stark contrast between the boy of his past and the man I know now. Bastian seems to have transformed into a colder, more distant version of himself. “What about Caleb and Dominic?”
Rich’s smile softens at the mention of Dominic. “Oh, Dominic was quite the prankster back then, always eager to lighten the mood with harmless jokes. One time he hid behind the door of the elementary classroom and yelled ‘boo’ as everyone entered. And Caleb was the sweetest child. He held the door open for everyone after play time and always had a valentine for every classmate.”
As I listen to him talk, I feel a pang inside. The boys he’s describing—the jovial prankster, the sweetheart, the kind leader—those boys feel like strangers.
“I find it hard to reconcile the boys you're describing with the ones I know,” I confess, curling my bare feet up onto the couch, seeking comfort in their warmth.
Rich nods, eyes dimming. “People change, sometimes in ways we least expect. Especially after losing Emily like they did. Death can alter us all.”
I stare at the coffee table, gathering my thoughts. It’s a dark wood, with carved legs and a glass piece in the center. “You spent a lot of time with them, back before?”
“I did,” he says. “I spent so much time with the boys that I think maybe it went beyond a mentor relationship,” he confesses. “It felt more like I was a father figure or an older brother. They would come to me to ask for advice or confide their problems. I wanted to study how boys like them could be so optimistic and strong, despite everything being against them.”
I don’t know what made them change, and I can’t help but ache for the boys they once were.
“Thanks for sharing with me, Rich,” I say. “I appreciate you letting me stay here as well. I only hope I can find a way to repay you.”
“As long as you continue producing excellent work, that’s payment enough,” Rich says, holding a hand up. “You have a promising future in community health.”
I smile, though my heart still aches inside. Why have the Ravenwoods changed so much? Is there any way to bring that light back into their lives? Do I even want to try?
18
CALEB
Ihave no appetite for the food in front of me. I still can’t believe Bastian threw Sienna out like this. He’s always been the most temperamental of the three of us, but he never let it out like this before.
Sienna has done every single thing we’ve asked of her, with minimal pushback. She’s proven her loyalty to us. My hands clench under the table, angry that Bastian is still treating her like an outsider.
I’ve always followed Bastian’s decisions without question. I trusted him to lead the way for us. Now I’m starting to wonder if that was a mistake. I should have stood up for Sienna. I should have stopped him.
We let things fester after Emily died, and now Sienna is paying the consequences.
“Pass the bread,” Bastian says, voice gruff.
I stare down at the basket by my elbow, then look over at him. Something breaks inside me and I shove the basket of bread towards him so hard it flies off the table.
“Fucking dick!” I yell. “You seriously threw her out? She has nowhere to go! And we’re just sitting here. We should be going out to find her!”
“The storm is getting really bad,” Dominic points out. “If we go out now, it’s going to be harder to find her. It’s better to wait until it passes.”
I lean back against the chair, crossing my arms. “This is stupid. We could track her, maybe I can hack into her car’s computer and find her that way.”
“I think everyone just needs to calm down first,” Dominic says, giving me a pointed look. “Just give her some time.”
