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It never occurred to me that the power would be shut off. Or that when it was, any life left in the house would cease to exist. All that’s left is a void where ghosts drift.
I sit on my bed and pull the blankets over my legs. When that doesn’t work to dispel the chill that’s crept over me, I rub my palms over my arms.
I’ve been here over an hour, and already, I want to call Skye and beg her to come pick me up. Regret fills me in a way it never has, and I’m so scared I’ll never see the light again, I can hardly breathe.
Pulling my phone from my backpack, I almost do call her. But as I turn on the screen, I see something that changes my mind. Right below my sister’s name in my contact list is Scarlet’s.
She must have put her contact information in when I wasn’t looking. But why would she do that?
Selecting it, I hit the Call button.
It rings only twice before she answers. “Maisie.”
I stay quiet for a moment, until I muster up the courage to say, “You reallyarean assassin.”
She blows out a breath. “I didn’t want you to see that, kid. You shouldn’t have seen it.”
“It scared me,” I admit.
“You’ll never have to see Gideon or me ever again.”
The house creaks, a noise it usually makes when the sun starts to heat the roof. I pick at some of the pilling on the old quilt that covers my bed. “Will you be okay?”
“Yeah. I’m always okay.”
“Scarlet?”
“Hmm?”
“I— What the…?” There’s another creak. Only, this time, it doesn’t sound like the house warming up.
My brows pinch together as I listen more intently. There it is again but closer.
“Maisie, are you still there?”
As quietly as I can, I slip out of the bed. “I think there’s someone in the house.”
“What?”
“I came back to my old house. I think someone’s in here.”
“What? Fuck!” There’s some thumping on the other end of the line that almost matches the racing of my heart as I move toward the door. “Maisie, where’s your sister?”
“Vermont.” The word comes out so low, I’m not sure if she can hear me.
“Shit. Fuck!”
I peer out of my bedroom, barely poking my head through the doorway. Another thump downstairs has me tucking back in fast.
“Listen to me, Maisie,” Scarlet says. “Are you near an exit?”
My eyes flick to the window. I could jump. But it’s a straight drop to the ground. Not even a dang bush to break my fall. If I land the wrong way, I’m dead. I’m an artist, not a stunt girl. My dad’s room, however, has a window right over the porch. “Across the hall.”
“Do you still have the knife I gave you?”
Looking at my bag on the bed, I nod as if she can see me. “I don’t know if I can use it.”
“Hopefully, you won’t have to.” She slams a door, then I hear the revving of an engine. “I’m less than five minutes from Chestnut Hill. Three minutes tops. Can you find your way there?”
