eight

As Lennon roasts the rabbit, I add a pot of water to the fire for ramen noodles. We talk as we cook and as we eat, and as night falls, I’m faced with the same predicament as last night. I don’t like sleeping beside a stranger, but I’m terrified that I’ll return to find him dead, the feral dogs having come across him wandering deliriously through the woods.

“I’ll be fine,” he says as he sips his water.

“Hmm?”

“You’re trying to figure out whether it’s safe to leave me tonight.”

I arch my brows. “Mind reading?”

“Nah, just following the clues. It’s dark, you’ve stopped talking, you’re looking between the sleeping bags and the door. You don’t want to leave me on my own, but I’m not your responsibility, Winter. You rescued a total stranger from a tree, braving feral dogs to do it. That’s quite enough.”

“Anyone would have done that.”

He laughs so loud he startles me. “Uh, no. The only other person I know who would have done that is my brother. I’d have gone for help.”

I’m ready to change the subject, but he says, “I don’t need a nursemaid tonight, and you shouldn’t sleep next to a guy you barely know—though, arguably, one who’s very cute and charming and witty, which I know makes it much tougher to leave. But since you forced me to promise not to flirt with you, I’m afraid you don’t stand a chance of a good-night kiss.”

“Well, damn. There goes my reason for staying.”

He grins at that. “I’m sure it was. But I’ll be fine, and you’ll sleep better at home.”

Not true, but I only say, “I’ll go soon.”

“I’ll walk you.” He lifts his hands. “No argument. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Says the guy who got treed by feral dogs. You’re not walking me back.” When he opens his mouth to argue, I say, “I’m not leaving yet anyway. I need to get my homework done first.”

I pull books from my backpack. He takes my copy of Heart of Darkness and flips through it.

“Read that one?” I ask.

“Nope. If they don’t assign it, I don’t read it. Drives my brother nuts, because apparently I am totally missing the opportunity to expand my understanding of the world through classic literature. He’s a little weird. But I remember him trying to get me to read this one. Do you need it right now?”

I shake my head. He takes the novel and lies on his sleeping bag to read. I open my biology text and get to work. Less than ten minutes later, I hear the sound of soft snoring, and look over to see him with the book fallen on his chest.

“That good, huh?” I murmur, and take the book away.

I’m having the nightmare, the one rooted in that most terrifying of places: memory. I’m returning to the trailer after working at Doc Southcott’s, and I catch Cadence burning something in the fire pit. When she sees me, she tries to shove the pages in quickly, but I see the Western Kentucky University logo on one and I snatch it. I back away, reading the paper as I pinch the flame devouring one corner.

“You got in,” I say, and I turn to her, grinning. Then I look from the fire pit to her. “Cady…?”

“I’m not going,” she says.

“Is this about Colton? Seriously, Cady? You’d give up college for a guy whose big dream is expanding his parents’ pot farm?”

“You don’t understand.”

“No, I don’t.” When she tries to retreat to the trailer, I plant myself in front of her. “You say you love him and he loves you. Well, let him prove it. Either he goes with you to Bowling Green and gets a job there or he waits here until you’re done with school. That’s what girls do if they love a guy who goes off to college.”

“It’s not the same.”

“It damned well should be.”

“Stop swearing, Winter. You only do that—”

“No, I don’t only do it to piss you off. Shockingly, I don’t do anything to piss you off. I just do. By existing, apparently.”

“Let’s not—”

“Fight? Yes, let’s fight. You’re my big sister. I know we aren’t close anymore, and I’m not really sure why, but I still want the best for you. And throwing away college for a boy is nothing but trouble. You’ll resent him for it. You won’t mean to, but you will. If you love him, then you can’t start like that.”

She stares at me. Then she hugs me, and I’m so shocked I stumble back, but she pulls me into a tight embrace. She says, “I’ll think about it.” A week later, she tells Colton she’s going to college.

And then…

And then…

I jolt awake, hearing something outside the cabin, and I’m trapped in that nightmare, in the aftermath, and I think it’s my sister beside me. A figure rises, and I grab it and blurt, “Don’t go out, Cady.”

Lennon falls back, his eyes wide.

“S-sorry.” I drop his arm. “I was…” I swallow. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Who’s Cady?”

I shake my head, and I’m trembling. He ignites the lantern and reaches for the bottle of water and hands it to me. Then he stops, his head tilting as if he’s heard something.

A creak sounds outside the door. The hair on my neck rises. The wind whistles and something hits the door, making us both jump.

Lennon’s on his feet, darting toward the door, and I’m opening my mouth to stop him, but he’s just checking the latch. He puts his shoulder to the door, as if to stop anyone coming through. I turn down the lantern until it’s only a dim glow, one that casts his face into half shadow. He shuts his eyes and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. He glances over, sees me watching, and leans against the door, his ear to it, listening—

Thwack.