That night, after I change into my pajamas, I slip into bed with the door locked. My belly is full of yummy spaghetti and garlic bread, and the mattress is more comfortable than any I’ve ever slept on. Maybe that’s why the sky is so content, just stars and moonlight twinkling against the darkness.

Even though I had a pretty long nap today, my eyelids feel extremely heavy. I’m so close to dozing off when I hear voices just outside my window.

Confused, I climb out of bed, pad over to the window nook, and peer outside. The view from my bedroom is directly into the backyard, which is acres and acres of land that stretches toward a thick forest. And hurrying across the land toward the trees are three figures, one significantly taller than the other two, although all appear on the taller side. And all are wearing hoods pulled over their heads, as if they’re trying to keep their identities concealed.

I start to back away, worried they’re thieves or something, when one of the figures comes to a stop and turns to look at me.

Bright, glowing, green eyes collide with mine.

Max?

Sleep …

That’s the last thing I remember before darkness overcomes me.

Have you ever woken up feeling as though you have a hangover, yet you never drank the night before? Well, that’s about how I feel the next morning when my eyes blink open.

It takes me a second to get my bearings, to remember that I moved in with the Everettsons. Then, a second later, my head begins to throb.

“God, I feel like shit,” I mumble, rolling onto my side and retrieving my phone off the nightstand. When I note the time, I wonder if I somehow did get drunk last night and just don’t remember.

“Two thirty in the fucking afternoon? How did I sleep so late?” I rub my eyes and blink a couple of times, attempting to clear some of the disorientation from my mind.

It takes a couple of minutes before I have a clear enough head to get out of bed. Then I grab a pair of black pants and a grey tank top before heading toward the bathroom to take a shower.

Emaline showed me which bathroom was mine last night. And I mean mine in the literal sense. Apparently, there are enough bathrooms in this house to go around, so I get my very own. I’ve never had my own bathroom, so it’s a bit weird, but I’m pretty grateful I don’t have to share with any of the Everettson brothers.

After I shower, get dressed, and comb my hair, I make my way downstairs to get some breakfast. By the time I make it to the main floor, I begin to wonder if perhaps no one is home. When I push into the kitchen, I realize my assumption is correct.

Taped on the front of the fridge is a note:

Hey Sky!

Just wanted to let you know that we’ll be gone for most of the day for a baseball tournament (I think Gabe mentioned it yesterday). Help yourself to whatever you need, and if you’d like Charlotte to make you some lunch, just push the buzzer near the fridge. You can also wander around and get familiar with the house. Just steer clear of the basement because we’re having issues with mice. There’s a pool out back in the garden room if you’d like to go for a swim.

If you need to get ahold of any of us, there’s a list of all our numbers in the note section on the iPad on the counter, along with the passcode to the house alarm in case you need to set it. If you wouldn’t mind adding your phone number to the list, that’d be fantastic. That way, we can get ahold of you, too.

We won’t be home until late this evening. If you’re not awake by then, know that we’ll be leaving for school around seven thirty tomorrow morning. I’ll drive you tomorrow so we can talk to the principal and whatnot. After that, you can ride with Easton and Foster, who have assured me that they’ll show you the ropes of Farealee Land Academy.

And if you need anything at all, just let me know! That’s what I’m here for!

— Emaline

Crap, somewhere between the madness and moving, I completely forgot that I’ll be attending a new school. And an academy apparently. Not that I’m even sure what the difference is between one and a public school. Still, it makes me nervous.

“Please say you’re here for me,” a succulent voice sails over my shoulder, startling me so badly I nearly jolt out of my skin.

Whirling around, I find a tall, lean guy with short brown hair standing near the door. He’s wearing a long-sleeved, grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black pants, thick boots, and his intense golden eyes are meticulously skimming over me.

“Um …” I shift my weight, scratching at my arm.

The edges of his lips kick up into a grin. “You might be the best present I’ve gotten yet.”

I blink. “Huh?”

He grins, his lips parting. “I think I—”

The door behind him swings open and in walks a guy who looks like the other guy’s doppelganger. The only visible difference I can see is their outfits; the guy who entered sporting a navy blue, long-sleeved shirt instead of a grey one, and he has on jeans and Converse sneakers.

So, these are the identical twins.

“Hey, Hunter, what do you think about …?” He trails off as his gaze finds mine. “What is this?” he asks, deliberately scanning me over in confusion.

“I think Max got us an early birthday present,” the other guy—Hunter—sucks his lip between his teeth. “He did good this year. Way better than last year.”

Holden’s brows dip and I notice the scar Gabe was talking about. “Are you sure that’s what she is? She’s unreadable.”

Hunter tips his head to the side as he assesses me. “Yeah, I didn’t notice that before, but she is, isn’t she?”

Holden nods then asks me, “What are you?”

Puzzlement webs through my mind. What am I? Doesn’t he mean who?

I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m Skylin.”

Holden’s lips form an O.

“My, my, when Mom and Dad told us they’d be taking in someone as a favor to an old friend, I didn’t expect this,” Hunter says with a grin.

“Careful, Hunt.” A warning seeps into Holden’s tone as he throws a sharp look at his brother. After staring down a grinning Hunter for the most awkwardly silent minute ever, Holden sighs then focuses on me. “Hey.” He steps toward me with his hand outstretched. “I’m Holden, and this”—he nods at the other guy—“is Hunter. I’m sorry for being weird. We were just a little bit confused … We thought you weren’t going to be here until tomorrow.”

I guess that sort of explains their confusion, but I still don’t understand what they meant when they said I was unreadable. And Max said something similar to me last night.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I shake his hand, getting distracted by the sparkly warmth flowing up my arm.

Through the skylight above, the sunlight suddenly seems brighter.

What the hell?

Holden casts a glance upward, his brows knitting, but then he returns his gaze to me and a smile graces his lips. “I know the circumstance of you having to stay with us isn’t great, but I just want you to know that we’re glad to have you here.”

Thank God. He’s actually nice.

“Thanks.”

A bit of relief douses over me until Hunter steps forward, snatches my hand from Holden, and kisses my knuckles.

“Tu mi, sint satis est splendidis stellis.”

“Oh, for the love of gods,” Holden groans. “Sky, just ignore him.”

“Since I have no fucking clue what he said, that’s pretty doable,” I say, eliciting a chuckle from them both.

“She’s cute,” Hunter says to Holden. “Can I keep her?”

Cute? No guy has ever called me cute. Well, except for Gage, but he doesn’t count.

My cheeks flood with heat.

Shit. Am I blushing?

Hunter grins. “Yeah, I’m definitely keeping her.”

Holden heaves a sigh. “Hunt, you can’t keep her.” He looks at me. “Sorry, he doesn’t come with a filter. You get used to it, though. Or, well, you learn to just ignore it.”

I nod, my skin growing hotter as Hunter’s gaze continues to devour me.

A phone buzzes from somewhere, but Hunter’s eyes never waver from me, even when he sticks his hand into his pocket and pulls out his phone. Holden does the same thing, and I let a gradual breath ease past my lips as they both focus on their phones.

“Shit, we’re late,” Holden mutters then stuffs his phone back into his pocket. “We need to get out there.”

“Nah, I think I might skip this … tournament,” Hunter replies, giving me a strange look that I can’t quite decipher. “I’ll stay here and keep Skylin company.”

“No, you won’t.” Holden elbows his brother in the side, causing Hunter to blast him with a dirty look. “You need to be part of this tournament. You’re way out of practice.”

Hunter rolls his eyes but backs toward the door. “Sky, it was a pleasure meeting you. We’ll have to do something together soon. Something fun that’ll make you blush again.” He winks at me then pushes through the doors.

Holden blows out an exhausted exhale then shakes his head. “It really was nice meeting you, and I hate to take off like this when we haven’t even properly met, but this tournament is really important.”

“I totally understand,” I say, waving him off.

He wavers, chewing on his bottom lip. “Maybe I could show you around town tomorrow night and show you where all the good places to eat are and the places to avoid.”

“I’d like that.” And I mean it. Holden seems nice, and I’d really like to look around town and see if anyone’s hiring.

“Awesome.” He smiles then pushes out the door.

The sparkly warmth that was flowing up my arm instantly fizzles, leaving me to wonder what caused it to begin with.

Maybe it’s a new, little trait to my abilities?

Frowning at the idea that my abilities could be growing, I turn toward the fridge to get something to eat, but pause when I glance out the window and spot Hunter and Holden hiking across the field out back.

I squint against the sunlight as I lean toward the window. Is the tournament out there somewhere? That’d be kind of weird, though, since there isn’t much out there except a forest.

My suspicions only grow when Holden and Hunter reach the border of the trees. As they’re about to slip into forest, they glance back at the house the lift their hands in front of them. The air ripples like water, making the trees sway and the sunlight flicker. Then they lower their hands and step forward into the trees.

My jaw just about smacks the floor.

What the heck did I just see? Because it almost looked like they walked through … well, like a portal or something.

Backing away from the window, I massage my temples.

I’m losing my damn mind. What I saw couldn’t be real.

But as panic sets in and the sky abruptly shadows with clouds, I’m reminded of the strange occurrences that I see every day. Maybe other strange things exist out there, too. Maybe the Everettsons are strange.

They sure as hell seem like it.

Sucking in a breath, I leave the kitchen. Later, looking back to that moment, I’ll wonder what on earth compelled me to do it. Maybe it was the simple fact that I was tired and emotionally drained. Or maybe it was something more than that. A feeling. A whisper begging me to go see.

See that I wasn’t as alone as I thought I was.