Before I leave the house with Nina and Gage to grab a bite to eat, I change out of my smelly clothes, wash my face, comb my hair, and put on the necklace I almost always wear. It was a gift from my mom on my fifth birthday. She told me her sister had once given it to her.

The teardrop-shaped pendant is made out of steel and is supposed to bring the wearer good luck. But, considering how unlucky I’ve been, I don’t buy into the story.

After I get cleaned up, I head out. Easton makes a point to smirk at me again, and Foster simply ignores me.

“Well, they’re an … interesting family,” Gage comments from the back seat of Nina’s car as we drive toward the center of town.

“Interesting?” Nina glances at him in the rearview mirror. “They’re a bunch of assholes.”

“Gabe doesn’t seem too bad,” I attempt to find the silver lining in all this.

Maybe the rest of the family will be like Gabe? I sure hope so, or else my time with the Everettsons is going to be all rain clouds, fires, and sporadic lightning zaps.

“Yeah, except for the fact that he looked upset you were holding a bottle of whiskey,” Nina reminds me as she pulls into the parking lot of the local burger joint.

“So, he’s a normal parent then,” Gage chimes in with a shrug. “That might not be that bad.”

“Have you ever had a normal parent?” Nina questions, knowing very well he hasn’t. “Because my ex-stepfather was like that—all about rules and normalcy—and it sucked ass.” She steers into an empty parking space then unbuckles her seatbelt. “I was so glad when my mom divorced him and things went back to normal.”

“And by normal, she means she got to return to her evil vixen ways of running wild, drinking, and doing drugs.” Gage shares a teasing smile with me as he slides across the seat to get out.

Laughing, I climb out of the car and meet Nina and Gage around back.

“I still can’t believe you’re going to be living with the guy you’ve been crushing on for the last couple months,” Nina says as we head inside.

“Was crushing on,” I clarify, splashing through puddles. “The crush ended the moment he opened his mouth.”

“Well, asshole or not, at least you’ll have something pretty to look at every day,” Nina muses. “That Easton guy was pretty hot, too.”

“They’re twins,” I tell her as I pull open the door.

She grins as she steps inside. “Even better.”

Gage and I share an amused look as we follow her in.

“You know she’s going to hit on him at least one time, right?” he whispers to me as we wander toward the counter.

“As long as she comes and visits me, I don’t really care,” I whisper back.

“Are you two bitches talking about me?” Nina grins. “It’s cool if you are. Just make sure it’s all good things.”

A smile touches my lips. Man, I’m going to miss this—miss them. Even on the shittiest days, the two of them can make me smile.

The smile remains on my face as I skim the choices on the menu. I’m dithering back and forth between a hamburger and chicken tenders when Gage lets out a sharp cough.

“Creeper alert at five o’clock,” he hisses under his breath.

I casually tilt my head, glancing to my right to see what Gage is yammering about. Standing a little ways to the side of us is a tall man, maybe a few years older than us, with dark eyes and black hair that reaches his chin. He has a scar across his forehead, a series of unrecognizable star patterned symbols branding his neck, and strangely, he is wearing slacks and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top button undone. Even businessowners in Honeyton rarely sport suit attire, so he stands out like a ballerina in a mosh pit. What really makes him creepy, though, is the way he’s staring at me, as if he’s attempting to burn a hole into my head with mind powers or something.

“Do you know him?” Nina glances from the stranger to me.

I shake my head and start to look away when the stranger approaches us. I tense as he nears us, wishing I brought my pepper spray.

“You’re that girl moving in with the Everettsons, right?” His voice is shockingly deep.

I feign stupidity because there is no way in hell I’m about to tell him the truth. “Who?”

“Don’t lie to me, little girl,” he warns, a bit of an accent seeping into his tone. “I know you’re moving in with them. I came here to warn you to be careful.” He looks at my friends and then leans in and lowers his voice. “They’re not who you think they are.”

“I have no idea who you’re talking about.” I resist the urge to gulp as my pulse accelerates and the lights above me flicker on and off.

The stranger glances upward then back at me. He stares at me confusedly as he reaches into his jacket pocket.

Fearing what he could possibly be grabbing, I instinctively step back. But he only retrieves a card.

“When you want to find out the truth, call me.” He urges me to take the card.

I keep my hands at my sides. “Look, I don’t know who you are, but I’m not sure what you’re talking about …”

He drops the card at my feet, spins on his heels, and then strides out the door, glancing at me one final time before walking outside.

“Holy hell,” Nina breathes out. “That was beyond creepy.”

“Agreed.” Gage bends over and picks up the card. “Okay, this just got even creepier.”

“What?” I take the card from him, and my brows knit. “It’s blank.”

“Yeah, I know.” Gage scratches his head. “That was really strange, especially how he knew you were moving in with the Everettsons.” He looks at me with worry. “Do you think we should call the police and report him?”

“It wouldn’t do any good. Technically, he didn’t break a law. And considering how interested the police have been in finding my parents, who are missing, yeah, I don’t see the point in telling them.” I restlessly pat the card against the palm of my hand.

While the entire ordeal with the man was bizarre, the strangest part was when he glanced up at the lights then at me when I made them flicker, as if he knew about my strange ability.

But, how could he possibly know about that when I’ve never told anyone? How did he know I was moving in with the Everettsons? And what did he mean by the Everettsons aren’t who I think they are? I’m not sure, but the whole ordeal has me on edge and really wishing for my parents to return.