I turn and walk out of the house that was once my home. Walk away from everything I’ve ever known and toward the frightening unknown.
Chapter 7
After we leave, we stop by the landlord’s house to drop off the key then we head over to the storage unit. During the drive there, I remain stuck in my thoughts of how the life I once knew is no more. But the instant we pull up to the storage unit, my thoughts shift back to how quickly the guys moved my stuff out of the house. One hour. That’s how long it took for them to clear out a three-bedroom house and the attic. And that includes driving to and from the storage unit ten miles away.
Something doesn’t add up. Did they maybe have other people come over and help? If so, why didn’t they say something?
They’re not who you think they are, the stranger’s words echo in my mind.
Who the hell do I think they are? Because I sure as heck don’t know.
“So, are you this quiet all the time?” Easton asks from the passenger seat after his dad climbs out to unlock the storage unit.
Foster is sitting in the back seat with me and has been silently staring out the window the entire drive.
I shrug.
He studies me with a glint in his eyes. “Well, just a warning. Being quiet at our house means being eaten alive.”
I pick at my fingernails. “Yeah, your dad already warned me about that.”
“Did he?” Easton grins at Foster. “What do you think about that, Fost? Sounds like Dad is trying to play favorite with our new little sis.”
“Please don’t refer to me as your little sister,” I say. “This situation is only temporary. The moment my parents are found, I’m moving back to Honeyton.”
“And what if they’re never found?” Easton asks with his brow cocked. “Then what, little sis?”
“I’m not your little sis.” I twist toward the window as I mutter, “And if, for some crazy reason, my parents aren’t ever found, I’m taking off the moment I graduate and never looking back.”
“Sounds like a great idea,” Foster mutters. “Maybe you should take off now. Easton and I have some money we can give you, if you can’t afford your own place.”
I breathe in and out, my fingers curling into fists, and stabbing my fingernails into my palms in an attempt to keep my emotions under control—physical pain over emotional pain always seems to affect my powers less. “That’s a great idea, and one I’d love to do, but since my parents left my guardianship rights to your father, I’ll be considered a runaway if I try to take off before I turn eighteen.”
I catch Foster’s reflection in the window as he shares a look with Easton.
“What if we could help you disappear?” Easton suggests. “We’re really good at that.”
I slowly turn my head and measure them up. Easton’s lips are curled into a grin, while Foster has a frown etched onto his face.
“Is that an offer?” I glance between them. “Or a threat? Because, if it’s a threat, you should know that I have a can of pepper spray in my pocket that I’ve used more than a handful of times, and I’d love to use it again. Practice makes perfect, right?”
Easton sinks his teeth into his bottom lip as his gaze glides to Foster. “I don’
t know, Fost,” he says with amusement. “She might just fit in with us after all.”
Foster’s narrowed eyes bore into me as he shakes his head. “No way. She’ll never fit in. Newbies never do.”
I raise my brow. “Newbies? How many people have you guys had live with you?”
“You’re the first person we’ve ever had come live with us,” Easton replies with hilarity.
Foster shoots him a dirty look, to which Easton’s smile magnifies.
“You’re walking on thin ice, East,” Foster warns. “Be careful.”
More than done with their cryptic conversation, I push open the door.
“Hey, where are you going?” Easton calls out with laughter ringing in his tone.