Page 63 of When Darkness Calls

Jesus.

Thrilled giggles bubble from my throat. Setting my phone down, hands covering my face, the heat of my cheeks warming my palms, and I just laugh, giddy and alight.

Holy shit I did it!

My smile and excitement firmly cemented as I get dressed and make my way down the stairs.

“Hey, Dee, grab the paper!” Cade shouts from the kitchen, arms full of bags from the store. He must have just gotten home.

The porch is cold on my bare feet as I pad down the stairs to the newspaper lying on the sidewalk.

It’s a cold, foggy morning. In the distance I hear the faint caws of a crow, and high in the mountain line, a stray beam of sunlight shines in golden tones.

My hand is on the doorknob when a piece of paper catches my eye on Frank’s lap.

ENJOY YOUR GIFT.

Gift? What gift?

My steps are slow into the house. I drop the paper off on the kitchen counter, body moving on autopilot to my room.

It was the first time my shadow had left me something to find the next morning. A swift glance around my room noted nothing out of place. I walked to the balcony door, pushing the glass open. The fall morning nipping at my exposed skin. Sitting to the left of the door was a large pumpkin and a potted plant. The blossoms were a deep red, almost black. A dahlia.

A photo was staked in the soil.

It was a beautiful picture. It was me, laughing, head thrown back in pure joy, light filtering through my curls creating a halo around me.

My heart clenches.

It’s amazing.

I ran my fingers over the image walking back into my room. When I lay it down on my desk, my right fingertips come away tinted red.

With creased brows, I flip the picture over, and written in dark red, smeared ink:

REMEMBER THE MOMENTS WHEN IT ALL SEEMS WORTH IT FOR THE TIME WHEN HOPE IS LOST.

Well…

The night has taken such a wild left turn.

Let me just recap it for you. Imagine, if you will, about four hours ago.

I spent the day cleaning up my room, washing laundry, and tidying up the house in preparation for the big girl’s night-in with Liz. I cleared off my desk and have a dozen face masks laid out, my nail care and polish box reorganized and ready to use, and I found all the horror movies that would simultaneously torture Liz while also keeping her captivated. After all, she did owe me the horror movie night from Founder’s Fest, even if I was the one who shifted those plans. In my defense though, that night was…a lot.

All day, I prepped for tonight, so excited to hang out with her, just the two of us, and for more than a couple of hours, which we’ve not really had since the Founder’s Fest because of her schedule.

Only the plan completely falls apart.

Around four o’clock, she called me, and I already knew. Just by the way she said “heyyy”, I could tell she wouldn’t be coming over. Her quick explanation, that barely left any room for her to breathe, told me that Issac had called and said he HAD to see her tonight and they needed to talk and it was super important.

Cool. Great. Okay, that’s fine. I get it. There’s a lot of…weird stuff going on there.

I wished her luck, asked her to keep me updated and let me know when she got home, and reminded her of the “mysterious, alluring, and sexy” thing, to which she laughed, said she loved me, and hung up.

So…

I called Cade and despite what he might say I totally did not whine…but I might have complained a little bit…