Page 54 of The Cursed Sebastian Storm

Everyone was probably sitting tight, waiting to see what would happen, just like they were.

The ring of Hazel’s phone pierced the relative silence of the shop. Sebastian stopped reciting numbers, and Eli looked up from his laptop. James migrated away from the window, where he’d been glowering at the sky.

“Eleanor.” Hazel seemed to sigh into the phone. “I’m fine. Yes, really. You?” A pause. “Mm, yes, I agree— Stop it. Everyone’s listening in. Uh-huh. You’re kidding me?”

Eventually, Hazel hung up. She turned to face the rest of them. “The sun did rise, just not for Moonlight Falls.”

“Meaning?” Eli asked impatiently.

“There’s a darkness encasing the town. Eleanor’s driven through it. Everything is bright as day outside of town. She’s found the southern, eastern, and western limits but hasn’t driven north yet. She was trying to contact Carson to see if his crew is in the dark before she heads that way.”

“But where did it come from?” James crossed his arms. Sebastian wished James was wearing his leather jacket so he could see the material flex and pull over his shoulders. “Do you still think it’s part of the shadow from last night? I’ve been watching the sky and haven’t seen a single flowing tendril. Nothing like we saw at Parker’s house.”

“There’s no word on where it’s come from.” Hazel plugged her phone into the charger at her desk. “Apparently, the official who drove up here won’t come into town.”

Eli’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding.”

“No.” Hazel frowned. “Eleanor is pissed. The guy said he isn’t venturing into the shadow without proof it’s safe.”

Sebastian looked around at them all. “But we’re all fine.”

Hazel shrugged. “The official said that if people are concerned, they can leave, but no one is rushing in to check things out.”

“We can’t leave,” Sebastian muttered, the ghost of his previous fear everyone would resent him rearing its head.

“We wouldn’t even if we could.” James rested a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder.

“Of course not.” Hazel looked annoyed by the very suggestion. “If no one’s going to help figure this out, we’ll have to do it ourselves. Probably best that way, honestly.”

The question of how seemed to float menacingly in the air.

“I wonder if anything like this has happened before.” Sebastian glanced at Eli hopefully, even though he didn’t study this sort of thing.

Eli made a who-knows face.

“I tried looking it up online.” Hazel made her way over to the coffee maker and scooped fresh grounds into it. “No luck.”

Sebastian stood. “Maybe I should go to the library. See Mila. I bet she’s already looking into it, along with the stuff about light resistance.”

“That’s a good idea.” James took Sebastian’s seat. “I’ll help Eli finish.”

“I wonder—” Eli hesitated, not turning back to his laptop. “Where do you think the exact spot the darkness stops is, going south?”

Hazel looked up from the coffee. “Eleanor didn’t say.”

Eli tapped the counter with restless fingers. “What if it’s confined by the same barrier trapping us. Maybe we should head to where you crashed your truck, James.”

“We could.” James’s brow furrowed as he frowned at the idea. “But why would the darkness have anything to do with the curse trapping us?”

“I don’t know.” Eli sighed. “I’m just trying to think of something. The darkness probably doesn’t have anything to do with the veins. It just seems odd that there’s a clear boundary in both cases, but what do I know.”

“Wait, hang on. Maybe the darkness does have to do with the veins.” Sebastian reflexively tugged James’s leather jacket, pulling it tight against himself. “How many different invisible barriers can be surrounding this town? It’s probably the same one. The simplest solution is usually right. I must have missed something changing in the veins. Maybe the fuel cell isn’t holding up as well as we thought. Maybe?—”

James stood from his seat. “Slow down.” Sebastian’s gaze found James’s. “More than one thing can happen at a time. I checked the indicator on the fuel cell this morning. The power reserves look fine.”

“But the boundary.” Sebastian’s heart sank. He felt guilty, like he’d done this unknowingly. He knew it wasn’t true, and he shouldn’t feel that way, but a horrible ache consumed him anyway. What if his escaping Storm House had done this?

James pulled Sebastian into him. Sebastian hunched to rest his forehead on James’s shoulder. “This is not your fault,” James said in a firm but soft tone. “It’s probably not connected, and even if it turns out it is, it still won’t be your fault.”

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