Page 15 of Wicked Dreams

Can’t and won’t.

The sunrise finds me. I’ve been awake for too long. The shadows have crept across the ceiling until pale sunlight comes in through my window.

I had a terrible nightmare about a darkness that followed me around school.

I roll over and grab my phone, my fingers navigating to the messages from Unknown.

No one has stood out as a likely culprit—no one except Caleb Asher himself. Or one of his friends operating on his orders.

There have been no new messages in the last few days, no threats to worry over. Just the few simple texts warning that I’ll regret coming back.

And so far, they’re right.

Heaving a sigh, I climb out of bed and collect clean clothes. A shower to wash away the lingering sense of the nightmare and then something to scavenge for breakfast. Once I’m dressed and my makeup is in place, I go downstairs.

Riley is already there.

Sitting at the kitchen table with Robert and Lenora.

I stop short, cocking my head, but she just grins at me.

“Took you long enough,” she teases. “I hope you’re ready to shop until you drop.”

I scoff. There’s a plate of toast, another of eggs and bacon. I didn’t takethatlong to get ready, but I already feel behind. Coffee, breakfast.

Riley keeps up an easy, steady chatter with my foster parents, and soon enough, we’re ready to go.

Robert follows me to the door and calls out softly, “Margo. Would you mind picking up a few paints? And a roll of film? There’s a store at the mall, and I’ve been meaning to go… you’d be saving me a trip.”

“Oh, yeah. No problem.”

He hands me a piece of paper with the details.

I tuck it into my pocket. It’s the least I can do for him.

I follow Riley outside. We pile into her car, and I look around the interior. Leather, with fancy gadgets. A button for heating the seats or cooling them.

“Damn, Riley,” I murmur. “You’ve been hiding your wealth on me.”

She snorts. “No more than you’ve been hiding the Bryans’ wealth.”

“What’s theirs is not mine.” I turn up the radio. “It’s always been that way.”

She’s quiet for a moment, contemplating that. It’s just a fact for me, but I understand how it would take her aback. My parents sharedtheirwealth—the little of it we had. We weren’t rich by any means, and I only lived in this neighborhood because of my mom’s job.

Going into the foster system, I was made very aware that I was not part of the families I was staying with.

Yes, some came with good intentions. But the business of fostering a kid is that it’s temporary. There’s an expectation that it will end.

Once I realized that, I held on to it with everything I had. It kept me from getting attached… until the last home. Until Claire and Hanna felt more like home than anything or anyone else had since I was put into the system in the first place.

Then they got ripped away from me, which was the biggest ‘fuck you’ from life. And I never saw it coming.

Riley clears her throat. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said that.”

I wave my hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

She exhales, glancing at me and smiling tentatively. “The mall is the place to be. Forgive me if you already know that. I know you used to live here, but?—”

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