Page 32 of The Hunt of Night

Mind made up, I swing my window open, but before I take the final step to lean outside, a knock sounds from my door.

I pause, glaring at the offending wood like it holds the secret to my problems.

I’m too in my head to answer the door right now, especially when it’s likely to be one of my Kryptos. That’s the last thing I need. Settling on my decision to ignore it, my grip on the vase tightens when another knock follows a moment later.

Lowering the offensive flowers back to my desk, I decide throwing them out will only confirm I’m here, and that’s the last thing I want to do. I just need to remain quiet, and they will eventually leave.

“Hey, it’s Flora. I know you’re in there.”

My stress calms at the sound of her voice, and before I can think better of it, I hurry over to the door. I open it just enough to see her red hair and green eyes waiting expectantly on the other side.

“Hey,” I breathe, and she offers me a small smile.

“Let me in.”

“What?”

She cocks a brow at me and my eyes narrow, observing the bags in her hand. I can’t tell what’s going on, but I relent nonetheless.

Pulling her inside, I quickly shut the door behind her and she murmurs her thanks.

Wordlessly, she dumps the bags on my bed before planting her hands on her hips as she assesses my space.

“What’s going on?” I ask, but she shakes her head.

“I don’t know what you think you’ve done with this room, but it’s lacking. Those cute roses are your only saving grace. Otherwise, I’d think it was a morgue or something.”

My eyebrows rise to my hairline.

“Uh, I didn’t realize I was letting you in to be judgy.”

She turns to me with a grin. “Oh, if you think this is judgy, you haven’t seen anything yet.” All I can do is gape at her. She must sense that she’s caught me completely off-guard because she turns to face me properly as her smile softens. “We’re having a sleepover.”

“Sleepover? But it’s not Friday.”

She shrugs, digging into one of the bags to pull out a bag of candy. “I know, but Brody said you needed me. So, I shifted it to now.”

“Brody did what?” My head rears back, confusion racing through my mind as she beams at me.

“He didn’t offer an explanation, but…”

“But?”

“I could read the sincerity coming from him,” she offers, tapping her temple to confirm her magic is what made that assessment.

My heart warms against my will. I refuse to acknowledge how it makes me feel that he went in search of my friend to be here for me when I can’t seem to accept him doing the same thing.

Shaking my head, my shoulders begin to relax, and I didn’t even realize they were coiled so tight. “This sleepover is supposed to be for you. That’s why I agreed in the first place.”

“For me?” Her nose crinkles in confusion as I nod.

“I could sense something was off with you after the weekend.”

Her smiles are her expressions. I can read her by her mouth, and it’s only confirmed more when her smile drops, etched in sadness.

Clearing her throat, she tucks a loose tendril of hair behind her ear as she peers at me. “How about we make this for both of us then? It feels like we’ve both had a lot going on.”

I scoff. “That feels so vague yetsoaccurate all at once,” I admit, making her lips curl up a little again.

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