The door opened with a bang, and I could tell it was Giles based on the heavy breathing. He grunted in annoyance as Tilly shot out, her paws clicking and scrambling on the RV floor.
“Hope your mutt doesn’t run away, I’m not chasing her,” he grumbled. “This is your stop, Iris. A hotel was too risky with so many Hunters coming into town. Your mother—I mean, Moriah, has rented a house for you to use for the time we’re here. It’s got two bedrooms so the twins can come and stay if they need a break.”
I nodded uneasily, dread trickling down my spine. I didn’t want to be left alone with my brothers.
With shaky hands, I felt around the RV for the bench that would take me to the steps, hoping I didn’t fall out now. To my surprise, Giles grabbed my wrist, half supporting, half yanking me down until I was on solid ground before rapidly letting me go.
Tilly licked my hand, sticking close to my side as I followed my brothers’ voices up the path, walking slowly and cautiously so I didn’t fall. If Nana were here, she would have linked arms like we did when we walked through the forest paths, but that would never happen again. My throat grew tight at the thought, but I couldn’t cry now. This was not a time to show weakness.
It was soloudhere. Giles’s house was surrounded by trees, and when the television wasn’t on, I mostly heard the swaying, rustling sounds of them outside as well as the creaks and whistles of the wind blowing through the attic.
Here, all I could hear was the traffic from the road nearby. I tripped on the threshold, catching myself before I fell on my face, though no one seemed to notice at least. The central air was on, and it made a buzzing sound that seemed to needle into the very back of my brain. Tilly whimpered slightly, pushing her nose into my hand, and I stroked the top of her head, unsettled and unsure.
All I’d ever wanted was to leave the attic. Now, I wondered if perhaps I’d been too ambitious with those goals.
“Clara packed you a bag of clothes and snacks,” Moriah said dismissively as something landed with a thud on the floor. “The yard is fenced—you can let your beast out there. If you’re lucky, we’ll be back for you when it’s time to return to Denver. Boys, come on.”
“Can’t we just stay here?” Justin whined.
“No. We need to greet the rest of the Council and talk about the next steps. I expect my children to put their best foot forward and make a good impression.”
If there was anything she could have said to get them moving, it was that. Not because they wanted to make a good impression, but because it gave them an opportunity to be smug that she claimed them as her children, and not me.
“Of course, Mom,” Justin said sweetly, bumping the sore spot on my arm as he headed out the door.
Moriah left with them, but the door didn’t click shut. I hesitated, wondering if I was alone or not.
“I’ll send a food delivery to the door,” Giles muttered, making me jump. “Don’t make us regret the trust we’re placing in you, Iris. Your grandmother isn’t here to fight your battles anymore. Lock the door behind me.”
With that chilling pronouncement, he was gone.
My limbs shook with each step as I felt my way to the door, banging my hip on something and then my elbow. Eventually, I found the door and fumbled until I felt like the lock had clicked into place.
If only they’d told me a little about the layout, that would have been so helpful. The last time I’d moved was when Moriah had married Giles and we’d moved out of Nana’s house and I’d gone into the attic. I couldn’t even remember that time, and Nana would have helped me get accustomed to the unfamiliar space.
Now, it was just me.
I’d never had a cane before—the one time I’d quietly suggested one having heard about it in a movie, Nana had gotten me Tilly instead. She’d said she’d found Tilly easier to stomach as an aid. That she could pretend she was just a pet, and that there was nothing wrong with me. In the small space that I knew as well as I knew myself, that had been fine.
I really wished I had a cane now.
Fortunately, I stumbled into the bathroom first since Tilly hadn’t been the only one holding on for the long drive. I opted to take the bedroom right next to it, since it would be easier to get to in the middle of the night if I had to. There was one other bedroom on the other side of the small house, behind the kitchen area. The yard was a small square with seemingly no plants—I could run my hand along the wooden fence the entire way around, so at least Tilly would be safe outside.
It must have been late by the time I got my bearings. I tripped over the bag that Moriah had left on the ground, crashing onto the carpet on my knees, but at least I was able to find the small bag of snacks that Carla had packed for me and have some popcorn for dinner before getting ready for bed.
For all my dreams of leaving the attic and getting to explore the world outside those walls, thus far it was proving a little less exciting than the movies had made it seem. So far, it was worse in nearly every way, in fact. But every inch of the attic contained memories of Nana, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to cope when I was forced to confront those again.
The sheets were starchy and uncomfortable compared to the well-worn ones of my bed at home, and trucks seemed to pass by all night long, making the windows rattle each time. Tilly was practically curled up on my neck, as uncomfortable as I was, and even if I’d been at home, I doubted I would have gotten much sleep. I couldn’t turn my brain off.
Would there be a funeral for Nana? I wouldn’t be allowed to go, even if there was. Would Moriah let me live in the attic by myself? Did I even want that? If I wasn’t blind, maybe this would be my opportunity to run away and start a new life like they always did in the movies. But if I wasn’t blind, I wouldn’t need to. I wouldn’t be a faulty Hunter, and my mother wouldn’t have rejected me as her child. There would be no reason for me to want to leave.
Fortunately, I found the TV remote on the second day and was at least able to replicate the comforting background noise of home. Unfortunately, Giles seemed to have forgotten his words about having food delivered, and I rationed the snacks as much as I could, wondering how long I could make them last. Days dragged on that way, and I slept as much as I could, hating the harsh reality of being awake.
Hatingmyself. For the first time in my life, I was unsupervised. I could leave, and no one would ever find me again. Except, I couldn’t. I’d probably walk directly into traffic and that would be that.
“Open up, Iris,” Justin called through the door, banging on it loudly and making me startle. Tilly grumbled in irritation at the disruption. “We forgot the key.”
I quickly twisted my damp hair off my neck, having just gotten out of the shower, and pulled on a comfy long dress with t-shirt sleeves. If I had time, I’d go back to my room and grab a baggy sweater—an extra layer of protection for my skin in case my brothers got pinchy again—but it took me so long to get around this place still and I didn’t want to risk angering them.