Page 64 of Shadow and Skulls

My dad sits up straight. “In the fucking church?”

Jesse shakes her head. “Kelsie,” she starts.

“I can show you why it’s special to me. Please,” I beg.

Fifteen minutes later, the four of us are driving through the tall weeds that surround my little church.

Jesse shivers dramatically on the cement steps in front of it. “No way am I going in.” She starts to back away, her eyes raising to the steeple.

Dirk places his hand at the small of her back, drawing her attention to him. “Listen to what the kid has to say, and then we can leave.”

I take her hand in mine. “It’s not scary inside,” I tell her.

She rolls her eyes. “Fine.”

I drag her in, the guys following behind us. I stop in the middle of the church and pull her to the ground beside me. Together we lie back in the dry leaves, staring up at the ceiling. I raise my hand, pointing to it.

“That’s where I went in my mind when I was with them,” I say quietly, letting my arm fall to my chest.

She releases a long breath.

“When I found this place and saw it, I knew I was right where I belonged. It’s a sign.”

The door opens, and the wind rustles the leaves beside us. My dad and Dirk step out, leaving us to talk in private. I’m sure that was hard for my father to hear, but I need this place.

Jesse and I stare at the ceiling for a long time before her head drops to the side and she encourages me to look at her. “You really want to live here?”

I nod, blinking back tears. “But I understand if this place disrupts your peace. If it’s too much for you …”

She interrupts me. “I’m not the one who will have to live here. We all have our place. Mine is and will forever be the warehouse.” She smiles and turns back to the ceiling. “You remind me so much of your mom. When she saw the little broken-down house on Windflower road, she knew she was finally home. I don’t think she’ll ever move. She saw something there that no one else could. If this is what you really want, then we’ll make it happen.”

My gaze goes back to the cracked paint above us. “Do you think Mom and Dad will understand?”

“I think they will be sad you’re moving out, but once they think about it, they’ll be happy you’re choosing to live so close to them. It’s tough becoming an empty nester, you know. But they love you, Kelsie. They only want you to be safe and happy.”

She sits up, hugging her knees. I study the dark images inked into her skin.

“Did you go to church as a child?” she asks quietly. Jesse takes my hands, pulling me to sit up across from her.

“No. I couldn’t tell you anything about organized religion.”

A little snort escapes her.

I place my finger under her chin and tip her head back, forcing her to look at the ceiling again. “There is hope in the sky. It’s the one place that always holds the promise of light. It was the first thing I was able to put my faith in. No matter what was happening to me, I always felt safe there. I feel safe here.”

When I remove my hand, she continues to stare up.

“This is just a building, Jesse. A place where people once gathered to find comfort and understanding. It’s really no different than the warehouse. I understand the bad feeling, though. It isn’t about the building, is it?”

She bites her lip, looking away from me.

I wave my hand around the room. “Maybe me changing this place will give you some happy memories to override the bad ones you experienced.”

She grabs me, hugging me tight. “That would be nice,” she whispers into my hair.

Jesse pulls me to my feet, and I see her perspective shift as she looks around. “Okay, well, first things first. We’ll need to get the guys out here to fix the roof.”

“Really?” I ask, bouncing on my toes.

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