Page 76 of Shadow and Skulls

She pats Carson on the chest. “Of course your momma will help you. Did you guys lose Grandma and Grandpa?” Her gaze roams over the area before checking her watch.

Just as we’re about to go looking for them, Grandpa jogs up the path. “I lost her,” he pants, coming to a stop beside us.

“Slow down, old man,” my dad says, grabbing him by the shoulders. “What happened?”

He takes a deep breath, resting his hands on his knees. “She was sitting in her chair, and I walked a few feet into the sunflowers to pick one for her. It was just a few seconds, and when I stepped out, she was gone.”

My dad starts barking orders. My mom rushes to tell the staff our grandmother is missing.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa. We’ll find her.” I run my hand over his back.

My mom and the boys start searching through the fields with the staff.

“Just stay here in case she wanders back,” Dad tells Grandpa. “Kelsie and I will go check along the creek.”

My heart breaks at the worried look on his face. “Oh my god. What if she falls in?”

“Not going to happen,” Dad assures him.

It breaks even more when I hear my dad yell out for his mother in his booming voice. “Angela!” he yells, cupping his hands together.

We search along the water, praying we don’t find her face down. My mom texts, letting us know they still haven’t found her.

“We’re going to have to call the authorities.” My dad stops in his tracks, shoving his hands in his hair. “Goddammit, where did she go?” He’s giving up hope.

I walk forward. “Angela!” I yell, continuing where he left off.

That’s when I hear something. I pause, the leaves crunching beneath my feet. “Did you hear that?” I ask my dad.

“No.” But he stops too.

I spin in a circle. “There! Did you hear it?”

I don’t wait for him to answer. I begin running through the brush. His boots thud heavily behind me. When we come to a clearing, we find my grandmother sitting on a log, her face raised to the moon.

“Grandma.” I drop to the ground in front of her. My father crouches down beside me. “Are you hurt?” I ask, not sure if she’ll respond. She doesn’t speak much anymore.

She looks at me confused. “Where did he go?” she asks.

“Grandpa’s back at the entrance,” I tell her.

My dad is patting her down, checking for injuries.

He tries to pry a stick from her fingers, but she pulls her hand back and smacks him over the head with it. “Don’t you dare try stealing my star.”

“Jesus Christ, old woman. That hurt.” He rubs his big hand over his head.

She ignores him, smiling at the tip of the stick.

I jump to my feet, my gaze roaming over the darkness surrounding us. When I don’t find who I’m looking for, I turn back to them.

“Can I see your star?” I ask, lowering myself back to the ground in front of her.

She tips it toward me, careful to keep it out of my dad’s reach.

“It’s so pretty,” I whisper. “Did someone give this to you?”

A smile brightens her face. “It was Ray,” she says.

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