Page 45 of Into the Light

“If you find out what happenedat the rockwith Ash, then I will be able to tell you.” He said his words deliberately, which made me realize I needed to go back to the rock . . . without Rain because I was meant to figure this out alone.

I hesitated, still upset with my brother for not sharing the truth, but I knew what he wasn’t telling me might hold clues to unraveling the mystery of that fateful night.

“I have to go,” I said as I slid out of the booth and stood.

“Can I see you again?” Walsh asked, his voice filled with uncertainty, and I shook my head.

“Not until I can figure out what happened, then I can find peace in our relationship,” I explained.

“Ember.” Walsh grabbed my hand. His face twisting in despair. He was suffering. I knew my brother. I’d grown up with him and knew he would do anything to protect me.

“You don’t need to protect me anymore,” I said one last time. Santiago stood until I gave him a gesture that I was okay.

“I do, sis.” He whispered so softly that if I hadn’t been looking at him, I wouldn’t have been able to hear. “I promised him.”

I ripped my hand away from his, shocked. Without telling me what I needed to know, he told me what he knew.

“You-youwerethere?” Tears formed in my eyes, but Walsh slid out of the booth and stared straight at me before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m telling you, sis, I would do anything to protect you.” He turned to walk away before he paused and looked back. “Dad told me what happened. I realized from that moment on, I needed to do this for you. It’s my duty.”

I can protect myselfwas what I wished I could have expressed to him, had I found the words. Instead, I stood there, fighting back tears. Sniffling, I watched him exit the coffee shop. Overwhelmed by emotions, I slumped back into the booth, signaling to Santiago I needed a moment to collect myself.

I could rely on myself. It sounded like something Ash might have said or asked my brother to do because Ash always felt the need to protect me. Maybe last-year Ember needed his protection, but today, I needed no one to shield me. I was entirely capable of unraveling this mystery on my own.

As I sat there in the booth, a mix of emotions flooded over me. Walsh’s evasiveness about that fateful night, my brother’s secrets, and the burden of the questions all weighed heavily on my shoulders. Yet, a newfound determination surged within me.

Over the last nine months, I had grieved, and I had done it mostly on my own. I had learned to stand on my own two feet in the face of adversity. Ash’s absence had forced me to become more resilient, to become Ember Solis, a woman who could confront her fears and pursue the truth, no matter how elusive it seemed.

To find the answers I sought, I couldn’t rely on anyone else. It was a journey I had to undertake alone, a path of self-discovery and resilience. This quest for the truth wasn’t just about finding closure for Ash’s sake; it was about finding closure for myself, too.

I wiped away a stray tear, took a deep breath, and stood from the booth. Santiago’s brows furrowed as his eyes locked onto mine, silently conveying their unwavering support. A gentle hand reached out, offering reassurance and solidarity in that fleeting moment of connection. “You okay, mija?”

“Yeah,” I replied with a newfound determination in my voice. “I’m more than okay. I’ve got some leads to follow up on. Thanks for being here, Santiago.”

I left the coffee shop with a renewed sense of purpose. It was time to unravel the mystery of that fateful night, to find out what had happened with my brother, and to prove that I could stand on my own two feet and face the darkness that lay ahead.

Chapter sixteen

As I strolled down the street with Santiago, heading back to my apartment, I couldn’t help feeling anxious as we got closer to campus. After Tana’s incident, I wished I had a cap or a hoodie to hide my face. Santiago noticed my unease and tried to distract me with his random questions.

“What year was the university created?” he asked, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“How am I supposed to know?”

“You are a reader. I figured maybe you’d have been curious about where you were living, so you studied it.” I laughed and kept counting the cracks inside the sidewalk as we walked forward. There were only a couple more blocks to my apartment.

I paused momentarily when I looked up and recognized the same patchwork tattoos I’d seen hundreds of times last year.

“Ember?” The familiar voice echoed in a somber tone. It was my old roommate.

“Hey,” I responded, trying to walk around her, but she got in my way.

“I heard you were back on campus, but I guess I couldn’t quite believe it.” Santiago tightened his grip across my shoulder.

“Here in the flesh.” I offered a tight-lipped smile, hoping the answer would satiate her and she’d leave me alone.

“Why?” she asked, not bothering to step out of the way.

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