Page 54 of If You Go
Mama’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “How did ye all sleep, then? I know it was’t long ‘nough”
Murmurs all around:Good. Comfy. Dead to the world.
“Perfect,” she says. “If ye need anythin’, ye come t’ me, aye?”
The kitchen staff bring breakfast–Pancakes and eggs sizzle beside rashers and black pudding, bowls of berries gleaming under the morning light, and a loaf of soda bread still warm from the oven. The smell of strong coffee fills the room, cut with the richer scent of butter melting over hot boxty. It’s calm. It’s peaceful.
But the back of my neck still prickles. Peace never lasts.
Once breakfast clears, everyone drifts off to get ready for the day. Each of us constantly glancing over our shoulders, waiting for the next pang of alarm.
The house hums with movement–laughter in one hallway, footsteps in another–and for a moment, it almost feels like a home instead of a bunker.
Sam offers clothes to the guys since they all seem to share the same giant-gorilla build. Josh gets a pair of sweats and a faded band tee. Brenden gets one too— sweats that are a few inches too short and a black t-shirt with Sleep Token across the chest. It’s snug, but I can tell it would normally be loose on Sam.
I blink. “Um. What?”
Sam grins, halfway proud, halfway waiting for the reaction. “What?”
“You like Sleep Token too?” I can’t keep the disbelief out of my voice. My brother listens to moody indie rock–think Hoozier. Sleep Token is… not that.
“Hell ya,” he says, already energized. “You do too?”
“Of course I do.”
That’s all it takes. In seconds, we’re talking over each other about the newest album, the stage show, the absolute choke hold The Summoning still has on humanity. How Gethsemane is literally my all-time favorite song. He’s animated, gesturing with his hands; I haven’t seen him light up like this since before everything went to hell.
Mid-conversation, Brenden squeezes my arm and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Your dad wants to speak with Joshua and me,” he says, his words still clipped in that coded calm he uses when things aren’t quite fine. “I’ll be back soon, Siren. Keep talkin’ to your brother. I won’t be long.”
I nod. He kisses me once more and disappears down the hall. I already miss the heat of him.
Sam and I keep walking toward Selene’s room, our voices trailing through the corridor. The hallway smells like wood polish and sea air. The morning sun cuts through the tall windows, slicing everything into warm gold.
“Selene doesn’t leave her room much,” Sam says quietly. “Still hurts to move some days.”
I nod, the memory of the explosion flashing quickly behind my eyes. “How bad was it?”
He exhales. “Shrapnel hit her side, nicked a few organs. Not bad enough to ruin anything long term, thank God, but she’s still sore. Doctors said she would be for a while, but she’s healing. They got her on a special diet, lots of protein.”
When we reach her door, I knock twice before pushing it open. The sight makes me smile despite everything.
Selene sits curled up in a hanging egg chair identical to the one in my room. The entire space looks like a cotton-candy planetarium–pink walls, pink bedding, pink fuzzy rug, pink stars painted and stuck to the ceiling that’ll glow softly when the lights go out. She’s in matching pink pajamas too, holding a book that’s bigger than her head.
Two words:Pink Celestial.
“Whatcha readin’?” I ask, snatching the book gently from her lap while keeping her place with my thumb. I’m notthatevil.
She gasps, mock-offended. “Give it back!”
I tilt the cover toward me. “Dragons? Seriously?”
“It’ssogood,” she says, sitting up straighter. “A girl goes to a school to ride dragons, and the hot guy has these crazy shadow powers. He’s obsessed with her–in the good way.I’mobsessed withhim.”
“Shadows?” I laugh, handing the book back. “Didn’t peg you for fantasy, babe.”
“Ever heard of a shadow daddy?” she teases, eyes glinting. “From the looks of you and all that muscle at the table during breakfast, pretty sure you’d be into it too. That, or reverse harem.” She winks at me, and Sam groans before making mock wretching sounds.
I choke on a laugh. “Oh my God,Selene.”
