Page 78 of The Hallows Boys

“Benjamin Gilmore. Where is he? Does he still live here?”

Kaiden sighs, making me turn to look at him. His eyes narrow as he looks at the photo, almost like he’s trying to decide what to say, then he drops his features back to his regular stone mask. “No clue.”

He hands the picture back to me, and I turn my head to the side to examine his face. “Are you lying?”

He blinks once. “Why would I be lying?”

“I don’t know.” I pull the other picture out, the one of the Hallows Boys with ‘M’, and I point at her. “How about her, do you know who that is?”

Kaiden snatches the photo from my hands, putting it closer to his face. “Where did you get this?!”

“I found it here, it was with some family photos…” I breathe. “Why? Who is that?”

He’s silent, just staring at the photo for a long minute before he hands it back to me. “No idea.”

I huff, searching his dark eyes. “You expect me to believe that lie?”

He shrugs. “I’m not lying.”

I shake my head, blown away at the fact he’s so blatantly lying to my face, especially since he had such a weird reaction to seeing the picture. I step away from him. “You are lying, Kaiden. I’m not stupid.” I wave a hand toward my window. “Go home, I’ll figure it out all by myself.”

He narrows his eyes at me, licking his lips. “There are some secrets that should stay buried, Sage. This isn’t an episode of fucking SVU. Just drop it.”

I hum between my lips as I walk backwards to my bed, and when my ass hits the side, I sit down and climb under the covers. “Close the window on your way out.”

“I mean it, Sage,” he growls as he walks to my window. “Just leave it alone.”

Nodding sarcastically, I watch him climb out my window without a response. When he’s disappeared, leaving my window open, I swing from my bed again with a groan.

I go to the window, slam it shut, then spin around and cross my arms over my chest. Kaiden just lied to me – I can feel it in my bones. He knows who ‘M’ is, and I bet you the other Hallows Boys do too, and I’m going to get to them before he tells them to shut their mouths.

School starts in a few hours. I have to figure out how to get to Vinny and Beckham before Kaiden does, so I run to the bathroom to take a shower.

Managing to get showered in three quick minutes, I step out and run back to my bedroom to dress for school.

I pull on a plain white hoodie, then slip my legs into some jeans. Once I’ve put on socks and shoes, I go to my vanity and run a brush through my wet hair. I decide to skip makeup altogether, eager to get going.

Hopefully, they don’t all meet up before they head to school, but I’m sure Kaiden will need to go home and get ready after being here, so I feel pretty confident. I grab my backpack, shove the pictures inside, then go downstairs.

Gran is in the kitchen, sitting at the table and reading the newspaper as always, and when I push into the room, she looks up at me. “Mornin’ sweetheart, I made you some breakfast.”

I run to the coffee pot, grab a travel mug from the cabinet, and fill it before I spin around. “No time, gotta get to school!”

Gran chuckles. “You’ve got a fire under your ass this mornin’.”

I laugh, sipping the hot liquid in my mug and hissing when it burns my tongue. “Things to do, gran. Sun’s up, I’m up!”

She laughs at me again when I hustle, kissing her on the head as I pass.

“Have a good day, sweetie!” she yells after me, but I’m already through the front door and into the chill of the morning, so I don’t bother responding.

The sun is peeking over the horizon, fog and steam rolling through the air and up from the grass, giving everything a creepy vibe. Taking a deep breath in, I savor the feel of the crisp autumn air, hoping today won’t be another day with more questions instead of answers.

I’m starting to feel dizzy and overwhelmed by the amount of mysteries that keep popping up in Blackmore. It’s almost like I’m in some weird show, and I’m just waiting for the finale so I get the big explanation.

Who is ‘M’? Why did my parents leave Blackmore? Where is Benjamin Gilmore? Is the Blackmore Tragedy true, and does it involve my parents? Why was Kaiden so off-putting and dismissive this morning? Am I falling into a weird relationship with three separate guys?

I stomp my feet a little harder as I walk down the road, letting the multitude of questions snake up my throat and take over my entire being.

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