Page 8 of The Hallows Queen

I shake my head with a smile, heading out into the hallway, yelling back at him, “I love you too.”

Katie and I exchange hugs with my mother at the elevator, then we’re heading down to the ground floor again.

“You okay?” Katie asks while we’re secured in the silence of the elevator.

I nod. “He looks good, and it makes me feel better that he’s still cracking jokes.”

She slides her fingers between mine. “Definitely a good sign, Pen.”

“Everything will be okay,” I breathe, saying the words more to myself than to my friend, simply because I want to believe them so badly.

The elevator opens once we’re back on the ground floor, and we head to the parking garage where we left the rental car. It’s deep into the afternoon in Raleigh, and we have another hour drive to Luxington to my new apartment. So once we’re buckled in, I blast the stereo and roll all the windows down, desperate for the smell of the ocean to consume me.

I light a cigarette, ignoring theno smokingsigns on the dash of the rental, and tuck my hair behind my ears as I pull onto the highway and head south.

I’m home.

* * *

“I forgotyour parents were boujee as fuck.” Katie chuckles as I unlock the solid, shiny black door to my new apartment.

We arrived at the freestanding apartment building about five minutes ago, parked next to the spot with my name on it in the garage, and lugged our suitcases up to the fourth floor. When my dad saidapartment, I assumed it would be an apartment complex – something normal – instead, I’m in a building that outshines the rest of the block. It’s solid concrete, painted white to stand stark against the blue sky, windows covering two sides. The accents are all white too, except the window frames, which are silver. It’s fancy. It probably cost my parents an arm and a leg.

I laugh under my breath as I push the front door open, dragging my suitcase behind me. The movers unloaded my furniture from Washington yesterday, so I’m greeted by familiarity. The floors inside are dark wood, and my shoes are noisy against them as I cross into the living room. I leave my suitcase leaning against my black leather sofa and toss my purse down next to it so I can keep exploring.

Katie trails past me, her suitcase discarded along the way as well, and goes to the long black curtains on the far wall. She pulls the cord at the side, exposing a set of glass doors that stretch across the entire wall that leads out to the balcony.

“Damn,” I say, walking over to them and flipping the lock on the door before I slide it open.

The breeze flows in once the door is open all the way, the smell of saltwater and fresh air wrapping around us. I step out onto the balcony to look out to the ocean. You can’t see much of the beach from here, only little strips between the buildings that cover the view. The shore is maybe a ten-minute walk from my apartment, and I can’t wait to spend every night with sand between my toes.

The sun is setting, turning the sky to different shades of orange as the moon kisses the sky and the day says goodnight. Katie rests against the railing next to me and we spend a few minutes in comfortable silence just listening to the sounds of the ocean and savoring the freshness of the air. My stomach rumbling through the quiet pulls our attention, and we both laugh.

“Let’s change and go get something to eat.” I chuckle, turning to head back inside.

“I need a shower. I still feel the plane all over me,” Katie says, following me inside and closing the door behind her. “Find a restaurant while I do.”

“Okay.” I drop down on the couch while she heads for the bathroom. “But pick out something mildly slutty to wear, we’re going to Amethyst after dinner.”

I spent lots of nights at the one and only club in downtown Luxington – Amethyst – growing up, thanks to my fake ID. Not that they ever checked it; they saw cleavage and pulled the velvet rope to the side. Amethyst is owned by some skeevy guy who rots away behind the bar, but they play good music, and the drinks are strong. Plus, beggars can’t be choosers. Living in a small town, you take what you can get. Me and my friends weren’t going to drive into Raleigh to get shitfaced, especially when we lived at the beach and could spend nights sobering up to the sound of the ocean.

“Fine!” Katie calls behind her. “But you can’t ditch me for a hookup!”

I laugh, picking up my phone to occupy myself while she showers. “Deal!”

Chapter3

Hayden

11:08PM Logan:

Where are you?

11:22PM Logan:

Are you okay?

12:00AM Logan:

---