Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Last week she started hearing voices.
And by the way she was driving—they were heckling her now. I was no shrink, but part of me wondered if she would rather have her body fail than her mind with the way she reacted every single time she was taunted.
I cleared my throat and tried to think of something that would take her mind off of the darkness. “I think I’m going to have sex with my lab partner.”
Swear she hit the brakes so hard the seatbelt jerked against my body as the car swerved to the right. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You’re shrieking.” I pointed out with a smile.
“I am not.” She took a deep breath and hit the accelerator again. “Shrieking. I’m just surprised. Don’t you think you’re a little young to be having sex? And what’s with telling me about it? Now I’m going to be wondering every day if you’ve actually gone through with it, and the last thing we need is me picturing—” She made a face. “Rob’s really your first choice? Really?”
I burst out laughing. “Not at all. You know how I’m saving myself for Tom Holland.”
Her frown slowly melted into a smile. “So, you were kidding, right? Please God, tell me you were kidding. I can’t leave this earth knowing my daughter’s going to have her first sexual experience with a guy who talks to his lizard more than his parents.”
“His lizard has quite the TikTok following.” I yawned behind my hand and looked out the window at the ocean waves crashing against the rocky shore. “Besides, there are worse guys out there.”
Mom snorted. “Don’t I know it.”
We slowly pulled into the parking lot of the quaint inn I’d stayed at every year with my mom since I was twelve. The turnover rate at the place was super high, typically meaning I never saw the same person twice, which always seemed strange to me for such a small town, but it wasn’t a normal small town by any means.
It was one of those towns that had had at least a dozen reality shows on ghost hunting filmed here. One camera crew got so spooked that a guy was institutionalized, and now that Mom was hearing voices… well, let’s just say I’d been slowly going down the supernatural rabbit hole in a last-ditch effort to see if I could save the only family I had and my best friend.
Rain started peppering our windshield right as my mom killed the engine. “Mom, go inside, and I’ll bring in the bags.”
“Honey, you don’t have to—”
“I know.” I reached across the console and squeezed her hand. Her jet-black hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head, and her naturally blue eyes had lost their sparkle, just like her skin had lost its color.
I tried to keep my lips pressed into an excited smile when she suddenly turned around and cupped my chin with her right hand, her eyes searching mine. “Whatever you do—don’t leave Orca Cove.”
“Mom?” I whispered. “Is it the voices again?” A tear slid down her cheek as her lips parted. “Mom, you’re scaring me.”
Her chin wobbled. “It’s okay, sweetheart, it’s okay.”
“Mom—”
“I’m just tired… it’s time, you know… it’s time…” She cleared her throat. “To sleep.”
A dark shadow slithered across her face as the lights in front of the inn started to flicker, and then she was smiling again. “Should I order some tea?”
“Um, yeah… sure.” I reached for her hand and squeezed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I will be…” She kissed my cheek. “Soon.”
By that point, a torrential downfall had made itself known against the outside of our green Jeep. “Hurry inside before you get soaked!”
“I love you.”
“Love you too.” Chest tight, I watched her go up the wooden stairs of the Orca Victorian Inn with its white shutters and large flower boxes. The red door shut behind her, leaving me alone in the Jeep with my thoughts and a foreboding feeling that refused to go away.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I grumbled to myself. I jumped out of the car and opened the back, grabbing my backpack, her overnight bag, and then mine before clicking it closed and locking the doors.
My favorite Yankees T-shirt was soaked completely through by the time I made it to the door at the inn. I managed to get it open and stumbled a bit as my backpack fell to the floor.
An elderly woman with clear blue eyes and snowy white hair stood on the other side of the only table in the lobby—it said registration, and she looked less than thrilled that I was getting water all over her hardwood floors.
“May I help you?”
To the right was a roaring fireplace and empty dining room, and the left held the creaky old stairway with its wooden stairs. Mirrors lined the wall all the way up to the second floor, which always gave me a weird chill, so I refused to look into them, almost like something would happen if I did.