Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Luna is right behind me as we sneak out onto the terrace and around the house onto the small gravel parking lot.
“There it is.” Luna points at a dark gray SUV, and we quickly make our way over there.
Just like Luna predicted, the doors are unlocked. I slide into the driver’s seat while Luna gets in on the passenger side.
“Do you even have a driver’s license?” Luna asks, while digging the key from the glove compartment.
“No, but Quinton lets me drive sometimes,” I admit. “It’s really not that hard.” I downplay the situation.
“Okay, I trust you,” Luna says, as she hands me the keys.
For the first time tonight, I’m second-guessing involving Luna in my plan. She trusts me, but do I trust myself to do this? What if I mess up? What if I’m wrong, and Ren isn’t there anymore… or worse, River is?
“Are you sure you want to come? I’m gonna be honest with you. I asked you to because I’m a little scared to go by myself. But I don’t want to put you in any danger,” I say, though I know I’m already too late.
“Stop acting like you had to drag me away. I wanna come with you. I want to find Ren just as much as you do. He is my brother, after all. My only constant. You know, I love my parents, but the bond I have with Ren is different. He is the only person who was there before I can remember, before Sophie and Roman adopted us. I couldn’t bear losing him.”
An image of small Ren and tiny Luna, all alone in that cult, enters my mind. Both anger and sorrow swirl around in my gut. They had to protect themselves, just like that little boy we saw when we went to New Haven. Pressure builds behind my eyes, and I have to will the tears away before they run down my face.
Without another word, I enter the key into the ignition and turn until the engine roars to life. Putting the car into drive, I ease my foot onto the gas. Here goes nothing. I slowly maneuver the car out of the parking spot and onto the small road leading to the main gate of the compound.
“The guard at the gate knows my dad’s car. He normally waves us through right away.”
“That’s what I was hoping for.” It’s much easier to get out of this place than in. Still, my heart beats rapidly against my chest and a sheen of sweat appears on my forehead as we approach the gate.
I slow down when the guard steps out of the guardhouse to see what car is coming. When he realizes who it is, or who he thinks it is, he waves at us before pushing the button to open the gate automatically.
Luna and I both sigh heavily in relief as we quickly make it through the gate onto the open road.
“I can’t believe we did that.” Luna giggles. “My parents are going to kill me, but like you said, it will be worth it.”
“Yes, it will be,” I agree, as I rev the engine to put more distance between us and my father’s compound.
The drive takes about an hour and a half, but it feels like an eternity. Neither mine nor Luna’s phone has rung, which means no one knows we’re missing yet. When we finally get to the same road that the man picked me up from when I left the cabin, I park the car off to the side.
“I think you should wait here and let me go first,” I blurt out. “And if you don’t hear from me in thirty minutes, you’d better call our parents.”
“Are you sure?” Luna asks, definitely not convinced by my new plan.
“Yes, I’ve been thinking about it the whole drive over here. It’s the safest thing to do.”
“Are you sure you’re going to find your way back to the cabin in the dark?” It’s a valid question, one I actually asked myself as well.
I’m pretty sure I went straight down the hill, but I have the flashlight on my phone to give me light. Plus, the sky is pretty clear today, so it’s not pitch black outside, anyway.
“All right,” Luna finally says. “I’ll wait here, but I’ll set my alarm for thirty minutes. I won’t wait any longer while you are out there by yourself.”
“Fair enough.” I grab my phone and turn on the flashlight before getting out of the car. “Lock the door behind me,” I order before slamming the car door shut.
The wind blows harshly around me, but I enjoy the fresh scent of the outdoors as I track through the forest up to the cabin. Every few minutes I check my time, making sure I’m not close to the thirty-minute mark. It only takes me twenty minutes before the familiar cabin appears between the trees. My heart sinks when I don’t see a light coming from inside. It’s unlikely that Ren is already asleep. But I don’t want to lose hope yet.