Chapter 4

"I heard something moving under the bed and thought it was a rat, so I grabbed a shoe to whack it," I said.

Evanna thought for a moment. "We really do have rats at home. There's a trap under the bed. Guess you got lucky and didn't set it off."

I let out a breath. "Good thing my luck's not that bad."

She didn't respond. The room fell quiet again. After a long while, she said, "Damian, listen to me. I'm the only person in this house you can trust."

I had no idea why she said that, but I still nodded. "Of course. I only trust you."

No sooner had I said it than another thought hit me. "Wait. I can't even trust your parents?"

"Like I said, you can only trust me."

"Okay, okay. I'll remember that."

Dawn hadn't fully broken yet, and we drifted back off to sleep. Then a knock at the door jolted us both awake. We sat up at the same time.

Mrs. Zeller called from outside, "Evanna! Evanna, come out for a second."

Evanna answered, then leaned over and kissed me on the forehead before lifting the blanket and getting out of bed. "Go back to sleep for a bit. My mom probably wants me to help with breakfast."

As she left, she pulled the wooden door shut behind her.

I'd drunk way too much last night. My head was still spinning, so I lay there for a while longer. The old house had terrible soundproofing, so bits and pieces of Evanna's conversation with Mrs. Zeller drifted in.

"It has to be today, Evanna. We can't put it off anymore."

"Mom, give it a little more time, please. He's really good to me."

"This is his fate. At most, we wait until dinner."

Were they talking about me?

My head throbbed, but I still forced myself to climb out of bed. The second I opened the door, they both clammed up like they'd been caught.

My gut told me I really was the one they'd been talking about. Cold sweat beaded down my back in waves.

What did Mrs. Zeller mean by that last sentence? What did she mean, this was my fate? What exactly were they planning to do to me?

No matter how much I loved Evanna, I didn't want to stay here another second. So I said, "Let's head back today."

She looked torn. "Did something happen at home? Why are you in such a rush to leave? Besides, there's no one to take us down the mountain right now."

"How long will it take to walk to town? I really wanna go home."

Evanna's expression turned downright pissed. "What is wrong with you? You were the one dying to meet my parents, and now that you've seen how poor we are, you're the one in a hurry to leave. If you wanna go, then you're on your own. There's only one road down the mountain. Walk it."

I glanced outside. The sky was a dull sheet of gray, and the drizzle that had started in the morning was still coming down in a fine mist.

Who knew when I'd make it to town on my own two feet? And I'd just promised Evanna I would trust her.

"Evanna, I'm sorry. I just… I just got a little spooked," I said.

"Spooked by what? Those rats from last night?"

"No. Your conversation with your mom this morning really freaked me out."

Evanna shot to her feet. "You must've been half-asleep. Mom and I went out to the vegetable patch at dawn and only just got back. Or are you telling me you suddenly gained super-hearing and could listen in on us from a mile away?"