chapter seventeen

“Get a grip, Lena,” I whispered to Myself, but my voice sounded too loud in the stillness.

I walked back into the living room, scanning every corner as though I was searching for something, or…someone, but there was nothing. Maybe she got out? No, I highly doubt that, but then it wasn’t completely implausible. Animals were actually smarter than we gave them credits for.

Gathering my confidence, I approached my bedroom door, the one room in the house I hadn’t searched yet. But for some reason, it was in this moment that I heard Jasmines words echoing in my mind.

{maybe you shouldn’t be living alone in a place like that. Come stay with me}

But I had been stubborn about moving for two reasons. One, I didn’t want to feel like a burden and two, I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of handling things by myself. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

As if on cue the soft whimpering of Rio came from the other side of the door and without a second thought, I pushed the door open in a panic.