Chapter 16

IZZY POV

You know that moment when you realize you made a big mistake? Yeah. I’m there.

After I packed my backpack, I wrote a quick note for my mom and stuck it on my bed before sneaking out of the house. I had used my phone to check satellite maps and had found the nearest road. I figured if I could hitchhike about a hundred miles, there was a pretty big city where I was sure I would find a job and a cheap apartment. I just needed a few weeks to get everything set up so that mom could join me. I knew it was a bad idea for her to stay in the pack with Silvo. I didn’t want to see her hurt again, and I didn’t trust my father. He hurt her once. He would do it again.

Shortly after I left, it started snowing. I still had my phone, but I no longer had coverage. I had taken a lot of detours, trying to find the areas that were easiest to walk in the snow, and now I didn’t know if I was still heading in the right direction.

It was dark; night came early in the winter in the mounta