Clouds gathered on the western horizon, and the sun slipped behind them. What light remained bled through the gaps in the mist in bruised shades of orange, red, and gold. Most people found comfort in sunsets. I could admit they were beautiful. But beauty can still be a warning, and to me the day’s dying light felt like a countdown.

  The demons in my thoughts worked me over without rest, day and night, but darkness gave them strength. Or maybe it stole mine. Either way, when the sun went down their voices grew sharper, their venom sunk deeper.

  I returned the empty wheelbarrow and shovel to the garage, setting them back where they belonged. Derek and Katie approached the door.

  Katie stretched, lifting both arms over her head until her shirt rode up and showed a smooth strip of midsection. It was casual. Unthinking. My face burned anyway, and I forced my eyes away before Thorn could turn the moment into another weapon.

  Katie’s arms dropped back to her sides and she planted her hands on her hips. “Friday night. What do you say we do something fun?”

  “Fun?” I said. “What is this ‘fun’ you speak of?”

  “The Crossroads has a pool table,” said Katie. “Some friends of mine are meeting up there. People I haven’t seen in months.”

  “Crossroads is a bar?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” Katie gave a shrug. “What about it?”

  I shook my head. “I’m only nineteen.”

  “Me too,” said Katie. “They only card you if you try to order a drink, and even then they might not card you.”

  “What about at the door?” I asked. “Don’t they at least make sure no minors enter?”

  “No,” said Derek. “They have an arcade, they serve food. They expect that sometimes people will bring their kids with them. Or that bored teenagers in the area will stop by. Not much else to do out here.”

  “So, it’s more than just a bar?” I asked.

  “Yeah yeah,” said Katie. “So, what do you boys say? You coming or not?”

  Derek shook his head. “Given what happened earlier, I think I’ve had enough of your old friends for now.”

  Katie shot him a glare. “Morgan and Pete aren’t like Cody.”

  “Fair,” said Derek, “But my guild is having its monthly dungeon crawl tonight, and I’d rather not miss that.”

  Katie scoffed. “You’re choosing Ashes of Godfall over time with your sister?”

  “Exactly,” said Derek, tipping his hat. “Welcome home.”

  As he walked off, Katie gave a grunt of irritation, then turned to me. “What about you?”

  “What about me?” I shrugged.

  “Will you come play pool with me?”

  “I’m terrible at pool,” I said.

  She snorted and swatted at a fly buzzing near her face. “I never got good either. Winning’s not the point. You coming or not? How long has it been since you did anything fun?”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Meeting you was the most fun I’ve had in years.

  “Too long,” I said, and against my better judgment I added, “Yeah. I’ll go with you.”

  “Nice! I’ll just get changed real quick. Give me a couple minutes.”

  She disappeared into the house, and I headed back to the loft to change as well. Most of my clothes were hand-me-downs from Derek or Lloyd, their leftovers. I chose a plaid shirt with snap buttons and a pair of jeans that hadn’t given up on me yet.

  In the bathroom mirror, I cupped water in my hands and tried to tame my hair, which had turned feral under the hat I’d worn all day.

  This is a date.

  Shut up!

  My demons went quiet after that. They didn’t need to say more. A sour, nervous feeling crawled into my gut. I imagined a centipede coiled inside me, its many legs scraping and tickling, back legs in my stomach, front legs brushing the back of my throat.

  Just going to have a little fun, I told myself. No big deal.

  When I met Katie outside, my breath caught. She’d let her hair down and thrown a denim jacket over a blue T-shirt that didn’t quite manage to cover her navel. Lip balm caught the last of the daylight on her mouth, and silver earrings flashed when she turned her head.

  The world tilted. I had to brace myself against her car.

  “Ready to go, then?” she said.

  She pulled out faster than I expected, gravel snapping under the tires as the ranch fell away behind us. I thought about the state trooper from the other day. I thought about her deputy ex-boyfriend from earlier. I wondered if whoever stopped us next would ask for both our IDs.

  I started to regret bringing my wallet at all, regret not having destroyed the driver’s license yet. Until now, I’d told myself I might need it, that maybe I could still get away with using it.

  Derek had come to me about the gas station robbery, which meant he’d been watching the local news. My face hadn’t shown up yet. Neither had any mention of a father-and-son confrontation involving strangulation and gunfire. Derek hadn’t looked at me sideways. He’d stayed friendly. Casual.

  Maybe I could still flash my ID somewhere. A bar. A gas station. Just enough to prove I was over eighteen without drawing attention.

  But if a cop found it, it would be over.

  I promised myself I would not go to prison. I had no spine, no fight. I’d be meat in a place like that.

  “You’re so quiet,” Katie said.

  Her voice snapped me back to the present. A pretty girl. A car. Rolling countryside soaked in the last light of day. Why was it so hard to stay there? To bask in the beauty of my surroundings? Perhaps because it was so like Heaven, and thus I knew I did not belong.

  “Sorry,” I said.

  “Nothing to be sorry about.” Katie glanced at me, then back to the road. “I just figure you think more than you talk. That right?”

  “Yeah.” I let out a small laugh. “I tend to overthink.”

  She waited a long moment before speaking again. “My dad told me that when you first came to the ranch, you had bruises on your neck from where someone tried to choke you. That true?”

  Something in me twisted. I didn’t want her to think me weak, but lying felt useless. “Yes.”

  “That why you don’t share your thoughts?” she asked. “Because you’re afraid someone will hurt you?”

  I stayed quiet. Some truths refuse to be spoken.

  “Thought so.” She clicked the signal and turned left. “But you know that some people see silence as ‘spooky’ right?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I hear no end of that.”

  “I’m not one of those people,” she said. “I prefer the strong, stoic sort myself. But my friends and some of the people at the bar might be put off.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said again.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Sorry for what?”

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “You shouldn’t apologize for something if you don’t know what it is. It cheapens your apologies.”

  She pulled into the parking lot of a one-story building made of brick and decayed siding. The south-facing wall was bleached by years of sun into a color without a proper name. Once it might have been red or tan. No more.

  Nail holes dotted the wall where signs had come and gone with the seasons. Neon glowed behind the windows, advertising drinks I didn’t dare name, afraid the words alone might get me carded and caught.

  A motorcycle roared in beside us. The rider wore a black leather jacket with a patch on the back that read “The Pale Horsemen.” My parents had ridden once, back in another life. They’d gone to Sturgis and come home with stories. The Pale Horsemen were always part of the bad ones. Rumor said initiation meant picking a stranger and doing whatever it took to win, and the name itself was a reference to their dedication to white supremacy.

  “Can I give you one bit of advice?” asked Katie.

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Ask people questions about themselves,” she said. “That’s how you’ll be able to keep your secrets while not coming off as the creepy quiet type. If you’re quiet while someone else talks, they don’t think of you as spooky, they think of you as a ‘good listener.’ Alright?”

  “Alright. Thank you.”