Chapter 21

I stop in the backyard of a house, hands on my knees, gasping for air. My lungs and legs are aching, but I have to keep going. I have to find them. I begin to walk, I'm easily a few blocks from my parents now. Fear courses through me as I let my mind wander to the possibility of not finding Mikayla and Jackson. Just as I am about to fall headfirst into a panic attack, I see the car.

It's barely noticeable, tucked beside some trees to the side of a house. I sprint for the house, the overwhelming emotion in me paired with the adrenaline make it a short trip. I jump up to the concrete steps leading to the back door and knock. My breath catches in my throat as I wait for someone to come. I'm praying silently that they are here.

Suddenly, the door swings open almost knocking me off the steps, but I can't stop the splitting grin from taking over my face when a blur of red hair tackles me in a tight hug.

"Oh my God, you came back."

Tears are streaming down Mikayla's face as she grips my waist, I can't stop smiling as I hug her back.

"I said we wouldn't be alone, and I meant it. No matter what happens."

I rest my face on top of her head and when I look up again, I see Jackson leaning against the doorway. He is trying to appear upset, but he can't keep the smile from his face either.

"Welcome home."

I nod in response because of the lump forming in my throat. The happiness and relief I feel can't be adequately expressed. We all go inside, and I take a seat at the bar in the kitchen. The wooden bar stool isn't comfortable by any means but I'm not about to be picky after all the exercise I just got.

"Are you hungry? We haven't eaten yet."

Jackson looks at me, waiting to grab food from the cabinet until I answer.

"Oh, no thanks. I could use something to drink though."

Mikayla grabs me a water bottle as Jackson pulls out two cans of chili for them to eat. I know that they are waiting for me to explain what happened but I'm trying to unwind from everything that just happened. Mikayla takes a seat beside me as Jackson pushes her can and a fork across the counter.

While they eat, I should probably tell them what happened. Jackson will probably think it was a stupid idea. It could have gone so much worse than it did.

I sigh and look at them both. They look like they haven't gotten any decent sleep since the last time we saw each other.

"So... I took care of the situation," I say slowly.

They look at me eagerly, silently eating and waiting for me to continue.

I take a big gulp of the water Mikayla brought me and run my hands through my oily hair.

I need to wash this crap soon. Maybe if we find a lake, I can bring some soap with us.

Before I can get off track or procrastinate anymore, Jackson interrupts my thoughts.

"And?" He says briskly.

I can feel my face heat up at the fact that I forgot to continue talking.

"My sister is dead. My parents were too far gone to talk too. There is really no point staying here any longer. They are livid at what I did. I pretty much stabbed her and then jumped out of the bedroom window and ran."

There's only silence as I let my head rest on my hands, my eyes tracing the pattern in the granite countertop. I hear a clang as Jackson sets his can down and comes around the bar. He rubs my back lightly, but I don't look at him.

"I'm sorry about what happened. Why don't we pack up and plan on leaving tomorrow morning? We can form a game plan in the car for what to do next. Sound good?"

I lift my head and give him a weak smile. His gaze is a lot warmer than it was earlier.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'm pretty worn out."

Mikayla jumps up and tosses her can in the trash can before holding her hand out to me.

"Come on, we've been sleeping upstairs, let's go get relaxed."

I take her hand and we walk up the creaky stairs. I stop by the bathroom and grab the shampoo sitting in the shower, it looks to be decent but honestly, I would wash my hair with some men's bar soap at this point. I grab a ponytail holder from the counter to braid my hair and slip it onto my wrist before joining Mikayla in the neutral zone outside the bedrooms.

There is a nice sectional couch and loveseat with an ottoman, but the area is scarce of personal belongings. I set the soap on the floor by the couch and collapse face-first onto the cushions.

"This feels amazing."

Mikayla giggles, she is laying on the love seat, dangling her legs over the back with her head hanging upside down towards me.

"I've been sleeping on it, it's so comfortable it should be a crime."

I giggle too and we enjoy the silence for a few minutes. Jackson eventually makes his way up and flops onto the oversized ottoman.

"I went ahead and put our stuff in the car in the morning."

Mikayla tells him thanks and I take a moment to study his face. He looks more worn out than normal. His face is clean-shaven though and his hair lays limp as he covers his eyes with his forearm.

Looks like we all need to wash our hair.

I giggle to myself and he peeks up at me with a sort of confused look on his face which makes me laugh harder. Before we know it we are all laughing and when we finally settle down we just enjoy the silence and comfortable furniture.

I've almost drifted off to sleep when I hear the door slam open downstairs. I jolt up, just as Mikayla and Jackson do the same. It's faint but I can hear a man's voice.

"Come out, come out wherever you are. I will find you."

I can just barely hear it but it's more than loud enough to let us know we aren't alone anymore. We've been found.