Chapter 274 : Where Are They?

*Michael*

The weight of Thomas in my arms felt much lighter than the worry sitting in my chest as I navigated our path back to the bungalow. The day's events had twisted into something surreal, and now, with the sun beginning to dip toward the horizon, reality seemed to be held together by a thinning thread. But there was comfort in routine, and I clung to it like a lifeline.

"Okay, kiddos," I murmured as we crossed the threshold into the sanctity of our home, "movie time."

Amelia, ever the mirror image of her brother except for the streak of rebelliousness that danced in her eyes, nodded solemnly. She understood, without words, that today was different—that the scraped knees and the strange occurrence at the boardwalk had frayed the edges of our normalcy. She was more perceptive than Thomas, always watching and taking in the emotions of the people surrounding her. She got her intuition from her mother.