Darkness by Joann I. Martin Sowles Read Free Book Online Page B

Like I’d hurt him if I did.
     
    He whispered, “Sure,” then his eyes closed again.
     
    Felix, who had been behind me the entire time, tucked Carter tightly into the covers and led me out of the room. I was a bit startled as I turned to leave that Oliver was leaning on the doorframe with his eyes on me.
     
    “You okay?” I said quietly as I reached the door.
     
    He smiled warily and nodded.
     
    I told Felix thank you for letting me see Carter. Then I took Oliver’s hand and led him to his room. The bags that contained my groceries were sitting on his bedroom floor.
     
    “I wanted to show you where things would be before I hid them,” he said and then began showing me all the spots in his closet and other places in his room where he hid snacks. We hadn’t yet gotten a chance to talk about what had happened at the store. It was like he wasn’t leaving an opening for us to talk about it, and I just couldn’t seem to put a sentence together for it. And it turned out I wasn’t going to get to get a chance. Because as we were hiding the groceries, the princess of drama returned.
     
    “She’s back,” Oliver whispered and began stashing the last of the items at a rapid rate.
     
    Felix was in the doorway a moment later. Once the last box of snacks was stored away, Oliver lightly took my hands in his and said, “Stay in here.” I nodded and he pecked me on the cheek before leaving the room. Felix looked nervous but still managed a wink at me, which made me smile, and then he closed the bedroom door after them.
     
    I heard the front door bang against the wall as it was opened. Then the muffled sound of arguing began. My body was instantly tense, and only seconds later a scratch on the door scared me and I jumped, letting out a muffled squeak. A dark wet nose pushed its way into the room. Oh my God! Carter changed! Then, as the door opened wider, it revealed Hayden standing behind Lola. I laughed out loud at my ridiculous thought.
     
    “Hey Laney,” Hayden said. And with the door open the arguing was much louder. “If you need anything or just want to visit, I’m just across the hall.” She gestured to the door behind her.
     
    “Thanks,” I responded as she closed the door, leaving just me and Lola in the room. Lola jumped onto the bed and lay down across the comforter. The bed had been made while I was in the shower that morning. Apparently Oliver didn’t tolerate things out of order for long. He also never mentioned such things either. I unplugged my phone from the charger and took it with me to sit on the bed with my favorite dog. As I slid back across the bed to rest against the wall, Lola shifted herself so that she could rest her head in my lap. I found my usual comfort in her, running my fingers through her fur and feeling her silky soft ears. She calmed me and somehow helped block out the sounds of the raised voices coming from down the hall.
     
    I called my Aunt Lilly first. I figured that call wouldn’t take as long. I was wrong. Lilly went on and on about staying the night with my boyfriend and about how it was morally wrong. I tried reassuring her that nothing would happen. With a house full of people, I was pretty positive nothing would. She continued to go on and on about how she felt that I needed to be home with her and how it would be easier for me to stay caught up with my studies if I was there. I saw no logic in that one. As I was debating my way out of that, there was an ear piercing screech from the other side of the bedroom wall. The wall Oliver’s bed was on, the one I had my back against at that moment, was shared with the entryway. So pretty much only his wall was muffling whatever was going on out there. The screech was so loud I actually ducked and covered my free ear. Lola even raised her head, cocked it sideways to listen, then rested it back in my lap.
     
    Lilly was suddenly silent and I thought maybe my phone had gone dead. Then, very slowly, she said, “What was