The Darkness Within by Taylor Henderson Read Free Book Online Page A

open, I gave him my best smile; beaming as if I hadn’t accused him of attacking his daughter just the night before.
    “Claire?” David questioned, looking over my shoulder before meeting my gaze. He pushed the screen door open for me. “What brings you here?” He leaned against his front door, holding the the screen door open with his hand as if he was going to let it slam shut at any moment. Despite his rigid posture, he offered me a friendly smile—one that didn’t make my skin crawl and actually reached his eyes. He was dressed sharply in a gray, single-breasted suit, and tie. His hair was styled neatly, and he was wearing a pair of fancy looking leather loafers.
    “Um, hi,” I mumbled, before clearing my throat. “I, um, just wanted to come and apologize about what happened at dinner yesterday, but if you’re about to leave for work or something then I can just come back tomorrow.”
    David furrowed his eyebrows, then glanced down at his suit. “Oh, this?” He pulled at his jacket lightly. “It’s nothing, you’re more than welcome to come inside. I had a job interview earlier and I haven’t changed yet.”
    “Oh, all right,” I said with a nod.
    David stepped back, holding the door open wide for me to pass through it. The thought of going inside his house alone made my skin crawl, but I stepped inside nonetheless. Once I was standing in the foyer, David closed his door and turned to me. “Want something to drink?” he offered.
    I shook my head no. “No, thank you.”
    “Sure. Do you want to sit?” He brandished his arm out to the left, where two couches and a coffee table sat in the small living room.
    I nodded and followed him into the living room, taking a seat across from him. The couch was much softer than I expected and my butt sank deep into the cushion. I shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position where it didn’t feel like I was being swallowed whole by his couch.
    David sat across from me, his eyes just watching me. There was a flicker of something in them—amusement maybe. He just sat there with his elbows resting on his knees and his eyes glued to me. After a moment I realized he was waiting for me to say something.
    I wrung my hands together as I began. “I wanted to apologize for having my mom ask you about what happened between you and Gwen. It wasn’t our place. I was just a little freaked out.” I swiped my hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear.
    “It’s really no problem, Claire. I’m sure I would’ve reacted the same way if I was in your place.”
    “All right,” I said, not really knowing what else to say. “Oh, I also wanted to let you know that if Gwen ever wants to hang out with someone, I’d be more than happy to show her around. I’d love to meet her, and maybe she won’t be so sad about the move if she has a friend.” I smiled, and surprisingly David returned it. His eyes seemed haunted at the mention of Gwen and I hoped I wasn’t treading on thin ice. I wondered if they were even in a good place right now. It has to be hard living in a house full of tension and having your daughter hate you. I was so grateful that my mom and I got along well, or our relationship could be almost as bad as David’s and Gwen’s.
    David nodded. “That would be really great. You seem like a great girl, Claire. For your young age you really have your head screwed on straight. Gwen could use a friend like you.” He paused momentarily, twisting his gold wedding band around his finger. When he began again, he had lowered his gaze to the ground, his expression doleful. “She texted me after school let out today saying she was going to a friend’s house to do homework and that she would be home after dinner. I’m glad she’s making friends, so I let her go, but I think she’s just looking for any excuse to stay out of the house until it’s absolutely necessary.” He looked up, giving me a sad smile.
    I shifted positions awkwardly, causing my butt to