up on the beach, not being able to remember anything. How Cam told me we were at the witch’s compound in Maine, that I brought Raine with me and that she killed Hadley. How I ended up at the hospital this morning.
How my mom had to come and get me, and how she thinks Cam did something horrible to me.
“But he didn’t,” I say. I didn’t even realize I was crying, but I am. It strikes me that I’ve been crying so much lately that it’s almost become normal. I can’t even tell anymore when I’m doing it because it’s just somehow become my default.
“He wouldn’t have done anything like that,” Brody says, nodding, and I appreciate this about him. Even though he and Cam have their issues, Brody knows that Cam would never hurt me.
“I know he wouldn’t,” I say, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “But try telling that to my mom.”
“Natalia,” Brody says. “You…you don’t remember anything from this weekend?”
“No,” I say. “Nothing.”
He sighs, leans forward on the couch, and rests his elbows on his knees. He rubs his eyes with his fingers, then puts his head in his hands.
“Why?” I ask. “Are you… Do you know something about what happened to me?”
He doesn’t say anything.
“Brody,” I say, “If you know something about what happened to me or what I was doing, you have to tell me.”
“I saw you,” he says, turning his head and looking at me. “After the football game, you… you came back to my house.”
“I did?”
“Yes.” He nods and sits back up on the couch. “You wanted help. You were asking me questions about Raine.”
“Okay,” I say, thinking about it. “That makes sense.” I believe him. It’s definitely logical that I would go to Brody for answers, hoping that maybe he’d tell me something that could help.
“But, Natalia, I gave you an iPad. Do you remember that?”
I shake my head. “No,” I say. “I don’t remember any of that.”
I see the look that flashes over his face, a look of dread and sickness. “I wasn’t supposed to give that to you,” he says. “It’s not… it’s not really my place to help you, but I did.”
“Okay.” I nod. “It was probably in my mom’s car.”
“And where’s your mom’s car now?” he asks.
“It got incinerated at the compound,” I say. “At least, that’s what Cam said. I don’t remember. So I’m guessing it was probably destroyed.”
“Are you sure?”
“No,” I say, frustrated. “I’m not sure. I told you, I don’t remember anything.”
He doesn’t say anything, just stares straight ahead.
“Why?” I ask. “What’s the problem? Can you get in trouble if someone finds out you gave it to me?”
“Yes,” he says. “That’s not my main concern right now though. The thing about that iPad… Natalia, if it falls into the wrong hands, it could be a really big problem.”
It’s the first time I’ve ever heard Brody sound scared. “How big of a problem?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer, just looks down at the floor. “Pretty big.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, starting to cry again. “This whole thing is my fault.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “Don’t say that. It’s not your fault.”
He reaches out and pulls me close. For a second, I want to pull back, because it feels weird being close to someone who’s not Cam. But then, his arms are holding me, and my head is against his chest, and it feels so safe, safer than I’ve felt all day. He strokes my hair and I close my eyes, allowing myself to get lost in the moment.
Chapter Two
Campbell
As we drive toward the golf course, Kaci and I both fall silent. Something about this is awkward. Of course it’s fucking awkward. You’ve got a girlfriend and this is Brody’s little sister.
I turn the radio on low and think about Nat looking down at me from her bedroom window while her mom yelled at me.
Why didn’t she come down and say something?
“You seem upset,” Kaci says.
I glance at her
How my mom had to come and get me, and how she thinks Cam did something horrible to me.
“But he didn’t,” I say. I didn’t even realize I was crying, but I am. It strikes me that I’ve been crying so much lately that it’s almost become normal. I can’t even tell anymore when I’m doing it because it’s just somehow become my default.
“He wouldn’t have done anything like that,” Brody says, nodding, and I appreciate this about him. Even though he and Cam have their issues, Brody knows that Cam would never hurt me.
“I know he wouldn’t,” I say, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “But try telling that to my mom.”
“Natalia,” Brody says. “You…you don’t remember anything from this weekend?”
“No,” I say. “Nothing.”
He sighs, leans forward on the couch, and rests his elbows on his knees. He rubs his eyes with his fingers, then puts his head in his hands.
“Why?” I ask. “Are you… Do you know something about what happened to me?”
He doesn’t say anything.
“Brody,” I say, “If you know something about what happened to me or what I was doing, you have to tell me.”
“I saw you,” he says, turning his head and looking at me. “After the football game, you… you came back to my house.”
“I did?”
“Yes.” He nods and sits back up on the couch. “You wanted help. You were asking me questions about Raine.”
“Okay,” I say, thinking about it. “That makes sense.” I believe him. It’s definitely logical that I would go to Brody for answers, hoping that maybe he’d tell me something that could help.
“But, Natalia, I gave you an iPad. Do you remember that?”
I shake my head. “No,” I say. “I don’t remember any of that.”
I see the look that flashes over his face, a look of dread and sickness. “I wasn’t supposed to give that to you,” he says. “It’s not… it’s not really my place to help you, but I did.”
“Okay.” I nod. “It was probably in my mom’s car.”
“And where’s your mom’s car now?” he asks.
“It got incinerated at the compound,” I say. “At least, that’s what Cam said. I don’t remember. So I’m guessing it was probably destroyed.”
“Are you sure?”
“No,” I say, frustrated. “I’m not sure. I told you, I don’t remember anything.”
He doesn’t say anything, just stares straight ahead.
“Why?” I ask. “What’s the problem? Can you get in trouble if someone finds out you gave it to me?”
“Yes,” he says. “That’s not my main concern right now though. The thing about that iPad… Natalia, if it falls into the wrong hands, it could be a really big problem.”
It’s the first time I’ve ever heard Brody sound scared. “How big of a problem?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer, just looks down at the floor. “Pretty big.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, starting to cry again. “This whole thing is my fault.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “Don’t say that. It’s not your fault.”
He reaches out and pulls me close. For a second, I want to pull back, because it feels weird being close to someone who’s not Cam. But then, his arms are holding me, and my head is against his chest, and it feels so safe, safer than I’ve felt all day. He strokes my hair and I close my eyes, allowing myself to get lost in the moment.
Chapter Two
Campbell
As we drive toward the golf course, Kaci and I both fall silent. Something about this is awkward. Of course it’s fucking awkward. You’ve got a girlfriend and this is Brody’s little sister.
I turn the radio on low and think about Nat looking down at me from her bedroom window while her mom yelled at me.
Why didn’t she come down and say something?
“You seem upset,” Kaci says.
I glance at her
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