pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a sweater, I went downstairs to the hearse and slid in next to Dad. The air was frigid inside the car.
“Dad, have you ever seen fireflies in the winter?”
“No.” He spun the dials of the temperature to the maximum. “Why?”
“I saw some last night.”
“I think you need some more sleep, honey.” He shot me a smile. “I’m sorry I woke you, but I wanted to spend time with you before—” His voice cracked, but then he cleared his throat. “Before you leave.”
I forgot all about the lightning bugs then. “I’ll stay as long as you need me,” I said, placing my hand on top of his.
“Do you think there would ever come a time when I wouldn’t need you?”
I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. “I can take a semester off.”
He turned his face toward me, his eyes bright, but then the sparkle blunted. “Your mother would be so angry with me if I held you back. You need to return to Boston and live your life.”
The reasons to leave Rowan weren’t lacking, but what would happen to Gwenelda, to her family, to the people of this town? Would the faeries retreat back to their island and leave us all alone or would they stay until they’d slaughtered their slumbering enemies?
“I’m taking a semester off,” I said resolutely.
Silence hung in the car as Dad checked and rechecked the expression on my face. As we passed the ancient sand dune, he smiled at me, and then he smiled at the road and the trees and the squirrels. I’d made him happy.
The snow had melted over the sand, just like it was thawing out in patches over most of Rowan. It was by no means warm, but the sun was bright and the sky cloudless. People were out today. Most were on their way to lunch. The bakery and coffee shop had long lines of students snaking out of them. Although high school was a year and a half ago, it felt like it had happened in another lifetime. Watching them gossip and sharing laughs made me think of Boston. I hadn’t really made any friends there—acquaintances, sure, but not close friends. No one from BU had attended the funeral, and yet everyone from Rowan High had.
But that was my own fault. I’d so wanted to prove to my parents that their money wasn’t wasted that I spent every waking minute studying. The person I was closest to was my Goth roommate Cora, and saying we were close was an exaggeration. It just felt that way because her boyfriend, Duke, was always hanging around our dorm room making eyes at her. She’d probably be thrilled to have the room to herself.
“I’ll need to fly back to get my stuff. And my car,” I told Dad who slowed down in front of the police station, then backed into a parking spot.
“I’m pretty sure there’s closer parking,” I said.
“I wanted to ask Sheriff Jones if he’d apprehended the criminal.”
“Oh. Um. Probably not,” I said, taking off my seat belt and getting out of the car.
Dad rounded the front of the hearse while tightening his belt. It bunched up the waistband of his jeans. He’d lost a ton of weight in the past three days. “What makes you think that?”
“I just imagine she’s left town.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, since we’re here, I’d like to go and check.”
I nodded and followed him into the precinct. Jimmy was at the front desk, tapping on his phone with such fervor that he had to be playing a game. Or he was sending a very hateful text message. When he looked up, I was expecting surprise or recognition for last night, but instead his face became pink and he stashed his phone in the drawer.
“I was checking the police radar. See if there was any spotting of that suspect we’re looking for,” he said.
I frowned. Had he really forgotten about last night?
“You can do that from a cell phone?” Dad asked.
He jerked his head up and down. Clearly, he was lying.
Dad let out a heavy sigh. “So that means you haven’t caught her yet.”
“No, sir. But we will. I have no doubt
“Dad, have you ever seen fireflies in the winter?”
“No.” He spun the dials of the temperature to the maximum. “Why?”
“I saw some last night.”
“I think you need some more sleep, honey.” He shot me a smile. “I’m sorry I woke you, but I wanted to spend time with you before—” His voice cracked, but then he cleared his throat. “Before you leave.”
I forgot all about the lightning bugs then. “I’ll stay as long as you need me,” I said, placing my hand on top of his.
“Do you think there would ever come a time when I wouldn’t need you?”
I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. “I can take a semester off.”
He turned his face toward me, his eyes bright, but then the sparkle blunted. “Your mother would be so angry with me if I held you back. You need to return to Boston and live your life.”
The reasons to leave Rowan weren’t lacking, but what would happen to Gwenelda, to her family, to the people of this town? Would the faeries retreat back to their island and leave us all alone or would they stay until they’d slaughtered their slumbering enemies?
“I’m taking a semester off,” I said resolutely.
Silence hung in the car as Dad checked and rechecked the expression on my face. As we passed the ancient sand dune, he smiled at me, and then he smiled at the road and the trees and the squirrels. I’d made him happy.
The snow had melted over the sand, just like it was thawing out in patches over most of Rowan. It was by no means warm, but the sun was bright and the sky cloudless. People were out today. Most were on their way to lunch. The bakery and coffee shop had long lines of students snaking out of them. Although high school was a year and a half ago, it felt like it had happened in another lifetime. Watching them gossip and sharing laughs made me think of Boston. I hadn’t really made any friends there—acquaintances, sure, but not close friends. No one from BU had attended the funeral, and yet everyone from Rowan High had.
But that was my own fault. I’d so wanted to prove to my parents that their money wasn’t wasted that I spent every waking minute studying. The person I was closest to was my Goth roommate Cora, and saying we were close was an exaggeration. It just felt that way because her boyfriend, Duke, was always hanging around our dorm room making eyes at her. She’d probably be thrilled to have the room to herself.
“I’ll need to fly back to get my stuff. And my car,” I told Dad who slowed down in front of the police station, then backed into a parking spot.
“I’m pretty sure there’s closer parking,” I said.
“I wanted to ask Sheriff Jones if he’d apprehended the criminal.”
“Oh. Um. Probably not,” I said, taking off my seat belt and getting out of the car.
Dad rounded the front of the hearse while tightening his belt. It bunched up the waistband of his jeans. He’d lost a ton of weight in the past three days. “What makes you think that?”
“I just imagine she’s left town.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, since we’re here, I’d like to go and check.”
I nodded and followed him into the precinct. Jimmy was at the front desk, tapping on his phone with such fervor that he had to be playing a game. Or he was sending a very hateful text message. When he looked up, I was expecting surprise or recognition for last night, but instead his face became pink and he stashed his phone in the drawer.
“I was checking the police radar. See if there was any spotting of that suspect we’re looking for,” he said.
I frowned. Had he really forgotten about last night?
“You can do that from a cell phone?” Dad asked.
He jerked his head up and down. Clearly, he was lying.
Dad let out a heavy sigh. “So that means you haven’t caught her yet.”
“No, sir. But we will. I have no doubt
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