The Hudson Boys

C H A P T E R 3 0

C H A P T E R 3 0

I run. Before I can even register that my feet are moving I turn around and sprint towards the kitchen and out the back door and I don't stop running until my lungs are aching and the house is well out of sight.

When I left I could hear Tate calling from behind me, cursing under his breath but I kept going.

The walls had felt like they were closing in on me. Why now? Where has he been? Where was he when they died? Why wait till now to waltz back into my life? The life he left behind without a glance when I was just four years old.

My feet are starting to drag and I can admit that I am completely lost. I have found myself on a dirt track just wide enough for Jack's farm truck to pass along. Tall pine trees line the edges of the track thickly. The wind had picked up after dinner and was now whistling through the branches loud enough to block my spinning thoughts.

A shiver goes through me and I look up at the sky as I feel a cold drop on my cheek. Dark clouds have gathered and then the sky opens up and the rain begins falls in heavy sheets. I wrap my bare arms around my middle, trying to stop my thin t-shirt from flapping in the wind. The denim of my jeans is cool against my skin and the wet cotton of my shirt is starting to stick to my shoulder blades.

Another shiver racks my body as I look around again, realizing that I truly have no clue how to get back to the house. 

I wander in what feels like circles for a long time, feeling pressingly guilty because Marcia is probably worried sick. I move off the path and sit under a tree, trying to shelter myself from the wet and the wind. The temperature drops quickly as the sun sinks below the horizon and I can feel my fingers going numb. I hold my hands up to my face and huff into them, my breath coming out as a cloud of warm steam.

Then footsteps come crunching on the gravel path. I look up shakily to see a dark figure moving towards me through the gathering fog.

"Maya!" The person calls out, their voice breaking on the end of my name. I automatically know who it is but I am too cold to reply or to move towards them. My feet already sore from walking around the shopping center all day are now both aching and numb and my limbs shiver with dissipated adrenaline and cold.

"Maya?" They call out again as they move out of the fog and closer to where I am huddled amongst the pine needles.

I look up slowly, my teeth chattering uncontrollably and my eyes watering. He must notice the movement because he turns towards me, a look of relief flooding his face when he sees my hunched figure. However, it is quickly replaced by a look of panic as he realizes that I am only wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and that I am soaked to the bone, shaking uncontrollably. My fingers are so numb I could swear they are turning purple. Tears of confusion and relief spill down my cheeks, freezing in the cold wind.

"Oh, thank God you're okay." He says in a rush as he runs towards me. In less than a second the boy has his jacket off and wrapped around my shoulders. His arms come around me as well as he pulls me into his chest and continues mumbling into my hair.

"I'm sorry." I sob as I nestle closer to his warmth, greedy and desperate to absorb as much as I possibly can. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey. It's okay. You're okay and that's all that matters." He pulls me closer still as he also tugs his cell phone out of the pocket of his jeans. "I'm going to ring Dad. He'll come and get us in the truck."

I nod stiffly into his shoulder as he dials the number and listens as Jack answers.

"Anything?" I hear the older man's voice come quickly down the line.