Hiding out in an abandoned shack from their abusive pasts, Allison and Ethan Bryson entertain themselves by imaging all sorts of curious characters near the frozen lake outside their hut.
But after Allison witnesses a man murder a young woman and di...
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"The knight." Ethan stared on, studying the figure who stood before us in the doorway.
"Me?" The young man narrowed his honey-colored eyes. Standing tall with strong-looking shoulders and a lean figure, he shifted his weight and tilted his head. It was easy to see the youth in him. He had to be in his early twenties or so, not much older than Ethan and I.
"The knight with the hair like the sun," Ethan murmured as if allowing his words to sink in.
The young man looked away self-consciously and gave a nervous chuckle. "I'm not a knight." He glanced up, meeting my gaze and I held my breath in anticipation. "I'm Owen, and this is my place."
"Owen?" Ethan said with surprise in his tone. "Your place?" He glanced back to look at me with fear in his eyes.
I gulped and stepped from behind my brotherly shield. "Um, we just found this place a day ago and—"
"Hey, you found my bandana!" Owen's smile instantly brightened the mood. "And you're wearing my clothes." His suspicious stare had the opposite effect. "So, uh, who exactly are you guys?"
The stubborn silence knotted my gut until Ethan answered, "I'm Ethan. This is my sister Allison."
"Your sister?" Owen's gaze quickly traveled my body, and I successfully prevented a shudder. "She's your sister?" He scoffed, attempting to control his laughter by pressing his fingers to his lips. "You're trying to tell me that she is your sister? You really expect me to believe that?"
I glared at the insult and the once-striking grin on his face. "Why is that so hard to believe?"
He laughed, this time allowing it to come out freely. "Well, he's obviously Asian and you must be black or something."
"So?" I folded my arms across my chest.
"And you both look like you've been starving yourselves," he added. "You guys okay?" That wasn't concern on his face, he was teasing us.
Ethan mimicked me and crossed his arms and stiffened his spine. "What do you want from us?"
Owen innocently raised his palms. "Hey, I'm just revisiting my place and found you in it with your girlfriend."
"I'm not his girlfriend!" I was shocked that my voice quivered less out of fear and more from the anger his smirk suddenly triggered. "Do you want us to leave now?"
"You don't have to leave . . ." Owen stared behind us and into the hut. "But I would like to see what you've done to the place." He stepped between us, made his way in, and walked the perimeter of the bed. "I see my bed is being used." He winked at Ethan. Ethan looked to me. I shook my head.
Owen turned and paused at the bookshelf. "You guys read a lot? Do you even know how?"
