𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒. ᵒᵘᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃⁿᵏˢ ¹

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 48.

    𝐈 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐄𝐓 to sleep at night.

While Sarah laid next to me, I had tossed and turned until there was no energy left in me to move anymore, resulting in laying awake, and staring up at the ceiling. The thick silence in the room gave my mind space to wander, about everything that had happened in the last week, and about Ward. I couldn't get the look of his face out of my mind, his expression when he had asked about the gold.

Something was off. And I wasn't feeling nervous just because my grandparents were probably worrying— maybe even calling my parents— or because of the possibility that, just maybe, TannyHill could be my new home for a long while, it wasn't either of those things. My hands had been shaking, and my eyes wouldn't shut to sleep because of Ward's questions and behaviour. He was acting okay, but truly, inside, I could feel that something wasn't right. And it didn't help that John B was away on a fishing trip with the man either.

John B had came into Sarah's room after midnight. Still awake, I had looked over to the door as it slowly creaked open , my fists prepared just in case it wasn't who I expected. But as he stepped closer while letting out a soft laugh, I took notice in his usual cheeky smile, which was even visible under the moonlight spilling through Sarah's window. Trying not to wake the girl sleeping next to me, he had whispered that he'd be back soon, maybe even pick me up on his way back, to hang out. He kissed me goodbye, and then tiptoed out the door.

Before going to sleep, Sarah had insisted we watch a movie in her bedroom. When the TV shut off, and there was no more popcorn left in our bowls, it was only necessary to start talking. I told her about Jj, and how he was the first person to find out about my parents by accident. I told her about the fight between me and John B— leaving out the part with the drug dealer— and his apology. I also mentioned the last few days.

Now, awake the next morning, after not more than what could've been four hours of sleep, Sarah was not under the covers beside me. I let out a long yawn, feeling the aftermath of staying up all night. The hardwood floors were cool against the bottoms of my feet, sending a small chill to scatter up the sides of my arms, as I pulled open the closed door and stepped out into the hallway, nobody in sight.

With narrowed eyebrows, my steps down the flight of stairs were slow, curious as to why I was suddenly alone in the huge mansion. It was almost ten am, when I walked into the kitchen, my eyes quickly focusing on the time written above the stove. Though, the curiosity fogging my brain was driven even further when a range of voices was heard coming from the backyard, right outside the french doors of the kitchen, multiple people talking at once— with alarming tones. It was Sarah and her family.

"Why the hell would you come back here, baby, you need to go to the hospital," Rose was saying, her tone outraged.

With every step I took towards the french doors, their words became more and more audible. By the tone of their voices, and their frightening words, I could immediately tell someone had gotten hurt. I stepped over to the doors, pulling one open.

Everyone fell quiet, the second their eyes fell on me.

"What's, um, going on... guys," I spoke out, quietly, with a voice of slight concern.

Rose barely took a look at me before she turned back to Ward, whom was half-blocked from my view, her body crouching over to look at something on him. Wheezie sat in the chair next to her father, her lips tightly pursed together. Sarah's face only relaxed in the slightest bit, but from her expression, it was confirmed in my mind that something was, in fact, wrong. Very wrong.

"Nothing— Charlotte," Ward stammered out, "Nothing's wrong, sweetie," his voice sounded muffled, like he was choking to get the words out, sounding painful.