We Didn't Make It After All

Chapter Six

Bella drove us to school that morning. She needed the practice. As we breezed through the familiar road, I tried to forget that my life was slowly descending into chaos.

We grabbed breakfast at a nearby coffee shop before heading to our eight a.m. class. I found myself once again in Mr. Pierre-Louis' classroom, surrounded by chatter but in a palpably silent room, with the seat across from mine empty. I listened to him call Ezra's name into an empty air.

I rested my chin on my palms, observing the dry, wintry morning through the window. As I looked at the baring orchards, I found my head racing with endless thoughts. Where could he be? Especially after last night—was he in danger? Had Edem found out about us sneaking into the abbey somehow? My stomach was in knots for the entire hour.

When class finally ended, I took the back door to exit the school. I may have been insane as I got in my car and set the navigator to 7 Scarpetta Lane. My hands shaking against the cold leather of the steering wheel, I braced myself for a thirty minute drive ahead. It took me forty two—I counted.

I walked up the Parkers' property slowly, wondering how I had mustered the courage to come this far. Was I ready for what awaited me ahead? I don't know. All I know is that my blood went cold when Edem's brooding figure greeted me on the other side of the front door. "Narnie," he said, raising his eyebrows. "I wasn't expecting you."

I took an involuntary step backwards. Survival instinct, I suppose. Because out of all the things I was expecting that morning, I wasn't expecting Edem Whittaker to greet me at the door.

"What's going on, dear?" he pressed. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I—I'm collecting census data," I fumbled. "Is anyone home?"

"I am. How can I help?"

"You mean this is your home?"

"You didn't know?"

Loosening my scarf on my neck, I met his eye. His focused gaze sent shivers down my spine.

"Would you like to come in?" he asked, opening the door wider for me to enter.

I felt my breathing labor.

"Narnie," he continued, when I didn't answer. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," I managed to say. I needed to get out of there. "I should actually move on. I'm sorry."

"Didn't you have to collect some information?"

"I'm not feeling too well all of a sudden...I should go."

"Are you sure?" he asked in genuine concern. He was an effortlessly charming man—and that terrified me even more. I tried to overlook his hospitality as I nodded my head and walked back to my car.

He left for the abbey not much later. As his car made the steep ascent to the top of the hill, I slipped into his house through a slightly open back window. I must have been in there for hours, looking for a sign to lead me to the end of this mystery. I checked every room in the house, unsure of what I was looking for and finding myself at a loss every time.

I left two hours later when I heard footsteps approaching the front door. As I snuck back into my car, I was surprised to find Micah waiting by its mahogany frame, his fingers reaching for the doorbell ever so often. Clad in a suit, he waited, his feet tapping the wooden veranda atop which he stood.

On the drive back to school, I wondered what Micah was doing there. And I thought about Ezra—about why he had lied about living in 7 Scarpetta Lane? Did he feel like an outcast for not having a home? Did he feel like an outcast even in front of me? I turned on the radio to distract myself from my thoughts, chastising myself for believing I could have meant something to him. If he was a mystery to the rest of Holden, why would I be any different? What reason did he have to let me in?