Page 127 of Burning Embers

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m a hypocritical bitch. Sue me. I can’t help it that I’ve become protective of Lissa. She reminds me of the little sister I never got to have—someone who annoys the shit out of you but who you’d kill and die for.

And I have a feeling someone will die tonight.

Cursing under my breath, I throw back my covers and move towards my closet. I quickly shove a sweatshirt over my head and slip on a pair of sneakers sans socks. Then, I grab my phone off the nightstand and a container of pepper spray Hale bought me after I started my job at the theater.

“Lissa?!” I whisper-hiss as I poke my head out of the window.

At first, I see nothing but darkness and skeletal, towering trees. I’m halfway out the window when movement captures my attention.

A flash of pink materializes between the branches.

Lissa.

I release a plethora of swear words and hurry after her.

Where the hell is she going?

She’s not even headed in the direction of the road. Is she lost?

Unbidden, my mind travels back to the huge wolf I saw on our property line. I quicken my pace as fear creates a tangled mess of nerves in my stomach.

I use the flashlight on my phone for guidance as I maneuver the maze of fallen trees, buoyant branches, and large stumps. Leaves crackle beneath my shoes as I hurry.

I debate calling Hale, Gerry, or even Jake before deciding against it. I don’t want to worry them or get Lissa in trouble for sneaking out. I want her to be able to confide in me, and she won’t do that if she doesn’t trust me to keep her secrets.

Still, I just wish her “secret” didn’t involve a midnight stroll through wolf-infested woods.

I lose sight of her more than once and have to backtrack a few times. Every so often, I’ll spot a pink shirt and hurry in that direction, but when I get there, Lissa’s gone.

Terror strangles my airways, and I begin to second-guess my decision not to get my foster parents or brother involved.

What in the world is Lissa up to?

If she’s meeting with a guy, I’m going to murder him for allowing her to traverse these woods on her own.

I have Hale’s number pulled up on my phone, but before I can press the call button, a large, decrepit building comes into view.

A barn.

It appears to be centuries old, the red-painted wood having faded to a dusky brown interspersed here and there with splotches of mold. Glass from the windows now rests on the ground, and the doorway is nothing but a gaping hole, eerily resembling the mouth of a ravenous monster.

Lissa steps inside the barn and disappears from sight.

“Lissa!” I call, now that I’m in hearing range.

There’s no answer.

With my heart thundering in a strange mixture of trepidation and irritation, I race the final distance to the barn.

“Lissa! It’s me! Izzy!” I hold my phone light steady as I sweep it over the immense room.

There are a few stalls that probably once held horses. Now, however, the doors are wide open, and there’s nothing but hay and dirt on the ground.

Buckets, rakes, and shovels litter the area, and I train my flashlight on the straw-covered floor to not trip over anything.

“Lissa, where are you? You shouldn’t be out here alone.” God, she’s probably terrified I’m going to tattle on her. I work to modulate my volume so I sound soothing instead of angry. “Iwon’t tell Hale or Gerry. But you shouldn’t be this far out in the woods. And whose barn is this?”

The floorboards beneath my feet squeak as I venture farther into the room. The noise is almost ominously loud in the eerie silence.