Surviving After Dark

limpse his screen. "Because I know it isn't a girl. There's no

the further north we drive, and the backseat of the car, with its tinted windows, is only dimly lit. The screen easily reflects off the glass, an

y." He grumble

he moment between Eli and me. She'd been ragging at me all month to come out of my shell, and I guess she feels like this is progress. The truth, though, is I'm fine when it's just my brother and me, alone. Nobody wa

the care home, while I sulked in my room for a month. And on top of that? He's a huge people-pleaser. You could run him through with a blade,

ush, and I cross my arms over my chest before sitting back in my seat and pulling a scowl across my lips. "We liter

mall chuckle, to let me know it's a joke. "He got there just a few days after us,

e has a cru

and shakes his head. "I doub

but it catches me by surprise. I don't t

he day everyt

d if I was going to wear a dress or not, but I'd been looking online, and Mum had caught me admiring a gorgeous navy gown the night before. She'd asked if I wanted to go shopping for dresses that weekend. Said we could go into centr

h I'd just said yes. Yes, Mum, th

el way for the universe to teach me a lesson. Anyone else might have learned from it. A better person would have

ds about it at school the next day when Sam Baker walked by

let her dye her hair and start wearing a little makeup to school (which I thought was the coolest thing ever because Mum and Dad wouldn't even entertain the idea of e

ead teacher's office right away. When I'd walked in and saw Eli already there, brought over from the adjacent building where they he

eel almost instantly guilty. How can

, and the lush greenery that seems to stretch for miles around us. You don't see this much open spac

e away from the world outside and catch her eye in the mirror again, as she indica

in everything as we approach our new home, genuinely interested in where we are headed and everything that surrounds it. It seems like t

? Sometimes, it makes me just want to throttle him. But I also wonder if this glass half full attitude he's had since our parents died and we w

e if nothing else. So that he doesn't feel this immense press

tch off the music that's playing, and coil up my headphones. "What's this place cal

slightest bit of interest. She probably thinks I'm coming around to the idea of being dumped in the back of Beyond. I instantly regret

or someplace in Virginia. I scrolled passed it, and I'm onto the second page of results before I find

80s, and it doesn't anymore." I grumbled, a few moments later, without looking up from

he window to face me. "Is there not a tou

, but there's a bus for both of you." I hear the melodic rhythm of the indicator just before the car drags to the left as Rachel steers it onto another

ting as though we've won a holiday, instead of having our lives uprooted because our parents are dead. I c

astic!" My voice takes on a false, high-pitched tone as I speak, and it's impossible to mis

Cassie," Rachel promises. "But try to have an open mi

f her sentence, but Elijah isn't complaining

s making the best of it." I hear Dad's voice in my mi

Look, we're here!" She announces, swiftly changing the conversation, and my head shoots up fro

eds up exactly when you

, suddenly, there are dainty little cottages lining the streets, and we're passing a big red sign t

willing Rachel to keep driving. Just keep going, right out

s my ears again, and the car is pulling to the

ng breath. Then, finally, I force myself to