Book 15: No One's There

Marianna

Morning sunlight still plays over the garden at the townhouse when my mom walks out onto the back porch with a mug of coffee in each hand. She passes one down to my perch on the steps, squinting into the sun, where Skye is lost in the glare. She’s playing with her rocks again–the rocks she left behind when we abandoned this house, and our lives changed forever.

I couldn’t sleep last night. Blake has his meeting in Veiled Valley today, apparently, but he told me he’d be back tonight–hopefully.

I sip my coffee, watching Skye carefully inspect each little pebble before dropping them into a to-go container Mom’s letting her keep to carry her treasures back to the castle.

“How was your first night of freedom?” I tease, and she smiles.

“Quiet. I languished on the couch and watched all the shows you think are boring. I ate chips and drank wine until I went to bed.”

“Mmm hmm…” I smile at her, noticing the color in her cheeks. “We