Farm Girl Meets Bad Boy (#1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ocean and I feed the horses in the barn. The open doors blow back and forth, allowing rain to make its way into the dry stalls and thunder to become louder.

“I just love thunderstorms,” grins Ocean, pouring a bucket of grain into Patch’s feed bin. “Don’t you?” I shake my head no, and Ocean’s expression turns into surprise. “Why not, River?”

I drop the bucket I’m holding and glare at her. “You know why.” She seems unfazed by my tone of voice and strokes Patch’s head. Every time thunder sounds, she looks out at the door, as if there’s something there.

“No I don’t, tell me.” She stops stroking Patch and turns to face me, with her hands on her hips.

“Ocean,” I whisper, looking at my identical twin. “You died in a thunderstorm.”

She starts to grin from ear to ear, but it’s not out of happiness. No, it’s a sickly smile that makes me want to scream. She stares out at the door, and nods to me. “It’s time.”

“Time for what, Ocean?” I ask nervously, but it’s too late. A loud crack of thunder pierces the air around us, and in a second, Ocean’s lifeless body is lying on the ground.

I jerk up in my bed, gasping for air. Covering my heart with my hand, I wait until I can calm down. When I am, I take one final deep breath and relax. Thunder sounds around me, and the left side of my body is being splashed by rain. It tickles, but I would never be able to get back to sleep with it soaking me.

I tell myself it’s just a dream as I place my bare feet on the cold floor, and silently step towards my open window. With shaky hands, I pull it closed and stare out into the night. Lightning flashes, lighting up the entire sky. I turn back around and notice something significant. Emery is not on his mattress.

The radio told us about the incoming storm, so my mother made him sleep back in my room. I thought I was thankful before, but now, I feel even more grateful. If Emery had been in the barn, I would have no idea of his disappearance. I look towards the bathroom, but the door is wide open. Where could the boy be?

As if on cue, something hitting the floor makes a thumping noise downstairs. It’s obviously Emery, but I tip toe to the top of our wooden stairs anyways. Peering down, I see him lacing up his shoes at the back door. His black backpack his slung over his shoulders and the hood of his black sweater covers his face.

He doesn’t notice me as I creep silently down the stairs. “Emery,” I whisper as I flick on the dim kitchen light, and his head snaps towards me. He’s still bent over, holding the laces of his right show, but he’s frozen as I walk towards him.

“You never saw me,” he snaps quietly. King walks over; half awake, and sits beside me. His tail wags up and down, creating a soft thumping noise on the tile. “Leave now.” His words are exactly the same as he said to me the first time I ever saw them, and I do everything I can to make sure they aren’t the last one’s I will hear.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I ask, as he straightens up once his shoes are tied. He’s definitely trying to make a break for it, but I have no idea why. “You can’t just leave!”

Emery pressed a finger to my lips as he shushes me. “Be quiet! And you don’t understand, River.” He removes his finger and I lower my voice.

“Don’t understand what?”

“That you’re in danger.”

“How?” I ask as I tug at my plaid pajama pants. I was still half soaked and it was cold standing barefoot on the tile flooring.