Hiding out in an abandoned shack from their abusive pasts, Allison and Ethan Bryson entertain themselves by imaging all sorts of curious characters near the frozen lake outside their hut.
But after Allison witnesses a man murder a young woman and di...
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It was the middle of December when Owen and Ethan arrived with Judith. Different than Amanda in many ways, Judith was awkwardly quiet and shy around Ethan and Owen. But there was one thing her and Amanda had in common, their long, vibrant auburn hair.
Owen, Ethan, and I had agreed to never speak of Amanda again, especially in Judith's presence. It wasn't difficult to see why. Who would stick around if they knew the previous girl who arrived under similar circumstances mysteriously vanished?
Every day I would glance out the window and imagine a swarm of police officers rushing out from behind the wall of trees to surround the shack, guns raised. I was constantly on edge, frightened that Amanda's family was close to finding her beneath the ice twenty feet or so from our doorstep. Thankfully, for me and Ethan's sake, no police officer or family member ever came.
Surprisingly, Judith had no issue befriending me. As she told it, when Ethan and Owen met her at the tourist stop, she had no problem going to her hotel to gather up all of her belongings before coming to the shack. "My parents are long gone and my sister constantly complains about me tagging along with her and her boyfriend anyway."
I frowned when she did. "Will your sister miss you?"
"No." She shrugged. "I told her and Jimmy I was leaving before I left."
I pulled my legs onto the chair and wrapped my blanket tighter around me to block out the chill and awkwardness in the air. "What did she say?"
"She asked me where I was going, and I told her I was leaving with some friends." Judith returned her finger to her lips and chewed her fingernail while gently rocking back and forth on the wooden floor where she sat.
I cocked my head. "That's all?" Was anyone ever concerned about the teenage girls in their lives? Or were they more concerned for themselves and their own happiness and needs?
She nodded, bringing attention to the long, wavy hair that framed her freckled face. "Yes, that's all. She really doesn't care."
I raised an eyebrow. Although she had been with us for most of the day, and we had talked quite a bit, there were things I was still curious to know. "So, you're willing to stay here with us total strangers?" A sense of sorrow for her hit me as soon as the question left my mouth. Were she and Amanda so desperate to quickly escape their burdens and fit in with a bunch of misfits, no matter the consequences?
"Yes, I am." She nodded more vigorously. "Yes, yes, yes. Even if your cousin is a bit weird."
"Yea." I let out a nervous chuckle, surprised that she seemed to not have been taken under Owen's spell.
"But your brother's cute!"
"Ethan?" I shifted in my seat, wondering if he was the reason she was so quick to come and stay. "You think Ethan's cute?"
