The house is too quiet. I realize it as soon as I step inside. The TV isn't blaring, Dad isn't bellowing out his usual greeting, and Mom isn't popping out of the kitchen to ask me how my day was. A frown settles on my face as I walk down the hallway.
It's eerie.
I peek into the living room. It's empty, and the lights are off. It's the same in the kitchen. Mom would be cooking dinner now. Where are they?
Dread surges through me.
"Mom? Dad?"
I wait for a few heartbeats. No answer.
What if they can't answer for some reason? What if we got robbed, and the perp held my parents captive? You see it on the news all the time. The robber could still be here. My grip tightens on my backpack, and I wish I'd asked Holden to come inside with me.
Sometimes, I'm so dramatic. You should know that about me upfront. Trying not to be is like trying not to breathe. Drama is part of who I am. Also, I tend to think the worst about every situation. It's better to be pleasantly surprised than more disappointed, right?
I hurry to my bedroom and sling my backpack on my bed. I take off my shoes so they won't make any noise on the hardwood floors. If someone who doesn't belong is in the house, I don't want to alert them to my presence. I search for a weapon, but I'm not in the habit of keeping them in my room, so I leave without one.
I guess calling Mom and Dad wasn't the brightest idea either. Way to go, Iris. Let the robbers know they're not alone anymore.
I make my way into the hall again and head toward their room, checking the bathroom along the way. It's empty.
Mentally, I go over everything that happened this morning. Mom never said anything was wrong, and she acted like herself. Nothing seemed out of place. She sent me to school with my boyfriend as she had for the last two years. If something was wrong, she hadn't given any indication.
Then again, she has an excellent poker face.
The two of them could have gone into town or something. Bradley was a drab place to live; there wasn't much to do or see. Trees lined most of the streets, so autumn was a beautiful time of year. Maybe Mom and Dad got bored and went for a drive. My heart lifts for a second, then my mind intervenes.
No, they would have waited for me. They never want me in the house alone. It's been an unspoken rule for as long as I can remember. Ian hated it. So, when he got accepted at an out-of-state college, he jumped at the chance to live alone. We barely see him except for holidays. If Ian were here, I wouldn't be wigging out. My brother may not be the best at visiting us, but he's emotionally supportive.
The only room I haven't checked is Mom and Dad's bedroom. I'm hesitant to go in there. They might have fallen asleep or something else. Either way, I don't want to disturb them. The door is open when I approach. The lights are on, and I peek around the door frame.
All of the tension drains from me in an instant. Mom sits on the edge of the bed, her back to me. I start to call out to her, but I realize when she speaks that she's on the phone. Her voice is barely audible. Her tone explains why I couldn't hear her until I was right up on her. I don't see Dad anywhere. Maybe he ran to the grocery store to pick up an ingredient she needed for dinner, and he forgot what it was. A smile spreads across my lips. He can be forgetful sometimes.
"I can't do that! There's no way I can stand by and do nothing while my husband is missing!"
A chill creeps down my spine as I jump, startled.
Dad is missing. No, that can't be. I'm sure he came home last night. I heard the wood creak several times under someone's weight. Dad always comes home on Sunday nights. Mom is mistaken. She has to be mistaken.
"Mom?" My voice is barely above a whisper, but she hears me. Mom jumps and turns toward me so fast that she drops her cell phone. She's wide-eyed, and her chest rises and falls rapidly. "Who is that on the phone?"
"Iris, honey, how much did you hear?"
She's avoiding my question. Mom doesn't want to tell me, but it's too late. I already know.
"Just the last part. Where's Dad?" To look at me, you wouldn't think I was flipping out. On the outside, I'm a portrait of serenity.
I'm totally flipping out.
Mom's kind eyes burn into mine. She still doesn't answer me. She picks up the phone. "Irina, I'll have to call you back. I won't do anything until I talk to you. I promise." She hangs up and tosses the phone on the bed beside her. "I'm sorry you had to find out that way, honey." She pats the bed. "Sit down. I'll tell you everything."
"What about Ian? Does he know?"
Mom nods. "He's on his way home. He knows."
So, I'm the only one who didn't know. Great.
"It's not just your dad, Iris. It's Eddie, too. They're both missing."
And the devastating news keeps on coming. Eddie is like an uncle to me. I don't think my heart can take much more. I sit on the edge of the bed. Mom takes my hands into hers.
"What does Gran know?" I ask. I heard Mom say her name, which she probably did for my benefit. "How long have they been missing?"
"Since Saturday night." Mom takes a deep breath. "Irina has been out looking for them." Her tone is bitter. "She called this morning to tell me after I'd been up all night waiting for him."
Mom was the one who made the floors creak. And then I realize. There was something different this morning, a minor detail I never thought meant anything. Mom was wearing make-up this morning. She never puts it on unless she's going somewhere. How did I miss that? She must have been out of her mind with worry for Dad. Had she planned to go searching for him on her own?
"Irina said Isaac and Eddie left Saturday evening for their last hunt and never returned. She called Sheriff Tate and some neighbors to help her search, but nothing turned up."
"Why didn't Gran call us? We could have helped her."
"I don't know."
I avert my eyes. I don't know how to feel. I'm angry that Dad's absence was kept from me, grateful I didn't know. I'm terrified something awful has happened to him. Why wouldn't Gran want us to help? Maybe she didn't think of it at the time, or she wanted to spare us the pain if it turned out Dad and Eddie were just out later than they said they'd be. Dad told us he always told Gran when he'd be back so she wouldn't worry. But two grown men couldn't disappear in the woods without a trace, could they? There had to be some sign of what happened to them. One of their prey could have injured them, or one of them could have gotten hit by a car coming out of the woods.
Anything could have happened to them.
"Did they check the hospitals?"
Mom squeezes my hands softly. "I'm sure Irina checked everywhere. She would never have called until she exhausted all resources and possibilities."
My eyes fill with tears. Mom seems to have a lot of faith in a woman she rarely gets along with. She pulls me close, and I cry on her shoulder. My world shattered in an instant. What else could go wrong?
As if to answer my question, Holden's image floats to the front of my mind. I suddenly pull away from Mom, panicked.
"Iris, what's wrong?"
"Holden. Does his mom know about Eddie?"
Eddie was Mrs. Shaw's brother. After her husband died, he moved in with them. Eddie was the only uncle Holden and his sister, Kali, had left. If they lost them, it would devastate them. Losing their dad was horrible enough.
"I called Melanie to tell her as soon as I found out. She planned to tell Holden when he got home today." Guilt twisted her delicate features. "I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you and that you found out before I could. I lost track of time."
"I have to talk to him. Do you mind if I call him?"
Mom smiles. "He needs you right now, and you need him, too. Holden loves you. Anybody with their eyes open can see that. Call him."
I peck her cheek and run back to my room. My phone lies in the outside pocket of my backpack. I turn it on to discover a pile of missed calls and messages. They're all from Holden. I dial his number, and he picks up on the first ring.
"Hey," he says breathlessly. "Has Isobel talked to you?"
"Mom told me everything. Ian's on his way home to be with us. How is your mom holding up?"
"Mom is still crying."
"How are you?"
There's a long pause. "I-I don't know. I'm sad that Eddie and your dad are missing and angry that I didn't know sooner. I feel I could have done something even though I know I couldn't. What about you?"
"I'm a wreck." Tears still stream down my cheeks. "I've never been through anything like this before."
"I know."
Of course, he knows. Holden and I have known each other since we were four. We've been through a lot of firsts together. We can add missing loved ones to the list.
"I need to see you," he says. "I can't stay at the house knowing Eddie's missing. At least, if I'm with you, I won't think about how helpless I feel."
"I need to see you, too. How fast can you get here?"
He laughs. I love how boyish it sounds. He's my sanctuary, my safest place to hide from anything I can't handle.
"I'm outside under your willow tree. Join me?"
As if I could resist. I never could.
"I'll be right out."
***
The willow tree stands to the left of our driveway, directly in front of my bedroom window. The first time that I sneaked out of the house was to meet Holden beneath it. When I miss him, I visit the tree. Sometimes I stare out the window and admire its beauty. Other times I go out and sit underneath its weeping limbs. The tiny green leaves are adorable, especially when they dance in the wind.
Holden stands under the willow tree just as he said. He's wearing his comfort sweats, black with his name down the side in white, and the hoodie to match. I bought them for him last year when he was sick. I smile, remembering how cute Holden was, all feverish and vulnerable. He barely let go of me for two whole days. I didn't go to school, which Mom didn't like, but there was no one else to take care of him.
How could I leave him alone?
I got sick after. Holden took care of me, too. I made him wear a mask so we wouldn't keep giving it to each other. I should have worn one.
I don't say one word to him. My arms are around Holden as soon as he's within my reach. He is warm despite the chill in the air, but his baby face twists in sadness. I hate seeing him like this, but my expression matches his.
"I want to go find them, Iris," he whispers. "I want to storm into Crimson Pass and demand to know where Eddie and Isaac are."
My brows arch. "Do you think they know?"
"They know something." A sigh blows through his lips. He gazes at me with an expression more earnest than I've ever seen. "Mom left work early. As soon as Isobel called her. She went there, but there was a blockade at the town line. They wouldn't let her in."
"What?!"
"Why would they try to keep people out unless something was going on? It doesn't make any sense."
That's a surprise. Mom didn't mention that.
"No, it doesn't."
I bury my face in his chest. The wheels in my mind turn like a hamster wheel, my thoughts swirling. There's only one reason a town would try to keep people who didn't live there away. Something horrible happened in that town. Dread begins to pool in my stomach. What if it happened to Dad and Eddie? What if they won't let people in because they're looking for a way to cover it up?
No, I'm wrong. There's never only one reason.
From the darkest corner of my brain comes the most harrowing thought of all of them. What if Crimson Pass isn't trying to keep people out at all? What if the town is trying to keep something inside?
"Iris, you've gone pale. What's wrong?"
I gaze up at him and plaster a smile on my face. The thought is ludicrous. It sounds that way to me. I can't imagine anyone else would share my theory. Holden's dark eyes hold mine. He's never judged me or told me I was ridiculous, even if I was. I trust him.
"Holden, what if Crimson Pass isn't trying to keep people out?"
He frowns at me, the lines on his forehead wrinkling. "But they wouldn't let Mom in."
"I know, but what if it's something in town they wanted to protect her from?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know."
Holden moves the wavy blonde locks from my face. His voice is as gentle as butterfly wings. "You have to have an idea. There has to be something that made you think that was the case."
He's right. There has to be a reason my brain went there. Is it too many horror movies? I don't think so. Dad said something to me once when Ian and I kept bugging him to see Gran. He said he'd never let us go to Crimson Pass because no one he loved would ever go to that awful place. I don't know why I suddenly think of it now, but it makes my whole body shiver. I was so young. I didn't question it. I just heard that my daddy loved me, and I was happy.
"We've never been to Crimson Pass," I say. My voice sounds far away. I'm so mad at myself for not realizing it when I found out Dad was missing. "Gran lives there, but she always comes to visit us. The one time Ian and I asked to go, Dad flat out refused." Tears sprang to my eyes. "He said he'd never let anyone he loved near that awful place. I knew he hated growing up there. Mom used to talk about it all the time."
"But you never knew why."
"Exactly."
A sigh, heavy with sadness, heaves from deep in Holden's chest. "Then we have to go, Iris. If for no other reason than to find out what's going on. We owe it to ourselves and to Isaac and Eddie."
"Mom would never let us go."
"Then we depend on Ian. I don't want to lie to my mom, and I know you don't want to lie to yours. I promise that we'll tell him everything when we're well on our way."
Neither of us has a car, but we can drive. Our school requires us to pass a Driver's Ed course before we graduate. We took it sophomore year. But sneaking out? It's wrong. I don't care how many times I do it to see Holden. Sneaking out for something like this is different.
It's dangerous.
My arms tighten around Holden. I know leaving without permission is wrong, but Gran isn't saying anything about what's happening. She would have told Mom everything she knew, wouldn't she?
I have to believe she would.
"Ian should be here any time," I say, smiling. I know Ian will help us. "Would you like to stay for sandwiches?"
He nods. "I'll let Mom know I'm going to be late."