Unbroken

Twenty-Four

Skye

The months slipped through my fingers like water.

By sixteen, sneaking out of my bedroom was so habitual, I did it half-asleep sometimes. And on one particular night, like a robot, I slipped out of bed, threw my hair in a bun, and didn’t bother to change out of my jammies. It took a few minutes to wake up; sometimes I walked to Hunter’s with a foggy head and wound up sleeping in his bed until he forced me up and back at my room in time for Kurt to come harassing me to get up. I was mourning those days growing up when I had more freedom to come and go, even while Mom was Team Sorry-For-Slapping-You-And-Thank-You-For-Not-Telling-Kurt-What-A-Garbage-Mom-I-Was, I wasn’t able to get away with what I used to.

Ever since Hunter was caught in my bed naked, Kurt was convinced I was having sex, and was making a show of reminding me to take my birth control pill. No amount of telling him I wasn’t sexually active helped my cause. Like with his obsessive vendetta against Hunter, he was equally passionate about birth control. I swallowed that godawful pill, hating the hormonal toll it took on my body. That was probably why I was dry and moody all the time. Anyway, Mom agreed, equally determined I didn’t wind up a teenage mama like she was. “You don’t want to make a lifelong, mistake,” she’d say. It was fantastic to know that she had confessed in a roundabout way how much of a mistake I was. See how dry I was?

Usually, Hunter was at my window, waiting for me. Most times he was the one to wake me up in the dead of night, timing perfectly when Kurt was either in bed asleep.

This night, as I raised the window, Hunter was not there.

Neither was Leo.

I ducked my head to scan around. Either they were late, or I was early, which never happened.

No, something was up, I immediately knew.

I wasn’t one to believe in cosmic energy or what have you, because it all sounded like mumbo-jumbo, but I was tethered to these boys in a way I couldn’t explain. I felt…amiss. Like something was very wrong. I stood there, head outside of the window, body impossibly still, senses straining to figure it out.

Suddenly, my nose wrinkled as a heavy scent hit me. It smelled like something was burning—

A shout erupted. A voice I recognized like the back of my hand arose, making my stomach clench and my heart pound.

“Get out of there!” Leo’s shouts were distant. “Get out!”

I didn’t stop to throw my spring jacket on. I practically dived out of my window, landing badly on my knees. I took off running down the trail to Hunter’s, overwhelmed now by the smell of smoke.

Something was burning.

Oh, my God, I hoped it wasn’t Hunter’s home.

Who was Leo telling to get out?

Please, let Hunter be okay, let them both be okay…

Sirens sounded from a far distance. Other residents had just stepped out as well, their tired eyes scanning the darkness. Others moved in the direction of the smoke as it rose high in the sky, white and heavy.

Leo’s continued shouts grew louder as I drew near. Something about it sent a shiver down my spine and made my eyes water.

My feet stopped suddenly, and I felt weak as I took in the sight.

Like I’d feared, the smoke was coming from Hunter’s home, but it wasn’t just a small fire burning. The entire home was being devoured by huge flames—

Leo stood before the front door, body shaking as he took a few steps forward and then paused, raking a hand through his hair. “Hunter! GET OUT!”

Nononono. Hunter was in there.

I hurried to Leo and illegible words sputtered out of me. “What’s happening? Why is he in there?”

Leo didn’t acknowledge me. He looked panicked; his face covered in black soot as though he’d been in there.

“Tell me his mother’s out,” I pleaded.

Leo moved forward again. The front door was halfway open, and he kicked it so it swung the whole way. “HUNTER!”

I grabbed at him, pulling him back. “What do you think you’re doing? STOP, LEO!”