Sempre (Sempre 1)

He sighed. “Tomorrow. Take the night off.”

She stood there as he walked away, leaving her alone in front of the stairs. Take the night off. The words ran through her mind but refused to sink in, as foreign to her as another language.

Who are these people?

* * *

1:47 A.M.

The glowing red numbers on the alarm clock taunted Haven. It was too quiet, the silence deafening. She’d never been on her own for so long before. Even at night in the stables the animals had kept her company while she slept. She usually had her mama, and she realized, as she lay in the dark room, that she’d taken her for granted. She had no one now. She was alone.

2:12 A.M.

She thought about her mama, wondering what she was doing and if she was okay. Did she know what happened, or was she imagining her out there somewhere, getting help? Haven pictured her standing on the front porch of the ranch, gazing out at the desert and waiting for a sign. Waiting for rescue. Waiting for her.

3:28 A.M.

Haven wondered what would’ve happened had she found someone to save them. Would they be somewhere together? She imagined them having their own house, with a backyard and a fluffy white kitten to keep them company. They’d name her Snowball and she’d climb their tree at Christmas, tearing down the lights and scattering pine needles. They’d have presents and hot chocolate, and there would be snow outside. Haven had only ever seen snow in pictures, but her mama talked about it sometimes. She told her how beautiful it was when it blanketed the ground, how the cold flakes tasted when they landed on your tongue. Haven asked how she knew, since she’d never had a life other than the one they had. “I dream about it,” she’d said. “When you dream, you can go anywhere. I always go to the snow.”

4:18 A.M.

Haven pictured her mama, skin flushed from the cold. Flakes stuck to her hair, and she glowed, smiling as she twirled in the snow. She was happier than Haven had ever seen her before, living a normal life . . . the kind of life she always should have had.

5:03 A.M.

Her cheeks were stained from tears and her eyes burned like grains of sand were caught in them. She felt like she was running again, the air suffocating as she struggled to breathe, but no matter how hard she fought, she’d get nowhere.

5:46 A.M.

The faint sound of music filtered into the room, a welcome disruption from the agonizing silence. The soft melody comforted Haven. She relaxed as the tension left her body, but it did nothing to shut off her mind. She lay awake, listening as she stared at the clock, wishing for relief.

6:30 A.M.

The time they’d gotten up at the ranch. Haven climbed out of bed after the music stopped and wiped the tears from her face. She quietly slipped into the library and wandered along the tall stacks, running her fingertips along the spines of the books. She kept the light off, but the window let in enough of a glow for her to see. A strange sense of peace settled over her. For the first time in a long time—possibly ever—Haven almost felt safe.

Almost.

She walked to the window and gazed out, the sky lightening as the sun rose. The backyard was lush and green, trees scattered throughout the clearing with the edge of the forest a few hundred yards away. Haven wondered how far the trees went and which direction the closest town was, how long it would take someone to get there on foot.

Eventually, a quiet cough warned her she was no longer alone. Carmine strolled toward the stairs with a white bandage on his head that hadn’t been there yesterday. The sight of him made something inside of Haven twist.

His gaze shifted to her, and he jumped, grabbing his chest. “Christ, what are you doing?”

“Just looking,” she said, motioning toward the window.

“In the dark? You couldn’t turn on a light?”

She tore her eyes from his. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “Just try to make some noise next time. You’re worse than a damn cat sneaking around. Maybe you need a bell.”

Traitorous tears formed. Don’t let him see you cry, she silently chanted. “I’ll try.”

“Who are you, anyway? What are you doing here?”

“Haven,” she said quietly, peeking at him.

He gazed at her peculiarly. His eyes were bloodshot, dark bags under them. “Heaven? No, this definitely isn’t Heaven. But I get why you’re confused, since I’m standing in front of you.” She stared at him, and he cracked a smile. “I’m kidding. Well, kinda . . . I have been told I’ve taken a girl to Heaven a time or two.”