16 Chapter 16
“Fine. We both drive,” I said, pushing open the door to the garage.
Diana blinked at me. “How?”
The engine roared to life, and we both squealed, covering our ears. “It’s so loud!” Diana
yelled.
“Yeah, but you are the one who hit the mailbox, genius!”
“Maybe we should stop,” she said finally, dropping her stick.
The morning came too fast. The sun peeked through the trees, waking me up with its
bright, annoying light. Diana was still snoring softly next to me and her hair was all
tangled like a bird’s nest.
“We are looking for her,” I said, stepping closer to Diana, just in case the guy do something really bad.
“Do you think there are bears?” I whispered.
The man smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. “Hop in. We will help you find her.”
Diana’s eyes lit up. “Co-pilots!” she excitedly cheered but I hushed her not to be too noisy
because we might get caught by Annie, the nanny jumping like a bunny.
“Should we wave?” Diana asked, her tiny hand shielding her eyes from the sun.
“Unless you wanna stay here and wait for Mom to come back and find out we broke her
car, or get caught by Annie bunny?”
“I can’t sleep,” I whispered, even though I did not have to.
Devon’s POV
“I know, but…” She plopped down on the ground, crossing her legs. “I’m sleepy.”
We walked until the woods started thinning out and the sound of cars in the distance made my heart jump.
16 Chapter 16
Diana glanced at me, then back at him. “Maybe.”
We ran toward the noise, bursting out of the trees and onto the road. Cars zoomed past, their horns blaring like angry geese.
I knew who she meant. Killian. The big, funny Alpha who kept looking at Mom like she was chocolate cake. I like him so much, he was like a Daddy to us.
I nodded, hugging Mr. Snuffles, my stuffed wolf, closer. “Maybe she is fighting bad guys again.”
She shrugged. “Mailboxes fall over all the time. Duh.”
“We will drive,” I said, puffing up my chest. “I watched Mommy do it a hundred times. It’s
easy.”
“Fine,” I muttered, grabbing Mr. Snuffles before following her outside. “But now what?”
“But we haven’t found Mommy yet,” I argued.
“Don’t tell me ‘oh no! You’re the one who said to push the button and was pushing the
stick on the gas!”
“Wake up,” I whispered, nudging her.
“Where’s the start button?” I whispered, pressing random things.
I adjusted the seat like I had seen Mom do, except my feet did not reach the pedals. Diana smacked her forehead dramatically. “You are too short. This is a disaster.”
She groaned, swatting at me. “Five more minutes.”
“But I’m older!” she argued.
“Am not,” I argued, trying to sit taller. “I’ll use a stick or something.”
We walked for a long time with the cool night air nipping at my cheeks. The woods were dark, the trees making weird shadow shapes on the ground. I held Mr. Snuffles tight,. glancing at Diana every few seconds to make sure she was still there.
She sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning like a cat. “Fine. But you owe me pancakes
after this.”
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2/5
“No way!” I whispered back, snatching them from her. “I said the plan, so I drive.”
The car was shiny and black, and it smelled like Mom’s perfume inside. I climbed into the driver’s seat while Diana scrambled in next to me.
“Promise,” I said, even though I was not totally sure I could keep it.
“Or maybe she’s with him,” Diana said, her voice all huffy, likely jealous of the attention.
The house was too quiet without Mom. The kind of quiet that made my stomach feel funny, like when I ate too much candy and got caught. Diana was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling with her “thinking face,” the one where her nose scrunched up like she smelled something bad.
She sat up too, her eyes wide with excitement. “We are not allowed, though.”
That shut me up really fast.
The night felt forever long, and my legs started to ache. Diana yawned, rubbing her eyes.
“We walk,” she declared.
I threw the car keys on the floor, panic bubbling up in my chest. “What do we do?!”
I sat next to her, leaning against a tree. The forest smelled like dirt and leaves and a little
bit like a wet dog. “Okay. We’ll rest. Just for a little bit.”
“I’m the driver,” she announced.
She crossed her arms. “Two minutes is two minutes, Devon.”
I grinned. “That’s why it’s a secret mission.”
“Where’s your mom?”
“Promise you won’t let the bears get me?” she mumbled, her head already drooping onto my shoulder.
Before I could answer, a big, black SUV slowed down, its tires crunching on the gravel. The window rolled down, and a man with sunglasses leaned out.
“That’s not scary,” I said, but I grabbed a stick too. Just in case.
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3/5
I frowned. “What about the big dent?”
We snuck downstairs like ninjas, tiptoeing past the big grandfather clock that always made creepy ticking noises. The car keys were on the counter, right where Mom left them. Diana grabbed them before I could, shaking them like she just found treasure.
“Oh no!” Diana shouted, her hands flying to her face.
We did not even make it out of the driveway, when I lost control of the steering wheel and the car jerked forward, smashing into the mailbox with a horrible crunch.
Diana climbed out of the car, her hands on her hips like Mom did when she was mad. “We leave it,” she said, all serious. “No one will know it was us.”
“Come on,” he said, his smile growing wider. “It’s not safe out here.”
“With what? Your big mouth?”
“No,” she said, but then she looked around like maybe there could be. “But if there are, I’ll
scare them away.”
“You’re gonna crash us.”
Diana tugged on my sleeve. “Devon…”
“Do you hear that?” I asked, grabbing Diana’s arm.
“Walk? Like, walk-walk?”
“Let’s go find her,” I said suddenly, sitting up in bed.
“Yeah. Maybe it’s Mommy!”
“Hey, kids,” he said, his voice was smooth but weird. “You lost?”
“Nope. We have to keep going.”
Diana pointed. “There! Push it!”
“By two minutes!” I shot back. I did not like it when she acted like that yet she still cried like a little baby when get hurt. That’s why I always look after her.
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4/5
Spoiler alert: I did.
“I know,” Diana said, rolling over to look at me. “Me neither. It is because Mommy’s not here. She always kisses our foreheads before we sleep. It’s magic or something.”
“No, I’m not!”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “No, with this.” She picked up a stick, waving it like a
sword.
“I don’t think “I started, but the man opened the door, cutting me off, offering us a ride. I hesitated, what if he was a bad guy?
