Page 103 - My FlipBook

T R A I L O F C R U M B S

In the night, lying on top of the blankets wearing only a
T-shirt and shorts, she heard Elgin shuffle by the door. She sat
up, suddenly wide awake, and lifted a hand to shake Ash, in
case he entered their room. But his footsteps continued down
the hallway. Greta listened for him for a long time but heard
only the creaking and shifting of the house.
The next morning they tiptoed around, speaking in
whispers. Elgin’s door remained closed. Bright sun through

the living-room window lit the whole upper floor. After
drinking at least a liter of water, Greta stood in the middle of
the living room, surrounded by sun and plants, and felt the
warmth on her bare arms.
“Greta!” Ash hissed from the kitchen. “Did you see this?”
He held up a package of bacon with a yellow sticky note on
it. She came closer to read it: This should be eaten soon. Ash

nearly giggled.
“Guess what I’m cooking while you’re in the shower?”
he said.
Sunshine. Green leaves. Bacon. Best morning ever.
At minus twenty degrees, the air shocked their skin after
being in Elgin’s semitropical suite. They jogged across the
street to Nate’s house and waited in the entryway while he
rummaged for his keys.
Greta had mapped it out in her head, the hallways and

routes that would get her to her classes with the least chance
of running into Dylan, Rachel or Matt. In social studies, she
sat as far as possible from Angus. No cologne today. Still, it
was like her body remembered, and her mind lagged behind

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