red hill - jamie mcguire

Chapter Twenty-Three
Nathan
BY LATE AFTERNOON, I CAUGHT myself glancing at the crest of the field or the road every time I passed
the front door. By dinner, I had to work to conceal my worry. Ashley’s anxious comments every five
minutes didn’t help anything, but when Zoe mentioned that it would be dark soon, truth began to creep
in.
“They should be here by now,” Elleny said in a quiet but anxious voice. “They wouldn’t walk in
the dark, w-would they The sun has already set.”
Ashley sat down at the table and closed her eyes. “They’ll be back, Elleny, don’t worry. They
couldn’t have all been hurt. If something happened, some of them would still come back. So you know
what that means They’re all fine.”
“They said they would come back tonight. If they don’t come back, someone got hurt,” Zoe said,
oblivious to what her words would do to everyone else at the table.
Elleny puffed out a sob. Ashley covered her mouth with her hands.
“Everyone calm down,” I said, on the verge of hysterics myself. “Shallot is almost fifteen miles
away. It might have been too optimistic for them to think they could travel thirty miles in a day on foot
and clear. That doesn’t mean anything is wrong. That could just mean they’re being smart and aren’t
risking traveling at night.”
Elleny nodded. “Scarlet wouldn’t do that. They’ll be back in the morning.” She took a small bite of
mashed potatoes.
“Exactly,” I said.
Ashley nodded. “Maybe they’ll send Cooper back tonight to tell us. He can make it back faster
than the rest of them.”
“Maybe,” Miranda said. “But don’t freak out if he doesn’t. Let’s not worry until we have
something to worry about.”
Miranda’s voice was calm, but the look she shot me said that she was only trying to help me keep
the others calm. She didn’t know if they would come back any more than we did.
Just as I took my first bite, the power went out. Zoe and Elleny screamed.
“Sssh!” I said. “We knew this was going to happen eventually, don’t panic. Everyone sit tight.”
I felt my way over to the cabinets and reached under the sink, grabbing two flashlights. I turned on
one, and handed the other to Miranda.
“I’ll get candles,” she said. “Come with me, Elleny.”
Ashley sat at the table with Zoe, holding her hand. I smiled at them. “This is no different than any
other night. We always sleep with the lights out.”