In Nightfall by Suzanne Young

Author:Suzanne Young [Young, Suzanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2023-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

Parrish and I eat, and when I’m finished, I lean back in my chair and watch him drink his coffee.

“So,” I say, breaking the silence. “How was my brother last night? Did he find any bodies or…?” I smile and Parrish laughs.

“He was in a lot better shape than the first time I met him,” he says. “I think he’s getting the hang of it. But the rest of the night was pretty boring in comparison.”

“Well, I think I figured out my temporary insanity,” I offer.

“Do tell,” Parrish says, leaning in.

“The other night I met these two guys who have a podcast—Scare Me Silly?” I study his face for a sign of recognition, but he just shrugs. “Anyway,” I continue, “we had lunch the next day and they told me the history of Nightfall, or at least some really fucked-up version of it. I think it got in my head.”

“What did they say?” he asks.

“For starters,” I say, “the Midnight Dive. Now it’s a parade, but they told me that in the beginning, the mayor of Nightfall would force townspeople to drown girls. Like, they would march down to the ocean, drown their daughters, and then chop off their heads.” I flinch at my own words. “And they also said bodies washed up on Sunrise Beach, recently. Plus…a friend with bite marks…” I motion to my own arm, but I trail off as Parrish’s brows pull together in disbelief.

“They told you all that?” he asks.

My stomach sinks. “Yeah,” I say, my voice weaker. “Why?”

He pauses. “Because that’s kind of a fucked-up story to share when you first meet someone,” he says. “Were they trying to scare you?”

“Probably,” I admit. “It’s a horror podcast, so…I just, I mention it because I think that’s why I saw the body last night. They described something similar to me, and I think with the drinking and the smoke from the fire, I let my imagination get the best of me. They got inside my head, you know?”

He’s quiet for a moment, and then he nods. “That makes sense,” he agrees. “And yeah, I’m sure some of it’s true. People are animals. But I’m also sure those guys probably exaggerated for their show. I promise,” he adds, “you have nothing to be afraid of here.”

As he holds my gaze, his eyes are soft and dark, deep enough to draw me in. He licks his lips and then looks away.

“We should go,” he says. He takes out his wallet and drops some money on the table before I can offer to split the check. “I was thinking…since you like history, there’s this awesome museum at the top of the hill if you want to check it out.”

Surprised, I get up. “That sounds…yeah, that sounds great,” I say. I remember the place he’s talking about from our drive into Nightfall. I’d figured I’d have to drag my father there.

“But do me a favor,” Parrish adds with a soft smile. “Try not to ask anyone there about drowned girls and bite marks.

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