Drowning Silence by Stacy Claflin

Author:Stacy Claflin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stacy Claflin

19

Kenzi

I flip over, again, and pull the covers up over my head, leaving just enough room to breathe. But covering my eyes isn’t going to help me get back to sleep. The room is already practically pitch black, with only a faint light coming from the hallway.

My lack of sleep has nothing to do with the room. Or the fact that I’ve gotten up to use the bathroom no less than five times. It’s my mind that won’t let me get the rest I need.

Given my mother’s return, the bones in the walls, the mysterious new Brannon, and now Ember wanting to homeschool, it’s no wonder I’m tossing and turning at—I check my phone again—three in the morning. I’ve been awake for the last hour and a half. The baby is moving around, too. Apparently I have another night owl on my hands.

Maybe what I need is to walk around and remind my brain that I’m actually tired. It’s better than staying in bed, which clearly isn’t working.

I creep into the hall. Everything is blissfully quiet. Even the light from Ember’s room is out.

The entire house is sleeping except me and the baby.

I grip the railing on the spiral staircase then pad down the steps slowly. The last thing I need is to take a tumble.

In the kitchen, I warm some milk. That’s supposed to help people sleep, right? I lean against the counter and glance outside as I sip from the mug. The stars shine brightly, and all of the houses are dark. I might be the only person in the neighborhood who’s up at this hour.

I mull over everything, my mind quickly darting from one topic to the next. Sadly, the least worrisome thing going on is finding hand bones in the wall of a secret room. It’s concerning enough, but not compared to everything else—unless my mother is actually involved with them. If that’s the case, then they’re as concerning and as currently relevant as everything else.

Pain throbs behind my temples. This is all too much. Why did I let myself think that once we renovated the house, things would settle into a nice normalcy?

This house would never allow that. It doesn’t know peace.

I shake away those thoughts. The house doesn’t have a mind, a motivation. It’s wood, nails, and paint. Even though this place has a wild history, it doesn’t actually impact anything currently. Only the people living here do—and that’s why the decision to let Ryker move in or not is such a huge dilemma.

Of course Graham and I want Jack to have a chance to get to know his son. It would be hypocritical of us not to feel that way, given Graham and Ember’s past, but that doesn’t mean we want him living in our house after what he pulled.

Not unless we could guarantee everyone’s safety.

Clink.

I whip around. Don’t see anything.

Clink, clink.

What is that? It almost sounds like coins falling on the floor.

Jack or Carol must be unable to sleep too. That’s the only explanation.

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