Salome’s POV
The sun hadn’t even started to peak over the horizon when I crept out of my childhood bedroom. The floorboards groaned under my weight, sounding like gunshots in the silence of the hallway. I held my breath, listening for any sign of movement from my parents. Usually, Dad was already pulling on his boots for a dawn patrol and Mom was clattering pans in the kitchen, but the house remained eerily still. They had stayed up until two in the morning waiting for me to walk through the door. It was a level of worry I hadn't put them through in years.
I reached the kitchen and stuck a yellow sticky note to the refrigerator door. Went to see a friend. Will call later. It was a pathetic explanation, but it was all I had. I pulled my hoodie over my head, yanking the drawstrings until t
