Crimson Hollow

Chapter Two

I watched silently as the rows of houses faded behind us.

There was something about leaving so abruptly that made everything harder to swallow. I hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye properly.

Mum drove intently, her eyes glued to the road. It was still raining, and my sweater wasn't providing nearly enough comfort against the chill seeped into the car. For a brief moment, I began to hate the rain, the sound that had always comforted me was suddenly too loud, drumming against the windows until it drowned out every other thought.

It was almost as if the storm knew I was driving toward something I couldn't see.

I stared out the foggy glass, watching the familiar streets give way to endless rows of tall trees passing by. My heart sank.

We were no longer in my neighborhood.

Old neighborhood, I corrected myself with a heavy sigh.

I was almost dozing off when my phone chimed with a notification. It was from Poppy.

When I opened it, I noticed three unread massages alongside texts from Aida and Harry, my friends from the book club.

Aida: The rain is going to f**k up our meeting.

Harry: Should we reschedule or move it online?

I had completely forgotten about the meeting. I checked the time: 3:40 p.m. It was scheduled for four.

The weight of it all pressed down on my chest. I swallowed hard, forcing back the tears threatening to spill as I opened Poppy’s texts.

Poppy: Fawn, is it true you’re leaving town? Mum just told me.

So Mum had told Malissa.

I could practically hear Poppy saying the words, her voice full of disbelief. I pictured her brown eyes widening and her lips thinning as she tried to make sense of it.

Was she going to be okay without me?

I stared at the screen, trying to figure out what to say. Traitorous tears finally slipped down my cheeks, impossible to hold back.

Me: Yeah. I just found out myself. We're already on the road.

I hoped she couldn't tell how devastated I was through a text. Poppy knew me better than anyone, and I knew her well enough to know that this would be easier if she thought I was handling it.

Her reply came back almost instantly.

Poppy: In this rain???

Before I could type a response, another bubble popped up.

Poppy: Do you want to? I need details, Fawn. Where are you going? Why are you moving all of a sudden? We're in senior year, for God's sake! How are you going to start over?

I sat staring at her questions for a long time—not because I hadn't asked them myself, but because seeing someone else spell them out made the reality hit harder.

Me: I'll be fine. I'll call you once I get there and explain everything.

Even as I sent it, I knew I didn't have a single answer to give her.

The typing dots appeared, disappeared, then appeared again.

Poppy: Mum said to call her when you're free.

Malissa had always been protective of me, treating me like a second daughter.

Poppy: Lemme know when you get there. Love you.

Me: Love you too.

Why were we leaving so suddenly? What did any of this mean?

I turned toward Mum. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white. I knew driving on wet roads in a downpour was dangerous, but she had insisted on leaving right this second. She knew what she was doing.

For a moment, I considered pressing her with the questions burning in my mind, but I decided against it. It wasn't the right time, or at least, that was the excuse I made as I opened Zayn's thread.

Zayn: Babe.

Zayn: Babe, are you okay?

Zayn: Can I pass by once the rain stops?

I almost regretted opening them. How was I supposed to tell him that he might never see me again? How could I explain that I wouldn't be there for his little sister Kate's fifth birthday next

weekend? I had promised to bake her cookies, and she had been counting down the days. I was about to disappoint a child.

My heart clenched.

Me: Babe, we need to talk.

Zayn: Why? Did I do something wrong?

My head spun.

Me: No, no, babe. You haven't done anything wrong. You're perfect. There's just a lot happening. I'll call you, okay?

My hands shook as I bit my lip, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of emotions, anger, sadness, anxiety,

Anxiety.

My stomach dropped. Did I take my medication?

“Mum.”

She didn't answer.

“Mum, I left my pills!” My voice came out louder than intended.

I frantically rummaged through my favorite red handbag, the one Zayn had bought me because he said it matched my hair, hoping against hope I'd tossed them in.

Mum slammed her foot on the brakes, the tires screeched slightly against the wet pavement.

“What?”

“My pills. I left them.”

She whipped around to face me, her features instantly drawn tight. “Fawn, how could you forget them? I packed ninety-nine percent of your things! You couldn't manage the one task I left for you?”

I shrank back in silence. The medication wasn't easy to acquire, and Mum had just restocked it a few days ago.

“We have to go back,” she said, her harsh tone suddenly softening into something far more unsettling: resignation.

She executed a sharp U-turn, heading back toward the house. The rain had finally begun to ease into a light drizzle, but an uneasy feeling settled heavy in my gut. Mum was keeping something big from me,I was certain of it.

When we pulled into the driveway, I stared up at the house I had known my entire life.

Our house. Maybe not anymore.

“Wait in the car,” Mum ordered sternly.

Before I could respond, she threw her door open and ran through the drizzle toward the porch. I watched her disappear inside, then suddenly remembered my journal sitting on my nightstand.

I grabbed my phone to call her, only to spot hers sitting abandoned in the cup holder.

“Damn it.”

I popped my door open and hurried into the house after her.

The second I stepped over the threshold, I froze.

Something was wrong.

The house was trashed. The few items Mum had left behind were scattered across the floor, drawers pulled wide open, and couch cushions thrown aside.

Someone had been inside.

My heart hammered violently . Why? What were they looking for?

“Mum?”

No answer.

I sprinted down the hallway toward my bedroom. Mum stood just inside the doorway with her back to me. She had found the pill bottle, but she wasn't looking at it.

She was staring at the far wall.

I followed her gaze, and a blood-curdling scream tore from my throat.

Painted across the pale wallpaper in thick, dripping red paint was a single word:

FAWN

The letters were huge, jagged, and uneven, slanting across the wall as if painted in a frantic rush.

For several agonizing seconds, neither of us moved.

“Mum?” my voice quavered.

She turned slowly to face me. The color had drained from her skin, and for the first time in my life, I saw pure, unadulterated fear in her eyes.

She stared at me for a long, silent moment before letting out a shaky sigh.

“You should have waited in the car.”