Chapter 2
Nightmares of Light
Kinza pushed the gate of the chain-link fence open, letting it clatter shut behind her. Even though she didn’t see anyone else the rest of the way home, she still wanted to get inside. You never knew who was out and about, lurking in the bushes.
The house was small, one-story with an attic—a few worn concrete steps leading up to a small porch. A bay window looked out onto the front lawn. Grams had taken the meager grass space and turned it into a wild garden, unchecked hydrangeas, ferns, sunflowers, and something that looked suspiciously like a w**d crept over onto the edge of the sidewalk. A little gnome was barely visible between the tall stems by the fence.
She jogged up the steps and let herself in, touching the swirling carving in the doorframe as she
