The Complete Crimson Forest series

Bryxx: Chapter 4

It seems like no time has passed before the sun has begun to rise and Aunt Betty has made her way down to the kitchen where I still sit, drinking my third mug of tea. She eyes me carefully before sitting down next to me.

"You couldn't sleep?" she asks, as if already knowing the answer.

"Bad dream, I guess," I mutter. "'No offence. I loved seeing you again, but I can't wait to get out of here."

My aunts answering look is filled with sympathy. "I know, dear." Is it just me or does it look like she's aged since being here? I'm probably just being dramatic.

After a few minutes of silence, I'm not surprised to hear a knock at the door. Kade is here.

After talking about a few things and agreeing on terms, our conversation turns casual as he asks what I will do now that the property will be out of my hands.

"I think I'll head back home and go to school. I've been saving the money to go," I admit.

He looks both surprised and content. "What do you wish to take?"

I shrug, unsure. "Maybe psychology. I can't decide. I hate school, but I need to do something with my life."

He smiles and nods. "I could see that. Dr. May Thomson the psychiatrist." He then extends a hand to me, and I reach mine out to his and shake it firmly. "Drive safe, May, and good luck."

My aunt Betty left to catch her last-minute plane back home before Kade could finish, but she was sure to make sure that Kade was serious about the sale and wasn't going to try and scam me out of my money. This means, that now that I'm done here with all loose ends tied up, I can go back home to Seattle.

I reach into my pocket and hand over the keys to the property. Kade shoves them into his own pocket and we head towards the door in silence.

I take a last look around the entry way before walking out the door for the last time. Kade shuts it behind us gently and locks it before we begin out walk down the long sidewalk through the trees to where our vehicles are parked.

"Are you going to miss this place?" Kade asks me casually.

I shake my head. "No, it's time that I officially move on from this and go back to what I've found in Seattle. This place is just..."

"Filled with bad memories?" he finishes

I shrug. "And good ones, but it's just time to move on. I can't explain it. It all feels so long ago that my whole family lived here, like another lifetime. I think the only reason my mom didn't ever sell it was because she kept hoping that my brother would come back. He went missing here when we were kids. He and his friend. I've never understood why she never sold it after dad died. It was a family property, it's been in the family for generations, but that doesn't mean it should remain in the family. I don't feel that way anyway. It's just a place."

Kade nods and tucks his hands into his jacket pockets. It's a little chilly outside today. It must be his day off because he's not dressed in his usual formal attire but instead in a black jacket and dark jeans. His hair is tousled in short waves. "I lost siblings too. My younger sisters. One died of cancer and one was murdered."

My gaze flicks to his quickly. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Well, at least I know what happened to them, you have no idea what happened to Daniel," he says sympathetically.

I'm about to nod when I realize something. I never mentioned my brother's name to Kade. "How do you know his name?" I ask, trying to sound casual although something about this just feels wrong.