***
We’d barely hit the road before Dad and Amelia fell asleep in the back seat. Asher was the one driving the car, and he hadn’t spoken a word since he left the house. I sat beside him and fidgeted with the seatbelt, not really knowing what to say to him.
He’d been distracted ever since they rescued Dad and Amelia. There was a darkness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before, and I didn’t know how to reach out to him and assure him that everything would be fine. He looked like he didn’t even want to talk to me, and I hated how the silence stretched on between us.
As we drove past the wrecked school, I turned to stare in disbelief at the destruction. Police tapes surrounded what remained of the building, and there were a few squad cars parked in front. Several news reporters were ta
