* * *
The concrete basement, used for storage, smelled like mildew and boiled cabbage. We spent a few hours going through boxes, and I screamed a couple times when a spider crawled past. Nathan laughed and smashed it with his hand. He thought my fear of spiders was funny and told me I should envision them wearing a top hat, then maybe I wouldn’t be afraid of them. I threw him a look like he was out of his mind, and he laughed again.
As I searched through a box of dishes, being careful not to clink them too hard, Nathan stood from a big box of Christmas stuff and stretched. I put the dishes back in the box and closed the lid. We were both getting tired, and I wanted to call it a night. I brushed myself off, feeling gritty.
“I think I’m going to take a shower and go to bed,” I told him, depressed we hadn’t found anything, and I wondered if we ever would.
Nathan wiped his hands on his jeans. “Sounds like a good idea.”
He followed me out of the basement, but when I turned to go upstairs, he gently took my arm.
“Try not to worry. We’ll find something. I promise,” he said.
“And if we don’t?” I asked, my voice full of doubt. “Then what do we do?”
He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “We keep searching until we do. The answers about your father and what he knew are out there. And if we don’t find it in this house, we’ll look somewhere else.”
I tried to smile, but couldn’t. I noticed the concern in his eyes, but didn’t say anything. Instead, I went up the stairs. I didn’t know what to think, and all I wanted to do was go to sleep to escape from it all. So after I took my shower, I crawled into bed, allowing the Sandman to take me to another place.
Chapter Twelve
Frustration
Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance Page 29