eyes.” The bright whites of Molly’s blue eyes were magnified with the black face paint around them. “You look like a ninja assassin.”
She smiled. “I wish I had a mirror.”
We set off with a small backpack containing our flashlights and the night-vision goggles, binoculars, and spotting scope. Wiz’s backlit GPS unit led the way. It was more difficult navigating the forest with the sun down. Trees we had moved around with ease during the day now forced us to be more cautious of small, head-high branches. Molly stayed close behind me as we walked single file.
It took an hour to find the house. We climbed the same hill and lay shoulder to shoulder once again as we watched the house with our spotting scope and binoculars.
The house looked as empty as before. Other than a yard light near the barn, everything was dark. The carport next to the barn was empty.
“Nobody’s home,” I said.
I searched the house with the spotting scope for any signs of movement but found nothing.
“Let’s give it some time,” Molly said. She turned over and lay on her back. “Dylan, look at that.”
I turned over and stared up at a bright mass of glowing stars.
“You don’t get a sky like this in Boston,” Molly said. “Did you see that?”
“Oh, cool! I love meteor showers.”
“I’ve never seen one before.”
A moment later another meteor cut a white crease across the sky. We watched in silence as a dozen more appeared at random.
“Sometimes I’d find Hannah lying on the grass outside watching the stars,” I said.
“One of the memories I have of my dad,” Molly said, “was when we rented a cabin in the middle of nowhere. We were sitting on a dock late one night and he told me to look up at the sky full of stars. While I was looking up he said, ‘Beautiful isn’t it?’ I said ‘Yeah.’ Then he said, ‘It’s still not as beautiful as you,’ and he hugged me.”
I looked over at her. “He was right.”
Through the dark I could see Molly look at me. I smiled at her and returned to staring at the sky. My brain tugged me in two directions as I struggled with my feelings for Molly and the fact that I should be focused on finding Hannah. Molly’s hand took mine.
A few minutes later we heard the growing sound of an engine. Molly let go of my hand as we rolled over to our original positions. Headlights moved toward us down the driveway. A Ford Bronco pulled into the carport next to the barn. A man and his black lab got out.
“Oh, no,” I said, looking at the dog, which tore across the yard and found a ball. The man opened the back of the Bronco and gathered two paper grocery bags and a gallon of milk. He whistled to himself as he closed the door and carried his load to the house.
“It doesn’t look like enough groceries for two,” Molly whispered, “unless he goes to the store a lot.”
“He’ll go to check on Hannah right away, if she’s here.”
The man opened the storm door and set the groceries inside, then walked out into the yard and picked up a ball.
“Pepper! Here, boy.”
“Get ready to move,” I said, putting my spotting scope in my bag. Molly handed me her binoculars.
The man grabbed the ball from Pepper and threw it across the yard. Pepper ran after it in a mad dash and brought it back to his owner. The man threw the ball a few more times, each time changing the location. Then he threw it up the hill toward Molly and me. It landed a few feet to our left.
“Let’s go,” I said, as I stayed low and helped Molly up. We ran down the back side of the hill toward the forest as Pepper let out a series of barks and a low growl. The hill was full of tall grass that made it hard to run. I looked at Molly as she jumped over a branch. The lab howled as it ran after us.
“Pepper!” the man shouted.
I looked back and saw a dark shadow cruise down the hill straight toward us.
“Pepper, get back here!” the man shouted.
I grabbed Molly’s hand as we hit the tree line and wove
She smiled. “I wish I had a mirror.”
We set off with a small backpack containing our flashlights and the night-vision goggles, binoculars, and spotting scope. Wiz’s backlit GPS unit led the way. It was more difficult navigating the forest with the sun down. Trees we had moved around with ease during the day now forced us to be more cautious of small, head-high branches. Molly stayed close behind me as we walked single file.
It took an hour to find the house. We climbed the same hill and lay shoulder to shoulder once again as we watched the house with our spotting scope and binoculars.
The house looked as empty as before. Other than a yard light near the barn, everything was dark. The carport next to the barn was empty.
“Nobody’s home,” I said.
I searched the house with the spotting scope for any signs of movement but found nothing.
“Let’s give it some time,” Molly said. She turned over and lay on her back. “Dylan, look at that.”
I turned over and stared up at a bright mass of glowing stars.
“You don’t get a sky like this in Boston,” Molly said. “Did you see that?”
“Oh, cool! I love meteor showers.”
“I’ve never seen one before.”
A moment later another meteor cut a white crease across the sky. We watched in silence as a dozen more appeared at random.
“Sometimes I’d find Hannah lying on the grass outside watching the stars,” I said.
“One of the memories I have of my dad,” Molly said, “was when we rented a cabin in the middle of nowhere. We were sitting on a dock late one night and he told me to look up at the sky full of stars. While I was looking up he said, ‘Beautiful isn’t it?’ I said ‘Yeah.’ Then he said, ‘It’s still not as beautiful as you,’ and he hugged me.”
I looked over at her. “He was right.”
Through the dark I could see Molly look at me. I smiled at her and returned to staring at the sky. My brain tugged me in two directions as I struggled with my feelings for Molly and the fact that I should be focused on finding Hannah. Molly’s hand took mine.
A few minutes later we heard the growing sound of an engine. Molly let go of my hand as we rolled over to our original positions. Headlights moved toward us down the driveway. A Ford Bronco pulled into the carport next to the barn. A man and his black lab got out.
“Oh, no,” I said, looking at the dog, which tore across the yard and found a ball. The man opened the back of the Bronco and gathered two paper grocery bags and a gallon of milk. He whistled to himself as he closed the door and carried his load to the house.
“It doesn’t look like enough groceries for two,” Molly whispered, “unless he goes to the store a lot.”
“He’ll go to check on Hannah right away, if she’s here.”
The man opened the storm door and set the groceries inside, then walked out into the yard and picked up a ball.
“Pepper! Here, boy.”
“Get ready to move,” I said, putting my spotting scope in my bag. Molly handed me her binoculars.
The man grabbed the ball from Pepper and threw it across the yard. Pepper ran after it in a mad dash and brought it back to his owner. The man threw the ball a few more times, each time changing the location. Then he threw it up the hill toward Molly and me. It landed a few feet to our left.
“Let’s go,” I said, as I stayed low and helped Molly up. We ran down the back side of the hill toward the forest as Pepper let out a series of barks and a low growl. The hill was full of tall grass that made it hard to run. I looked at Molly as she jumped over a branch. The lab howled as it ran after us.
“Pepper!” the man shouted.
I looked back and saw a dark shadow cruise down the hill straight toward us.
“Pepper, get back here!” the man shouted.
I grabbed Molly’s hand as we hit the tree line and wove
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