Jimmy felt helpless, holding her close. He stared at the candlelight for so long that when he closed his eyes, the image of the flame had burned into his mind. Ginger’s tears lessened with time and she slowly sat back, holding his hand tightly while they gazed at the floor together.
“How many candles did you make today?” he asked.
“Fifty or so,” Ginger said. She sniffed and wiped her nose with a linen handkerchief. “I enjoyed making them.”
“You helped a lot of people today just by doing that one job.”
“I guess so.”
“You know what’s important about candlelight?”
She turned to face him, and he briefly lost where he’d been going with the whole candlelight thing. After everything she’d gone through, she was still so beautiful.
“When it’s dark, a tiny flame from a single candle can make so many people feel safe. Think of how many kids out there who may be afraid of the dark now has one of your candles helping them to feel safe tonight.”
Ginger smiled. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
She fell asleep in his arms soon after. Jimmy counted the beats between each of her soft breaths as they brushed against his neck. He wished he could say he felt safe lying next to the girl he loved. But he couldn’t. His birthday was only a week away and they still hadn’t found Catherine.
Darkness covered the city like a heavy blanket without the warmth as the search for Catherine’s whereabouts continued with the nightshift. After a little subtle convincing, Scout got his way and was able to escape the stifling confines of their hideout. He and Raven ran swiftly away from the front yard, concealing their movements through the deep shadows of the surrounding neighborhood. Litter lay everywhere. Whole houses were gutted, contents spilling out front doors, strewn into yards. Even furniture decorated the lawns, rotting and falling apart. Scout’s boots crunched over the jagged pieces of porcelain and fine china. He always kept his eyes open for baseball gloves, or better yet, an official Boy Scout uniform with an Eagle Badge.
“I can’t believe the way they’ve ruined everything here.”
Raven reached for his hand. “They’re just kids.”
“Must be due to Chase’s influence if Molly’s theory about him being Catherine’s opposite holds any water. That dude must seriously put out some bad vibes.”
“He’s bad. Trust me.”
Raven averted her eyes. She never openly discussed her past life in Denver. Molly told Scout to have patience and understand that she still needed the space and time to heal, but there were things he wanted to know.
“You and him used to be close? Is that it?”
Raven tore her hand away and ran. Scout followed close behind, soon reaching out for her to slow down.
“It’s not what you think. Chase is always sick and he never let’s anyone touch him. So there was never that between us. But the things he made us do to other people was horrible,” she said, gasping to catch her breath. “I can never tell you what it was like. I can’t tell anyone. I just want to forget everything.”
Scout gently pulled her to him. “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it.”
Raven hugged him tightly, reminding him of Catherine. Scout squeezed back.
“I’m sorry,” she said as they started walking again. “Thanks for not pushing it. All I want to do is help you guys get that little girl back and then get the hell away from this place. I just wish I could get Kessie out of this mess when we leave.”
“Is it okay to assume you were pretty tight with Kessie?”
Raven punched Scout in the arm. “She was there for me when my sister died. We did everything together after that and took care of each other. I’d do anything for her and I know she’d do the same.”
“Even now?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re playing for the other team, Raven. Might be different if she found out.”
They turned the corner and crossed the street to the eatery where Hunter and Ginger bumped into Patrick earlier. The place was closed and Scout doubted their ability to find anything new. That wasn’t the purpose for their night stalking anyway. They were just out stretching their legs. Hunter and Ginger were doing the real work in the daylight. Scout and Raven were waiting for when Catherine was found and everything went down. Then they would be needed.
Raven led Scout to another street where a fire lit the sky. Dark smoke drifted upward in one long chain. A group of kids gathered by the blaze like demons of different shapes and sizes, summoning midnight. Raven and Scout worked around the side of a nearby house and climbed its fence to pull themselves up on the roof for stealthier observation.
Below in the street, teenagers were busy throwing whatever they could find into the growing bonfire. Small kids danced around, picking up smaller objects, gleefully tossing them at the inferno’s edges. Four boys swung a couch and counted to three. The couch landed inside the flames, launching sparks into the heavens. Burning embers fell on the boys, who quickly scattered amid laughing echoes.
Scout found a place to sit in the shadows of the roof’s fireplace and Raven huddled next to him. The fire alleviated the nasty odor that hung around the large city like flies around an open sewer. The smell also reminded him of the last big fire, the one that claimed all his possessions.
“What are they doing?” Scout asked.
“Burning stuff and trying to keep warm, I guess.”
“So this is what city kids do for fun.”
“It beats staying indoors and staring at the walls.”
Scout watched the progression below. “At least there won’t be any trash left when they’re done. They should have fire parties on every block until this place is cleaned up.”
Raven craned her neck for a better look at something and Scout followed her line of sight to a group of kids seated on the ground below. Scout thought he recognized a girl as she stood and left the others.
Raven waved Scout to follow and they crept, making scratchy noises scooting across the rough shingles to the edge where they had gained access.
“Who is it?” Scout whispered.
“Kessie.”
Kessie opened the gate to the backyard. Scout figured she was probably going to the bathroom. Raven scrambled over the side of the house to the fence below.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to talk to her.”
“You can’t. She’s one of them. You’re not thinking straight.”
“She’s my best friend. She’d never cross me, no matter what. I just want to talk to her, okay?”
“You’re going to mess up everything and blow our cover. Kessie is not like you. She’s still under Chase’s influence.”
Raven shook her head. “Just stay here. It will be all right. Trust me.” She dropped without a sound before Scout could argue his point anymore.
Scout swore under his breath and crawled to the other edge of the roof overlooking the back. He saw Kessie doing her business by a bush. He felt guilty for spying on her like that, but his girlfriend was about to walk right into the fire, and Scout wanted to be ready to pull her out before she got torched.