Gathering

The book was an old text on agrarian cults that hadn’t been checked out in years

Hopi, isn’t it? The crow mother?”

sighed. “That’ll be my epitaph someday. So trustworthy. So honest. So boring.”

Finally I got up to close the window. I stood there, looking out. Moonlight flooded the yard. Scents washed over me. Even the sounds of the forest seemed to call to me, and I told myself I was just reacting to what Rafe said, but that wasn’t true. I’d felt this way for the last three nights. Only now I knew what it meant and that made all the difference.

When I was running with Rafe, we found ourselves at the cache and I could see Mina Lee, her eyes wide, face streaked with blood, and I could smell that blood, and it didn’t smell bad. It smelled—
I jerked awake.

We have Kenjii. We have my cell phone. Since we aren’t yet officially dating, I’m sure you’ll agree that’s all the protection we need.”
Dad choked on his coffee.