Page 71 of Praying for Thunder

So young. Already so misguided.

I whispered, “For light.”

Getting up from the couch, he insisted, “Okay, you need some rest. No jokin’. If you don’t make it through the night, my Prospect ass will be the one to pay.”

Crushing more chips, I let him guide me to lie down. “What’s a Prospect?”

Roamer put a pillow under my head. “Nothing I want to be.” He tapped my head as if praising a dog. “Now sleep. And please live through your meltdown.” Grabbing his remote again, he sat at my feet. “I’ll watch over you.” He slipped on earphones until noticing me staring at him. He chuckled. “If you shut your eyes, the whole sleep thing may work better for you.”

My eyes welled.

With pity, he shook his head. “No more of that here, kid. These dickheads will pounce on any weakness. Keep your head low. Attitude lower.”

Of course, that is advice I would do the opposite of, but we all have our ways of surviving.

By the time I woke, sunrays were filling the room. I was still on the couch but now covered in a blanket. A fart had me sitting up and peering over the back of the couch to see Roamer sleeping in one twin bed, another guy in the corner twin.

The whole house was quiet, everyone sleeping off their party while I quietly left the couch to look out the window. I had to get my face real close to the window and look to the left to see past another house on stilts, but there was a sight that would take root in my heart.

The beach.

Waves rolled onto the perfect, white sand. I knew then I would always live near water when I actually had a say in my life. I hoped I could someday show this to Rya.

“Ya made it.”

I jerked from the window, not sure who was talking to me, but it was only Roamer.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

I gave a gander at the farter.

Roamer assured, “It’s cool. He can sleep through a bullhorn.”

I went back to the couch. “There is a man I don’t want to see.”

Laying on his stomach, he propped a pillow under his chin. “There are several of those here. What’s his name?”

Looking at the door, I whispered, “Piercer.”

He rolled his eyes while rolling to his back. “Figures. My dad’s an asshole.”

My jaw dropped. This kind bear was Piercer’s spawn? His dark eyes were so much warmer than his dad’s, but the thick hair was very similar. Definitely his maturing size.

He tossed a palm tree décor pillow in the air to catch it and did it again. “Still needing to see the light, kid?”

My heart sulked. “Rya.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Do you think Onus will take me to see her?”

He laughed. “Sure. And then he’ll take you for ice cream so you can talk about your ‘feelings’.”

“Good point.”

That had him eyeing me, pleased-like. “Ya know, I do believe there is a smartass under that terrified boy image you got kickin’.”

What a blessing Roamer was, whether he knew it or not, preparing me to step out of that bedroom and into the lion’s den.