The Dead and the Dark(99)

She hoped he was joking.

On the other side of the truck, Ashley wrapped her arms around her mother. The Bartons’ goodbye was quieter. It was more solemn. Ashley let go of Tammy and tightened her ponytail, looking out at the lake behind the house like she thought she might never see it again.

“I know things are … hard,” Tammy said. “But I love you. No matter what.”

“I love you too, Mom,” Ashley said.

Tammy gave her a terse kiss on the forehead and squeezed her shoulder. “If this doesn’t work out, the ranch will always be here for you. You can always come home.”

“And they’re always welcome to crash with us, wherever we are,” Alejo said. “You too, Tammy. We can have a big sleepover.”

Tammy rolled her eyes. “Hilarious.”

“I’m serious. We’ll be like a big family now.” Alejo ran a hand through his hair. “A big family that probably needs a lot of therapy.”

Ashley climbed into the driver’s side of the Ford, and Logan silently climbed into the passenger seat. They settled in, staring at the driveway that stretched out ahead of them like a doorway to another world. Ashley jammed her keys into the ignition and the truck roared to life. They pulled out of the driveway slowly, waving a final goodbye to their respective parents until they rounded the corner onto the highway. Logan pulled out Brandon’s map and gave it a cursory glance.

“Where are we going first?” Logan asked. She threw her feet up on the dash and swiped her round black sunglasses over her eyes.

“East, to the highway.”

“Then?”

Ashley smiled. The sun was golden over her freckled cheeks. “Another highway. Probably some mountains. A lot of nothing.”

Logan slipped a hand over Ashley’s thigh, fingertips tracing circles against her skin. “And then?”

“Somewhere, eventually. You ready for it?”

Ashley’s smile was brighter than the sun.

The truck rattled on, shaking clouds of dust loose into the haze. The soft, gold hills of Snakebite cradled the girls in their palms, pouring them out of the lake valley and into the world beyond. Snakebite had been a nightmare for Logan; for Ashley, it’d been home. Logan touched the knuckles of Ashley’s hand. Home didn’t have to be a place anymore. It didn’t need four walls or a rocky shore or stars over the hills. It was a feeling.

It felt like this.

“Home,” Logan said, tasting the word. “Weird concept.”

Ashley smiled. She leaned across the center panel and gave Logan a soft, short kiss on the lips.

The road stretched ahead of them, twisting into nowhere. Logan’s heart skipped a little faster with each mile. Even without the Dark, it would be a long road ahead. Ashley settled into the driver’s seat with sunlight caught in her hair and it was hard to believe she was real. There would be pain and there would be hope, and Logan wasn’t sure which scared her more. But she wasn’t alone anymore.

And wherever the road took them, they’d been through worse.





Acknowledgments


The thing they never tell you in writing class is how many people it takes to make a book. Growing up, I always thought writing a book meant sitting down, cranking out a novel, and then hurling it into the world. It’s so much more than that, though. I have been beyond privileged to work with an entire team of absolute rock stars over the last two years who have all been dedicated to making The Dead and the Dark a real book. I can’t even begin to cover all the help I’ve received, but I can at least try to thank you all.

First of all, a huge thank-you to my incredible editor, Jennie Conway. From our first phone call where you yelled at me for the contents of chapter twenty-five and told me the whole thing was “like Riverdale, but good,” I knew we were going to be a great match. You have been an amazing champion for me and my girls, and I feel so lucky to be working with someone who so deeply understands what I’m trying to say, even when I don’t. Thank you to the entire team at Wednesday Books and St. Martin’s Press. To Mary Moates, Melanie Sanders, Alexis Neuville, Lauren Hougen, Jeremy Haiting, Omar Chapa, and Elizabeth Catalano. Thank you to Kerri Resnick and Peter Strain for my mind-blowingly gorgeous cover. I stare at it every day and imagine I will until the end of time.

My second thank-you goes to Claire Friedman and Jessica Mileo, my tireless agents. Thank you for always answering my panicked midnight questions, for reassuring me through many anxiety spirals, for always encouraging even the most out-there of my ideas, and for sending me Red Dead Redemption memes to keep me grounded. I cannot imagine a duo better suited for me and all my creepy, unnerving stories. Here’s to this first story and to many more to come. Thank you to the rest of the InkWell team, too. The Dead and the Dark wouldn’t be here without you all.

Thank you to my CPs: Lachelle Seville, who has been writing with me for almost a decade now and still doesn’t hate me. To Emily Khilfeh, who saw the very first spark of this idea and helped me kindle it every step of the way. To Cayla Keenan, who is an unrelentingly positive cheerleader and fierce supporter of all things queer. To Alex Clayton, who is the most supportive, kind, and loyal person I know. I wouldn’t be here without you, and I am forever grateful for your friendship and love. Thank you to Sadie Graham, Allison Saft, Ava Reid, and Rachel Morris for being such incredible friends through this journey. We all have to stick together through this tough process. I look forward to backing one another up for years to come.