CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

We camp out in Todd's room for the night, since none of us feel like walking through the dark hallway to our own rooms. I'm the only one still in my jeans. Todd offers me a pair of his shorts.

"Why?" I ask incredulously. "They won't fit."

Todd gives me an insulted look. "They probably will. You're small, and I'm big for my age, so you'll fit into them without a problem."

I roll my eyes, but sadly, he's not exaggerating. I accept the pair of Spiderman pajama shorts from him. "Turn around!" I command, and once I'm sure his back is turned I quickly shimmy out of my jeans and into the shorts. I leave my T-shirt on. There's no way I am sleeping in just my bra with my perverted little brother around.

Carrie and I take the bed, and Todd sleeps on the floor. I don't like the idea, but when Todd gets an idea into his head, there's no stopping him. He ends up taking a thick wad of blankets, mostly to cover up with, but a few to use as a pillow.

My two siblings drop off to sleep almost immediately, but I lie awake for a while, staring at the ceiling, the old-ladyish wallpaper, Carrie's peaceful face on the pillow beside me. My heart has finally stopped pounding, but I still can't get the question out of my mind: where was Barnabas? Why had he come in so late? Dark questions swirl around my head.

After almost an hour of lying there, trying in vain to get to sleep, I slowly sit up and push the blankets away. I hold my breath when Carrie murmurs something incoherent in her sleep, but then let it out again when she rolls over and begins snoring quietly. The floor is cold, but I ignore the discomfort and walk barefoot over to the door. I would snitch a pair of Todd's socks, but I'm afraid any noise might wake them up, and my plan would be ruined.

Plan? my mind mocks me as I twist the doorknob and slip outside into the chilly hallway. What plan? What plan, indeed. I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I do know one thing: I want answers.

I frown for a moment, trying to remember which way I saw Barnabas go. Then I gather my courage, tug up the Spiderman shorts, and begin walking east.