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Clara’s eyes lit with understanding, but Lydia still seemed anxious

"Trick once said to e," said Frankie "He’s right Ourbond isn’t complete yet What if it won’t fully snap into place until I do as Trick said and accept my past?" She lifted her chin "I really do need to do this"

Lydia raked a hand through her hair "I’ll go with you Please don’t argue I can’t stand the thought of you doing it alone"

"It’ll be hard for you," Frankie warned her After all, the fe that night They didn’t even let me near the cabin The only hed "All right Clara, will you be okay here?"

"Of course," replied Clara with a wave of her hand "Take whatever tiood thing for you I’ll let Roni and Marcus knohere you’ll be"

"They’ll probably follow us over there," said Lydia "But they won’t go inside--they’ll give you the privacy you’re due"

With Lydia at her side, Frankie walked out of the cabin and over to her childhood home The place lookedsad Boards covered the s, panes of wood had been hammered into place across the door, and insults had been spray painted on the walls

Hell, even its surroundings were bleak There were overgroeeds everywhere On the cabin’s right side was a dead tree that was soo dried up

A lone croas perched on the rotted porch rail; it watched thes and leaves littering the porch crunched under their feet as they crossed to the front door Frankie and Lydia grunted and cursed as they worked to pull off the planks that obstructed the door They probably would have had a harder tione soft with rain and rot

Once the boards were gone, Frankie let out a long breath The door had no knob, so she shoved it open with her elbow The rimaced The chilly air was stale and clouded with dust and sarette sarette butts were scattered around the floor

Lydia sighed in disgust "Looks like kids have hung out here over the years I’ they didn’t also use it as atwo people died here"

Their footsteps echoed as they walked over creaky boards, overriding the sound of the histling through broken s The cabin was e on the walls The only iteht fixtures covered in cobwebs Aside froraffiti on the walls, there was no hint of color She could almost think that no one had ever lived there It was a husk of a house, really

"I expected to see some abandoned furniture"

"The cabin was stripped of all its belongings," said Lydia "I think my ht and everything would be destroyed Eh back then"

Silence fell between them as Frankie explored the downstairs space "I didn’t expect to have any flashbacks or sensory h my childhood home and find no comfort in it at all Every inch of it feels unfamiliar to me"

They entered another bare room, and Lydia said, "This was, um, the kitchen This here it happened" She cleared her throat "At first people panicked and thought that soether "Why?"

"The people who first arrived at the scene called out your name, but you didn’t answer They followed your scent down to the base"

"Really?" Frankie walked around, looking for another door, andThere It was hanging on its hinges, so she carefully pushed it open, gri as it left the chalky feel of dust on her hands At first the space looked like a large cupboard But then she saw that there was another door Frankie opened it, satisfied to find that it led to the basement