The Redemption of Callie & Kayden

to the garage and Kayden is in the truck with Luke at the end of the driveway.
    I smell a storm coming in, like the aroma of rain that laces the air before a thunderstorm. But the scent I smell is foul, like dirty water that stains the grass after the rainstorm.
    “What are you looking at?” Seth says, tracking my gaze to the window of the kitchen. The lights are on and the inside can be seen clearly. My mother is serving everyone, my dad is talking heatedly, and Caleb and Jackson are laughing at him.
    I shake my head, wrap my hand around his upper arm, and haul him up the driveway. Seth is looking at me like I’ve lost my mind, but I keep walking, step by step until we’re inside the room above the garage. I flip on the light and shut the door, panting as I lean against it.
    “This is so bad,” I whisper and then hurry for my bag. “We have to get out of here now.”
    Seth follows me at a slow pace and veers to the side for his kit that’s in the bathroom. “What’s wrong with you, baby girl?” There’s clanking as he gathers his cologne and razor from near the sink. “You’re acting like a weirdo.”
    I toss my shirts and a few pairs of jeans into my bag and then zip it up. “There’s… there’s…” I can’t get it out and he steps out of the doorway zipping up the mini bag he carries his toiletries in.
    “Callie, whatever it is, just tell me.” He drops the smaller bag into the larger one on the bed. “It’s okay.”
    “There’s someone in the house,” I sputter, dragging my bag to the door.
    “Obviously.” He raises his eyebrows at me and then scrutinizes my bag. “Did you put any shorts or sandals in there? It’s going to be a hell of a lot warmer there then it is here. Plus, you don’t want to walk around in the sand wearing sneakers.”
    “I don’t own anything else,” I say and then swiftly shake my head as I jerk open the door. “Seth, we have to go.
Now
.” Everything’s about to fall apart, just like it did last time.
    Seth rolls his eyes and slings his bag over his shoulder. “Fine, but you’re going to eventually tell me what the panic is all about.” He turns sideways and squeezes through the doorway.
    I flip off the lights, close the door, and trot down the stairs after him, wrestling my overly large bag down the steps behind me. I should have left some of my stuff here, but I’m too afraid that Caleb or my brother or my mom will walk out.
    I dash passed the side door, my legs nearly trotting in the rush, but Seth snags my elbow as he slams to a halt. “Don’t you want to tell you mother where you’re going?”
    I glance at the side door, the light spilling through the window in the center, and I shake my head. “I don’t think I should.”
    His brow creases as he examines my face with concern. “Are you sure? I know she’s been bugging the crap out of both of us, but she seems like she’s going to panic if we just bail and not tell her.”
    My body ripples with a tremble when I see Caleb rise from the table and head across the kitchen. “It’ll be okay.” My voice is insignificant like the snowflakes drifting down from the starless sky, touching the ground, and instantly melting.
    “Callie, I… why are you shaking?” He glances back at the house as the side door flings open. Pale yellow light floods the darkness but then suffocates out like a flame as a tall figure emerges in the doorway.
    It’s Caleb carrying a trash bag in his hand. He’s probably trying to win my mother over and she’s probably letting him, because she always wants to see what she wants to see.
Why is she so blind?
    Caleb’s demeanor doesn’t change as he steps out onto the porch and into the snow, making sure to close the door behind him to smother out whatever he’s going to say from my family’s ears. “What are you doing out here? Standing out in the snow?” His gaze cuts to Seth as he steps down a stair. “You got another one, huh? Decided to dump that crazy football player after he kicked my ass.”
    “Fuck,” Seth breathes, suddenly understanding who it is. His fingers plunge into my arm as he begins to tow me back, one foot after another, the snow crunching beneath our shoes.
    Caleb moves down a stair, reducing the distance between us with a smirk on his face. His eyes are black like coals and his face is masked by the shadow created by the hood over his head. Sometimes I wonder why he doesn’t seem to care or show any remorse for what he did. What is