Chapter Ten

"So stupid," she mutters.

But the arm drops and she moved her head closer to the mirror, bending it backwards to expose her neck more. When she is so close that her chin is about to bump into the glass, she notices two minimal dots on the side of her neck, right at the line of the vein. They are something like two inches apart.

"Jesus!" she hisses as she lightly touches the dots with the tip of her finger.

Caroline returns to her room, and finds it dark. The bedside lamp has been turned off. She switches on the ceiling light. The room gets as bright as day. Reuben is gone.

She walks up to the closet, pauses and then opens it with a sudden pull of the door. She finds nothing but her clothes. Then she glances at the ceiling.

Again, Caroline exits her room, this time to find her way to the attic. On the stairs, she takes very slow steps, toes first, but she still makes some creaking sounds. At each one she pauses and listens, before taking the next step.

The attic is pitch black before she finds the light switch. She searches around among the things stored there, finding nothing but familiar stuff, and no sign of anybody having stayed there.

Then she goes all the way down to the basement, not bothering anymore to be so quiet. Reuben is not there. Finally she inspects Thomas' room, also the closet in it. No Reuben. She frowns.

"What a jerk!"