A heavy thump jars me awake. My muscles clench, the ache in my joints refusing to let go. When I stretch my limbs, they spasm and twitch before snapping back to my body.

A chill shivers through me.

Wind whines around the living room windows, and a soft orange glow radiates from the stove, the logs burned down to ashes.

As my gaze slides across the room, the walls ripple like a mirage, creating a hazy wave in the fading light from outside. When I blink and rub my eyes, everything pops back into place.

The last thing I remember before settling into the rocker was coaxing more tea into Papa. His fever hasn't lifted. If anything, it's grown worse. His skin like an inferno, logic muddled like a creeping fog in his brain. As I tucked the covers around him, he called me by Mama's name.

Another thump. Closer now.

Dust spirals down from the ceiling, the particles lingering on the chilled air. My arms fold around me. Another wood panel must have come loose outside. Or maybe a shingle from the roof, peeling away from the house like strips of bark from a tree. Despite the temperature, a bead of sweat trails down the side of my face. My hair clings to forehead. I pull out my braids and let the soft waves fall around my shoulders.

It's late. How long have I been asleep?

Thomas said he'd bring Honor home, but they should be back by now. Shouldn't they? I hate to think about what could happen if they're caught roaming around after curfew. They're just boys; no danger to anyone but themselves. But the people in this town have lost their minds. If they don't return soon, I'll have to look for them myself. I won't know if they need help if I stay hidden inside this house all night. But if I'm caught, who knows what will happen to me—or to Papa.

Pushing the thought from my head, I pace the floor, sorting out a plan.

The last few embers crackle in the stove. I light the lantern and add two more logs to the ashes, praying they catch. We're running low on both timber and kerosene. Winter's been so cold and our supplies aren't lasting as long as they should. Tomorrow, I'll have to chop more wood and make a trip to the store.

My teeth pull at the inside of my cheek until the bitter taste of iron blossoms across my tongue. I glance out the window. An inky blackness devours the sky.

It's time.

Grabbing the lantern, I tiptoe to Papa's bedroom and crack the door open a fraction more. It groans against the hinges. Light illuminates the bed and the wheeze of breath rising and falling beneath the covers. He's sleeping soundly. If I leave now, I can make it back before he wakes.

Before I change my mind, I slip into my coat.

Taking one last look out the front window, my forehead presses against the frosted glass. Above the trees, the moon hides behind a wall of clouds and I'm barely able to see past the fence. Snow falls heavier now, crashing to the ground in sheets of white. If the boys were coming up the road, I'd never know it.

But they wouldn't return in plain sight, would they? Thomas is smarter than that. He'd know to avoid being seen. My hand sinks into my pocket and brushes against something solid.

The compass. I forgot I left it in my coat.

I cradle it in my palm and slide my thumb over the smooth brass. It's heavy in my hand. Growing flames cast just enough light for me to make out the inscription. For we walk by faith, not by sight.

The verse swirls like a vortex through my mind. Walking by faith means we don't need to see Him to believe.

And I do believe. Bad things happen, but I know in my heart God has a plan for me. My life is not meant to end tonight.

Before I overthink, I slide the compass back into my pocket and go to the back door, my fingers twisting the nail as the metal digs into my skin. I have to be quick. Once I'm outside, I won't be able to secure the lock, and I don't want to leave Papa alone longer than necessary.

I'll take the forest into town. Fallen trunks and bulging roots may slow me down, but the pines will hide me behind their armor of needles. Squinting against the storm, wind pushes against me as if it's trying to hold me back. Still, I continue across the pasture and head toward the trees, snowflakes pelting my face and clinging to my hair. Once I take cover, I take one last look at the house. My breath fans out in a foggy mist. Flames from the stove illuminate the back windows, like a beacon to guide me home.

When I turn away, blackness swallows me. As my eyes adjust, a sliver of fear needles into my skin. Haunting patterns materialize in the dark; towering pines and hollow logs. Skeletal bushes that lost their foliage in the fall. Someone could be in here with me and I'd never even know it.

Pushing down my imagination, I creep through the trees, leaving the safety of my house behind.

And then. The back of my neck tingles with the sense of being watched. A twig snaps, and then another. A shadow moving through the dark.

Someone is here.

My stomach knots as I press into an evergreen, the needles poking into my face. I hold my breath and listen, my heart thundering in my ears. Through the branches, I'm just barely able to see the glow from my house. There are two choices: I can stay put or make a run for it. Either way, I risk the chance of getting caught.

Another snap.

The shadow's closer now, and I'm able to decipher the outline of a man. I bite my lip to keep from screaming, but can't look away. There's a familiarity to its movements.

Thomas!

When he's within my reach, my fingers grip his sleeve from the darkness. He reels back, his hands clenched and ready to strike. "Faith!" A ragged breath punches between his lips. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay inside."

"I was worried. You were taking so long." My gaze scans the forest. "Where's Honor?"

Even in the dark, his shoulders slump. "I haven't found him yet."

My heart drops to my toes. "I don't understand. He couldn't have just vanished!"

Thomas says nothing.

A sob builds in my chest. "How is this possible?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know. I looked everywhere, I swear I did. I don't know where else he could be." Thomas sniffles and runs his sleeve over his nose. "But I'm not giving up. I'll keep looking until—"

"I know where he is." The answer kicks me in the gut.

The only place left to look is Mr. Baptiste's.

Holding up my skirts, I swivel around and backtrack toward the mansion. I have no idea what I'll do when I get there, but I'm not leaving that house until I've searched every nook and cranny—with or without that monster's permission.

Thomas grips my arm and spins me around. "You can't just go there and expect him to let you in. There's no way you'll make it past the front door!"

"He has my brother. I know he does. And I need to get him back!"

His fingers tighten around me. "You're not going. I forbid it."

"You forbid it?"

"You won't listen to me otherwise!"

Heat sizzles through my veins. I jab my finger into Thomas' chest, driving him back. He stumbles, almost falls, but I don't care. "Don't you dare tell me what I can and cannot do, Thomas Morningstar. You're not my father!"

His eyes drill into mine, a stormy rage building behind them. "And how is your father?"

I pause, my chin quivering. "He's better. He's resting."

"Really?" Thomas glances in the direction of my house. "If I were to go there now, is that what I'd find? Him resting and nothing more?"

Beads of sweat break out along my forehead. What would Thomas do if he discovered the truth? Would he kill Papa himself?

No. Thomas respects my father. He would never hurt him.

"Faith..." He steps closer, his voice growing soft. "There's no way he recovered in such a short period of time. Don't you see? He needs you. Stay with him and let me find Honor."

My stomach lurches. My knees weak. I clutch his arms to keep from falling and he scoops me into an embrace. "Please, Thomas. Bring Honor home safe. I can't lose them both."

His arms tighten around me.

My body hums with his close proximity. Pulling the compass from my pocket, I press it into his palm. He leans back to examine it. "What is this?"

An ache swells in my chest. "It's a compass. My mother gave it to my father on their wedding day."

Thomas shakes his head and tries to give it back. "I can't. This was a gift. It belongs to you."

I close his fingers around it and squeeze his hand. "You don't understand. I'm not giving it to you. I want you to promise me—I need you to promise me— that you'll bring it back." The words catch in my throat. "Give me your word."

He hesitates, but only for a moment. His voice thickens with emotion. "I promise."

The weight of his gaze steals my breath. With a gentle touch, his thumb caresses my cheek in a sweeping half-circle. Fear of what he's about to do, of everything he's risking, fades from his eyes and is replaced by something I don't understand.

My entire body buzzes with awareness. Even in the cold, a prickly warmth shoots through my insides and along my limbs. My heart thrashing so hard I'm certain he can hear it.

Thomas moves closer. When his breath skims my lips, a surging need washes over me, leaving me breathless and crazy and starving for his touch. I tip my head back and his mouth finds mine, soft at first, then with an intensity that makes me dizzy. My fists knot in his coat and I pull him closer, sink into him, imagining our bodies as one.

The kiss is intoxicating—or what I imagine being drunk must feel like. Invincible, lightheaded, euphoric. Like there's no problem in the world that's too big to face. It's summer sunshine and spring rain. Autumn leaves and crashing waves. Infinite constellations. It's all things beautiful rolled into one, and I never want it to end.

But then it does. When he pulls away, he takes the air from my lungs with him. His forehead rests against mine, his voice like gravel. "Go home and wait for me."

"Thomas—" I'm trying to recover but it's too difficult to breathe.

"Do you trust me?"

The words are simple, yet they break down every wall I've put up. My chest rises in heavy breath. "More than anyone."

And it's true.

The boy with a laugh that can be heard all the way down the street. Eyes twinkling with mischief and charm. The way they hold onto me, like we're the only two people left in the world. Since we were kids, Thomas has always watched out for me. Now, he's willing to risk his own life to bring my brother home.

Somewhere along the line, Thomas has become so much more than my friend. It takes the possibility of losing him to understand what I should have known all along.