"Oh. Hi," Amelia said, mentally berating herself for shouting profanities and for not trying to fix her appearance before opening the door. "It's you. I’m so sorry. It’s been a difficult day and I haven’t been feeling well. But would you like to come in?" Her natural sense of hospitality was activated before she remembered that she didn't even have a couch to sit on.

  Rain smiled, and Amelia admired the honeyed flakes swirling in his dark brown irises.

  "Sure. I won’t stay long if you’re not feeling well." He took in the empty living room as he crossed the threshold, and Amelia felt mortified at the condition of the place. She didn't even have a single folding chair to sit on.

  "I lost all my stuff," Amelia explained in a rush. "I had a bad car crash on the way here. Everything was stacked on this shitty trailer, and it fishtailed and it all went flying. Things were crushed and beaten and ran over on the highway. I couldn’t save anything at all."

  "I'm so sorry," Rain said. "That's horrible. Do you even have a bed to sleep on?"

  "I have a makeshift stack of blankets. It works for now. It kind of feels like camping."

  "That’s...one way to look at it." Rain quirked an eyebrow.

  "Honestly, the guy who towed my car away said I was lucky to be alive. So, I'm just trying to focus on that. I try to tell myself I’m actually really lucky, even if it doesn’t feel like it." She stuffed her hands deep into her pockets.

  An awkward silence stretched between them as Rain rocked on his heels.

  "I just got a job at the Bluebell actually," Amelia offered. She brightened at the mention of her one achievement since she'd arrived here.” I'll be saving up everything that doesn't go to the mortgage so I can start filling this place up." She laughed, eager to make the worried look on his face disappear. "Don't let this empty room fool you. Give me a year to get back on my feet and you might be calling up that show about the people who hoard stuff."

  "Okay," he said, smiling. "If you need anything for now, though, I have a guest bed that honestly never gets used. I'd be happy to lend it to you until you get something of your own."

  Amelia was stunned into silence by his kindness for a few moments. As the quiet moment stretched, Rain shook his head as if he'd made a big mistake.

  "I meant of course that I would bring the bed to your place. I wasn't suggesting you sleep over or anything." His face flushed red. "That would be so creepy. The opposite of neighborly. I’m a neighbor, not a creep."

  Amelia laughed, and all the tension was relieved. "I didn't think that at all. It's just so generous of you. And I barely know you. I don't think I can accept that offer. But thank you."

  "Well, let me know if you change your mind," Rain said, a smile freezing on his face as he looked into her eyes. In that moment of prolonged eye contact, Amelia kind of wished he?had?been inviting her to sleep over.

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  Shaking away her thoughts about her handsome neighbor's bed, Amelia hugged her arms over her chest and sighed. "So, um, was there something you needed?"

  "Huh?" Rain had a lost sort of expression as he gazed into her eyes.

  "You knocked on my door."

  "Oh yeah," Rain laughed. He seemed to be getting more nervous by the minute. "I saw you rummaging around behind the shed." He put out his hands in protest when she showed surprise on her face. "Not like I was watching on purpose or anything! Your yard is just in view of the window where I do my dishes. I was washing out my protein shaker bottle when I saw you out there."

  "Okay," Amelia said, not entirely convinced.

  "Well, also this house has been empty for a while. So, I was a little curious about the new owner. But I was washing the bottle. I promise!”

  Amelia smirked, letting her guard down a little.

  “So, I saw you out there rummaging around and I just wondered if you needed any help with your yard stuff. I couldn’t help but notice that you seemed confused something out there. And you took quite a bit of a tumble. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

  The tension returned to Amelia's shoulders as she remembered the feeling pulsing through the stone as she had held it in the gap on the lion statue.

  "Yeah," she said slowly. "I’m okay. There was a bunch of stuff left behind the old shed in back. I'm not sure what to do with it all. But I was more curious than anything. I didn’t get a lot of time to look through things before moving in. I was just getting the lay of the land, you know?"

  "Do you need help hauling it off or something?" Rain offered.

  "No," Amelia was quick to reply. It was starting to get annoying how much Rain wanted to help her. It wasn't like she was some useless damsel. It reminded her of her mother. Did he think she couldn’t manage things on her own?

  She frowned at her shoes, clamming up.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. I guess I should get going...”

  Despite her annoyance, something about what Rain had said about the house being empty for a long time had piqued her interest.

  "Wait. I was wondering if you knew anything about the history of this house? Or about the stone lions?"

  A ripple of fear seemed to roll through Rain's features, but it was so quick that Amelia might have imagined it.

  "Those lions were built a long time ago. Long before I ever moved here. Why?"

  "Come on," Amelia said, gesturing toward the outside. "I'll show you." She led him out to the driveway where she had dropped the piece of stone with the worn writing. There was reticence in her body, as if she were physically repulsed by the object, but she made herself pick it up. Rain took a step back, and Amelia wondered if he felt the same revulsion toward it.

  "I found this piece in the junk pile out back, and it fits into the lion here. I want to know what it says," she explained. She traced her fingers across the faded lines.

  Rain squinted at the words. He gave them a few moments of his attention before shrugging. "I can't make it out. Sorry."

  "That's okay." Amelia sighed placed the stone back down on the concrete and crossed her arms. "Thanks for offering your help. But I can handle things myself."

  "You're welcome. I'm glad you're okay. And...I’m glad you’re here. It will be nice to have a new neighbor."

  Amelia uncrossed her arms. "Thanks."

  Rain looked as if he might say something more, but instead, he gave her a bashful grin and backed away. He waved as he retreated to his place next door.

  Amelia waved back at Rain. After he returned to the inside of his house, she lowered her hand to the corner of her mouth where a sly smile lingered. But as she turned to face the night alone in her own place, her mood turned immediately sour.

  She couldn't decide what sounded worse: sleep loss from staying up all night, or the horrific dreams she might have if she did sleep. Whatever waited inside did not sleep, it merely weaved in and out of her life, offering faint glimpses of itself through the shadows.