Finding Home (Thompson Twins #2)

Prologue

FINN THOMPSON

“Only a couple more months until we’re out of this town,” Callan says as he raises his beer to his lips. “I can’t wait for change.”

Joel nods in agreement. “Literally. The next few years are going to be the best years of our lives.”

“Summer is going to be over so quickly,” I comment before wrapping my arms around my knees. “So, we’d best make the most of it.”

Callan clinks his bottle against ours. “Agreed.”

“Cheers.” Joel grins. “To the greatest summer ever, but the best is yet to come.”

Callan and Joel have been my closest friends since the first year of secondary school, which means seven years of being friends with these idiots. But I love them to death, and despite all the trouble and arguments we’ve had, we still remain strong.

I’m going to miss them when we all head off to university, but we’re ready for a new chapter of our lives. We’ll never forget Willows Bay. It’ll always be special to us, and we’ll still see each other at Christmas and over the summer holidays.

I glance at Callan as his phone starts vibrating like crazy. His brows crease as he stares at the screen before his eyes widen.

“Shit,” he hisses.

“What?”

“Apparently a car has driven off the bridge leaving Willows Bay and hit the water.”

“Jesus.” Joel winces. “Was it fatal?”

Callan shrugs, not taking his eyes off his phone. “Don’t know, but apparently there are loads of police and ambulances there. The whole place is gridlocked. Doesn’t look good.”

The thought of it being someone we might know from Willows Bay makes my stomach churn. We always have tourists throughout the summer, but it’s a small town where everyone knows everyone.

“That’s awful.” I sigh before taking a sip of my drink. “Hope everyone’s okay.”

“Oh, fuck.” Callan presses his hand over his mouth.

I frown. “What?”

His eyes meet mine, and I tense at the expression on his face. “Someone said they recognise the car, and they think it’s Ben’s,” he exhales shakily.

My vision starts to blur as I register what he’s saying.

Ben’s car.

I stand up so quickly, my feet sink through the sand as Joel and Callan flinch. “Ivy,” I call out. “Ivy said she was going out with him today. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck!”

“Finn.” Callan stands to try and place his hands on my shoulders, but I shove him away.

Everything begins to spin, and my breathing almost stops.

“We don’t know if it’s true.” Joel’s voice echoes through my head, but it sounds like I’m in a bubble. “It might be a similar car, or a similar licence plate. You know people love to gossip. They’re probably fine.”

Bile rises in my throat as I try to take in his words, but I can’t stop thinking about the fact my twin sister could have been in that car with him. And driving off that bridge? It’s a death sentence. The likelihood of surviving is slim to none.

“Who said it’s Ben’s car?” I demand.

Callan sucks in air. “Tom.”

Tom would recognise his car in a heartbeat. I drag my phone from my pocket and immediately call Ivy’s number, but it doesn’t ring; it goes straight to voicemail. “Shit,” I curse before pulling back and staring at the screen. I ring again and again, all of them going unanswered. “Fuck!”

“What?”

“It’s going straight to voicemail.” I start to pace, my stomach churning like the waves crashing onto the shore. “W-what if it’s her?”

Callan attempts to console me again. “Breathe, Finn. Breathe. We don’t know anything yet.”

“I can’t.” I rub a hand over my chest and the agony that burns there. “I have a bad feeling. A really bad feeling.”

“I’m calling Ben,” Joel says as he places his phone to his ear, then he grimaces. “Voicemail too.”

There is no way this is a coincidence.

“I’m going to the hospital,” I say before grabbing my stuff and heading towards my car.

Joel and Cal rush up behind me. “The hospital?”

“To see if she’s there.”

“Don’t you think we shou—”

I whip around to face the pair of them. “When I know my sister is safe, then I’ll rest. But I need to know now. If she’s hurt or—”

My hand cups my mouth, unable to finish the rest of that sentence.

“I need to make sure,” I heave and drop my hand to my side.

“Call us.” Joel pins me with a stare. “Please.”

“I will.”

Once I’m in my car, I speed towards the hospital. It probably seems like a batshit crazy idea after hearing what happened, but I need to know that it’s not her. I park up and crash through the doors before walking towards the reception.

“Hi, has a girl with blonde hair about five foot two been admitted in the last hour?”

The receptionist looks me over before glancing at her screen. “Do you have a name?”

“Ivy Thompson.”

Her fingernails click along her keyboard before she looks up at me and shakes her head. “Not here, unfortunately.”

“Fuck.” I lower my fist onto the counter.

I leave the reception and head back outside to find an ambulance pulling up with blue lights flashing. My brows crease when I watch the paramedics jump out before opening the back doors and tugging the stretcher onto the ground.

They talk amongst themselves as a group of doctors rush out from the hospital. I step back as they check over the patient and wheel them inside, until I get a glimpse of the face, and suddenly, my knees give out.

Everything starts to slow, and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. She’s strapped to the stretcher, eyes closed, covered in blood, unresponsive. My chest nearly detonates, and tears swim in my eyes at the sight of her like this.

This can’t be real.

My legs are moving before I even register it happening. A hand is pressed against my chest as tears ripple down my cheeks. “Step back, please.”

“That’s my sister,” I murmur lifelessly.

I can’t take my eyes off her and the person who is holding her chest down, blood seeping through her clothes.

“What’s happening?” I demand shakily, but none of them pay attention to me. “Please tell me what’s going on.”

One of the doctors turns towards me as the rest continue to wheel her away. “You can’t come in here, sir.”

“B-but that’s my sister,” I rasp. “Is she going to be okay?”

“We’re doing everything we can. Alright? We need the space to take care of her. We’ll give updates when we know more,” he says as he flicks his eyes between mine.

I don’t want to accept it, but I have to. They’re doing their job.

He closes the door, and everything inside me crumbles. I run a hand through my hair and viciously tug at the strands to stop the aching in my chest, but it’s never going to go away. Not until I know she’s going to live.

How am I going to tell my parents?

What if she’s not okay?

What if she dies?

No. No.

She can’t die.

“Move! Move! Move!” I hear from behind me.

I whip my head to find Ben, my sister’s boyfriend, being wheeled in on a stretcher. He looks the same as Ivy, but his entire face is black and blue, covered in blood, and he’s unconscious.

What on Earth happened for them both to end up like this?

My stomach churns, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth, and I pray my sister makes a recovery because I won’t be able to survive it if she doesn’t.