Chapter 7

Dad wasn’t amused hearing my story about how some people were hunting deer at night in the woods that wasn’t even a hunting ground. Elliott, who joined the dinner, backed up my story.

“The place was perfect for gathering, but we don’t think it’s safe,” he said.

I really thought he would hold on to his ‘hunters-don’t-exist’ view in front of Nathan, but fortunately, he went with what I suggested.

“It’s forbidden to hunt outside the hunting ground,” Dad said. “I should report this to the Sheriff.”

“And tell him what?” Nathan chimed in, with his mouth still full of mashed potato. “That two teenagers—one happened to be your daughter—snuck into the woods at night and witnessed the shooting?”

Here we go again. Nathan gaslighting someone on the dinner table wasn’t really a new thing.

“Yes, that’s exactly what he should say,” I insisted, ignoring how the wording could put Dad into shame for having a teenage daughter going into the dark woods wi