Magnolia kept a watch out for them. Trevor started noticing things that left him unsettled. He swore her eyes followed him, even when he was across the street. Another time, he caught a faint hum drifting from her window at midnight—low, and deliberate, like a lullaby that wasn’t tender at all. He slept poorly.
The group’s antics increased with boredom. They snared a stray cat, laughing nervously, threatening to toss it over Magnolia’s fence. One of the smaller boys refused, horrified. Connor sneered at his weakness. But as their jeering grew louder, Magnolia’s porch light flicked on. Instantly, they scattered, leaving the rope and the poor animal behind.