Chapter 10 - The Unlocked Door
The following spring, the dogwood trees outside our living room window burst into a brilliant explosion of white and pink blossoms, signaling the true arrival of a new season.
The house was filled with the familiar, chaotic soundtrack of our life: Josie singing along to a cartoon theme song in the den, David grading history papers at the kitchen table while drinking his morning coffee, and the faint sound of rap music drifting down the hallway from Jace’s bedroom.
I was walking down the hall toward the guest wing when I noticed Jace’s door was wide open.
I paused, glancing inside out of sheer habit.
The room was unrecognizable from the sterile, temporary space it had been a year ago. The walls were covered in concert posters, debate team ribbons, and photographs of friends from high school. The oak desk was cluttered with textbooks, sketchpads, and a half-built model airplane.
And in the center of the closet?
The olive-green duffel bag was gone.
I walked into the room, my brow furrowing slightly, wondering if he had finally thrown it away. As I turned toward the walk-in closet, I spotted it.
The battered canvas bag hadn't been thrown out. It was sitting neatly on the very top shelf of the closet, tucked away behind a row of winter blankets, its zipper completely open, empty, and forgotten.
Footsteps echoed softly on the hardwood floor behind me.
I turned around. Jace was standing in the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the frame, holding two mugs of coffee. He had grown an inch taller over the winter, his shoulders broader, his expression settled into the easy confidence of a seventeen-year-old who no longer had to fight the world alone.
He followed my gaze up to the top shelf where the old duffel bag rested.
A quiet, knowing smile touched the corners of his mouth.
"Found it?" Jace asked, holding out one of the mugs toward me.
"I did," I said softly, taking the warm mug from his hands. "Are you ever going to need that bag again, Jace?"
Jace looked up at the olive-green canvas, considering the question for a moment, before looking back at me with clear, steady eyes that held no fear, no secrets, and no walls.
"Never," Jace said, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. "I’m all unpacked."
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Down the hall, Josie shouted something about Godzilla attacking the kitchen table, and David laughed out loud, his rich, warm voice carrying through the house like an anchor.
Jace didn't flinch. He didn't tense up. He just smiled, turned on his heel, and walked down the hallway toward the noise, leaving his door wide open behind him.
