Page 20 of Shrouded in the Dark
I met Seth’s eyes. “I’ll see what I can do about researching any sightings in this area.”
He nodded at me as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks.”
“Go to bed, Seth. You’ve been up for almost two days. Axel will let us know if something happens.” I softened my voice so the order came out more like a request. He just nodded again as he lumbered up the stairs on the other side of the room. I turned to my laptop on the counter as I cracked my knuckles. Time to get to work.
Chapter 5
Becca
The sound of birds woke me. The sun was just coming up as it started to brighten my room. My mind was fuzzy for a second as I tried to remember where I was.
The cabin. Tabernash. Right. I sat up, stifling a yawn.
The shutters had retracted in my room and the light was that morning glow that made me feel warm. I stretched my arms out before pulling them behind my head. I cracked my back and moaned. Oh man, that felt good.
My phone alarm went off. My arms felt heavy with sleep but I managed to grab it and turn it off after a few more seconds. Oh man, that had been a really good sleep. This mattress was the greatest thing. Thoughts of going back to sleep filtered through my head but I remembered that I promised to visit the guys place today.
“Ugh.” I threw off the comforter, swung my legs over the bed, and kept my phone in my hand. “Coffee. Tea. CAFFEINE.”
Stumbling through the hallway to the kitchen would have been hilarious if anyone had seen it. I filled the electric tea kettle, turned it on, grabbed a mug, and dug through the cabinet for the loose leaf black tea I’d bought yesterday. It wasn’t coffee, but it had enough caffeine in it to give me that jolt I needed.
As soon as the kettle went off, I grabbed it, poured the water into the mug over the tea infuser, and grabbed a packet of sugar. You could add milk to black tea, but I just wasn’t feeling it this morning. As I waited for the tea to steep, I looked at my phone.
There was a text from Jasper saying good morning. A few texts in the family group chat from Mom and the twins. Mom wanted me to know she was going to dye Milly’s hair blue if she didn’t start behaving and I snickered. Milly was being a brat, apparently. She hated the color blue so if Mom was threatening that, she’d have done something bad.
I sent a quick text off to Jasper saying morning before I turned back to my tea. The first sip was like setting my mouth on fire but I didn’t care. It was so good. I leaned my hips against the counter as I held the mug in both hands before blowing on the steam. I started to think about my plans for the morning.
I wanted to work more on the painting I’d started last night. Right now, it looked like a bunch of weird shapes with no definition yet, besides the outline of the eyes. The fox just wouldn’t leave me. I was going to get messy, no way around it, I always did. I’d just have to take my shower before going over to Jasper’s place.
I finished the tea and was putting my mug in the sink when Jasper sent a new text.
Hey! Why don’t I come pick you up today? I know we’d planned for you to just call me to get directions, but this way you won’t have to worry about finding the house?
Why not?Sure. What time?
How about noon?
Works for me. See you in a few hours.
It was only a little after eight in the morning, so I had time to work on the painting before I had to get ready. My stomach gurgled just as I was about to leave the kitchen. I grabbed a donut and stuffed it in my mouth before I grabbed my brushes. The light from the wall of windows was invigorating to me.
Soon, time just faded away. The fox was starting to come to life. I ended up using my fingers to brush the grass out that it was laying on. I used the corner of the sheet on some of the trees to blot the colors to blend them a little differently. I hadn’t decided on if I wanted the scene to be morning or late evening. Because the fox was so animated, I was thinking morning to give off that kind of energy.
I was chewing on the blunt end of my brush, contemplating the colors when a knock on the deck door spooked me. The brush fell to the ground as I jerked my head up as my heart started to pound.
Jasper stood at the door with his fist knocking softer now that he had my attention. He grinned at me. My heart slowed as I laughed.
“Hey!” I opened the door, stepping back to let him inside. “Why are you here so early?”
Jasper's eyes crinkled in amusement. “Early? It’s half an hour past noon. When you didn’t answer the front door, I thought this might be the best way to get your attention since you’re ignoring your phone.”
My eyes widened as I really looked outside. The light had changed and the sun was high in the sky.
“Oh, crap! I lost track of time! I’m sorry!” I brushed my hands down the front of my pjs when I remembered they were covered in paint as I looked down. “Oh, crap.”
Jasper’s shoulders shook as he bit his lip to stop from laughing. It was sweet that he was trying not to embarrass me anymore than I already was but I just shook a finger at him.
“Go ahead. Laugh it up,” I laughed. “Sorry. This happens a lot when I get distracted.”
