The Dawn will Break

Chapter Three

Lugging a mini suitcase behind her, blowing a stray curl from her eye, Shelby appeared in the doorway of Skye's hospital room.

"Mom said they cleared you for visitors, so I figured I'd better hurry if I wanted to beat Will here. Check it out — I brought a surprise!"

Opening a zipper on the front of her rolling bag, Shelby pulled out a makeup case, hair brush and straightener.

"Ta-dah! I'm gonna give you a glow-up before he shows up!" Wiggling her eyebrows, she purred and shook her hips comically.

Spontaneous laughter gurgled up from the pit of Skye's stomach. "Oh my god, Shel. You're a nut, you know that?"

Warmth flooded Skye's chest, almost startling her. She hadn't felt unexpected happiness in what seemed like forever. Not since before ...

Stop.

Don't go there, Skye. Stay in this moment.

Just stay here.

Closing a mental door against fear's shadows, she blinked and cleared her throat.

"Get over here, you silly girl." She hoped the slight tremor in her voice wasn't noticeable, that her smile was distraction enough.

Scraping a chair across the floor, leaving her bag in the corner, Shelby plopped herself down beside the hospital bed.

"So, did you miss me?" Though her voice was bright, Shelby's gaze caught the raw skin at Skye's wrists and her bottom lip wobbled.

"Oh," was all she said before the wobble turned into a sob. She hid her face in her small hands. "I'm sorry, Skye. I promised myself I wouldn't cry in front of you. Shit."

"Hey. Hey, Shel. It's okay. I'm okay."

Reaching out to touch Shelby's hair, Skye's hand passed through the translucent halo that hugged the contours of her cousin's curls. It had beamed, lemon-yellow, when she'd arrived. Now its cheery wisps of light seemed muted in comparison.

The doctors said Skye's vision was technically fine, post-concussion. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary during their exams, and a further string of tests came back normal. But the damned colors didn't seem to want to go. She was tired of them already.

"You can hug me, Shel. I'm not made of glass."

She winced a little as her cousin pulled her into an enthusiastic embrace. What she lacked in height, Shelby made up in exuberance and Skye's bruised ribs were still tender from her fall.

"Well, maybe don't hug me quite so tight."

Shel giggled and pulled away. "Oops! Sorry, Skye." Wiping tears with the back of her hand, she tossed her curls. "Okay, let's get rid of those dark circles now, shall we?"

Inside the mini suitcase was a bite-sized salon. Aside from hair and makeup, Shel had packed a portable speaker, mirror and selection of treats. Soon, Skye's meal tray was littered with Starburst wrappers, a container of Skittles and a bag of chips.

"This is so good. I really needed this," Skye sighed contentedly, munching on candy as Shel dabbed concealer under her eyes. "I mean, I didn't know I needed this specifically," she gestured to the mound of Shel's stuff on her bed and smiled. "But I love it. Thanks."

"Just wait 'til you get out of here. We'll order pizza and binge watch chick flicks until we bawl — in a good way, of course." Shel's brow wrinkled as she dove into the depths of her makeup bag to search for a missing lip gloss.

"My parents think you'll be released tomorrow. They said your mom will be here a bit longer, so you'll come back to the cottage with us." She paused for a moment, like she was waiting for a reaction.

Skye released a slow breath. "So, how long ... do you think we'll be there for? It's pretty great of Mr. and Mrs. B to be so accommodating." Her fingers found the stack of rings on her I'm sorry, Shel. About the house. I ..."

"Stop. We talked about this already. I know it was just text, but I meant what I said. No one blames you and your mom for what happened. Are you kidding me? We're just thankful you're okay." Shel's expressive blue eyes caught Skye's and held on.

"Our house is fine. The cops left yesterday, a cleaning crew was in today and painters start work tomorrow." Shel shrugged. "We've got insurance and Mom's picking out stuff to replace what was messed up. Let's face it, she loves this shit — maybe not the reason for it, but she's thrown herself into the makeover, anyway."

Skye looked down at her fingers, nervously rolling and unrolling a candy wrapper on her lap. Sniffing, she cleared her throat, salty tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

"Hey. I just got your mascara exactly how I want it, so don't make me apply it again. No tears." Shelby touched Skye's cheek gently and smiled. "It'll be okay. I promise."

Handing Skye the mirror, she started collecting the remnants of their junk food feast, re-packing her bottomless bag of tricks like a blonde, curly-haired Mary Poppins in training.

Turning over the glass, Skye looked into the mirror's depths. Shel's expert touch had erased the dark shadows under her eyes, coaxed the purple bruise on her forehead into submission and tamed the snarls in her hair. Except for the wisps of fern-green light emanating from her dark hair, Skye almost recognized herself again.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"I aim to please." Shel winked. Taking the mirror from Skye's hands, she placed it back into her bag and pulled the zipper closed. Her phone buzzed and she scanned the screen. "That's Josh; he's on his way. He asked me to say hi; he's been worried about you, too."

"Say hi back for me. Has he seen Will since ... well, you know?" Skye's mind conjured a vision of Will — dark hair that had a habit of falling into his eyes, strong jaw, crooked smile — and her stomach did a tiny somersault.

"Not yet. They're supposed to hang out tonight. It's only been a couple days, and Will's parents have wanted him to stay close. Plus, his uncle's visiting from out west and they don't see him much."

"Huh. Strange time for a visit, isn't it?" Skye didn't remember Will mentioning family outside of his parents.

"I guess he showed up out of the blue. Mrs. B was stoked, despite everything else going on. Mom told me they were close growing up, but he took off when Will's grandma passed away. Apparently him being here is kind of a big deal family-wise." Shelby shrugged. "Anyway, I'd better run so Josh doesn't have to wait. See you tomorrow — love you!"

Jumping up from her chair, she dragged her suitcase towards the door. "Hey Skye, catch this!" Grinning, she launched a kiss into the air.

Raising her hand, Skye pretended to grab it, holding the air-kiss close to her chest. "Love you too, Shel. See you tomorrow."

***

Phew. Writing takes longer now that Christmas vacation's over. What did you think about Chapter Three? Wanted to start reconnecting Skye with the outside world and foreshadow a few things to come. Any thoughts, feedback or hopes as to what comes next? Thanks for reading!!!!