Ranger [ON HOLD]

Chapter Nineteen - A Familiar Face

My hand recoiled sharply, a startled yelp escaping my lips as hot oil made contact with my skin. I jerked back a step, holding my hand up to my lips with a frown. The bacon sizzled innocently before me, filling the kitchen with a pleasant smell of cooking meat.

I'd been all but held captive in my room for the last two days, after briefly having the opportunity to explore the grounds with Ranger and Ethan. And it was all at Von's insistence that I barely leave my room as well.

I loved the man, but I wanted to smack him for that.

Ethan would visit and tell me how they were doing with research in the library. He would occasionally bring work with him, a few thick books and scraps of paper he believed could give more insight on my situation. Often times I ended up dozing as I listened to him mumble to himself as he read.

Von had deemed himself my guardian and took the job of bringing me special herbal medicines which eased the overall pain when my pills ran out. He had also been kind enough to drive to the nearest town and buy me clothes, consisting mostly of plain shirts and yoga pants with little logos on the hips.

It was the third day, and I'd grown tired of resting. The pain was in all honesty completely gone and I was recovering remarkably well. The bruises on my back - one having been nearly black - were now a dull yellow with varying patches of darkness.
The incredible healing was something I had a feeling went along with the usual book-logic cop-out I'd come to accept.

Still, I became restless just sitting in bed reading book after book.

And that brought me to where I was, carefully trying to avoid another unexpected pop of oil. I shuffled around the kitchen, glad that Von seemed to keep it stocked with more than just cans of food. I was pleasantly surprised to find fresh vegetables. And I made a tiny mental note to ask Von if he had grown the vegetables myself.

My left hand made the task of skinning and chopping the potatoes difficult, but not impossible. Von had been reluctant to remove the brace for longer than necessary. Even when I told him I had no pain no matter how "hard" he touched my fingers.

I stopped to turn the bacon, and then replace it with more once I felt it to be perfectly crispy. I had seen the three men eat three large servings each easily. And Von ate the most out of all of them, which I didn't find surprising given his size.

No sooner than I had started the potatoes did I hear the sound of feet hitting the stairs. They halted halfway down, hesitating for a few seconds before speeding up to a quick trample down the steps.

I turned just in time to see Ethan come around the corner, dark brown eyes lighting up at the sight of the covered bacon plate. A wide grin came over his face, and he rubbed his hands together eagerly. He looked like a somewhat greedy little kid on Christmas morning, even though with his size he could never be mistaken for one.

He strode over to reach around my shoulder and pluck a bit of bacon from the pan, yelping in slight pain that was quickly ignored, and popping it into his mouth despite the heat. For a moment he stood there, air rushing out of his mouth in quick intervals as he attempted to regulate the temperature of the still cooking meat on his tongue.

"Ow-h!" His voice came out thick, a hand moving to fan his mouth quickly. "Tha'th ho'th!"

I stifled a chuckle with my fist, nodding once or twice as I somewhat awkwardly pat his arm, to reassure him the pain would end. Of course, it did soon after and he offered me a bright grin before going to take another piece from the plate of bacon already cooled down.

"Hot but good. I guess I get first pick?" He commented, bracing a hand on the counter to my right. I nodded.

"I was going to make everyone eggs too, any particular way you like them?" I faced the stove, pushing my spatula through the potatoes before turning the bacon with a fork.