Power Outage [REWRITTEN]

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

The air was colder than yesterday. Shivering, Prasiddhi shot up from her sleeping bag. She fixated her gaze to the window by the bed. Currently, it was covered by a metal barrier. The witch assumed it was raining today because she detected the sound of tapping on the wall and the fact that there was a miniature water leakage at the other side of the room. That, or someone tampered with the air conditioner.

The rest of her group was asleep at the time, except for herself and one other person. Silently, she slinked through the exit and crept down the hall, carefully watching where she stepped. When she arrived at the level below, she spotted two other people in the living room. There was a man in plaid and a woman in a flamboyant, woolen sweater. The girl swiftly turned and ran up to Prasiddhi, her chesnut hair rippling behind her. Prasiddhi instantly flinched and jumped to the side, causing the other to almost fall.

"I guess you're not a fan of hugs, huh." Elizabeth muttered under her breath. "So, what brings you here? It's really early in the morning."

Prasiddhi pursed her lips. Her ears were slowly growing vermilion. "I haven't been able to sleep well. I decided that I would examine the house instead of heading back to bed. Uhm, what are you two doing at the moment?"

"Welp," Thomas emphasized on the P, "Elizabeth and I were just havin' a lil chat."

"Yes, we were." She confirmed.

"Anyway, I'll be on my way now. I'll be starting my own investigation." Prasiddhi sputtered. "By myself."

Elizabeth offered with a beam. "Really? We can go as a group. We might be able to discover more things that way."

"No thank you. I'd rather work alone." Prasiddhi shook her head.

She slid past them and waltzed into the kitchen, but she had to came to halt once she sensed a hand come in contact with her shoulder. It was rather rough. In extreme interest, Prasiddhi glanced behind her. Elizabeth followed her again, her other hand grasping a photograph in a sleek, black frame. The other grumbled  to themselves, mentally accepting she would not be able to shoo her away. The one who ambushed her waves the picture in her face.

Elizabeth wore a Cheshire grin. "Didja notice this picture in the living room? I never knew Jean-Claude had a grandma! But... isn't it kinda strange that this is the only picture with family members in it? He never talks about his parents or whatever."

"Maybe he isn't comfortable talking about his family. Anyway, go put it back where you found it, and don't begin snooping around his house again. You should only do that if we're investigating." Prasiddhi shot a glare as she lectured her.

"You're such a goody two shoes." Elizabeth let out an agitated groan.

Prasiddhi silently watched Elizabeth exit the room before returning to her task: inspecting the kitchen. However, its state remained the same as yesterday, excluding the slight greasy stench that Amani and Elaina had caused while cooking here. No changes to the pale pink walls or fridge; everything seemed just fine. But out of the corner of her eye, a cluster of apples was laying on the white countertop adjacent to a cutting board and a large knife. Despite the fact that it would be pointless to examine it, Prasiddhi approached it regardless.

A note was in front of all of the objects. It simply had the words. "Elizabeth's Please do not touch"

What's the point of leaving all of these apples out? Is she premeditating to make an apple fritter? Well, she would be missing a lot of ingredients.

"Oh, hey Prasiddhi. You're up early. Unexpectedly..." The last part was uttered in a hushed voice.

"I'm assuming you're here to cook again, Amani?" Prasiddhi lowered her brows. "I appreciate your effort, but I feel guilty for letting you and Elaina do this by yourselves."