Daybreak

VI

The sun was warm, filtering through my eyelids when I woke. The covers over my legs were that perfect shade of warmth with enough cold to keep you huddled comfortably under the blankets while still being warm enough to tease to consciences.

I think I could stay sleeping here for a little while longer.

After all, if memory serves it was a Saturday, there wasn't anything I absolutely had to do-

A tiny tab at my window and a chirp paired with the fluttering of wings dropped into my ears, halting my train of thought.

Wait a minute.

In the breath of a second, I shot to a sitting position in my own bed, looking around wildly for the stranger that-

That-

I frowned, eyes landing on the familiar sparkly stones lining my windowsill, going down to the desk shoved into the corner of the room, the sun from the window above pooling the half-finished sketches in a dusty-dreamlike glow.

What-

Had I imagined last night? There had been someone trying to mug me, right? And the other guy- Noah, I met him at the gallery, and he-

He was-

My mind jumped off enough for me to get to my feet out of bed, the sight of the outfit I'd worn yesterday greeting me, shaking my mind into the realization that all of that- that- stuff that had happened last night was real.

Noah really was an elf.

And there was this other guy- Thalias that was trying to kill me? Wait, that was too direct, he was a killer, and Noah- or- Sylvian was trying to track him down before he hurt anyone else.

But, of course, none of those thoughts could explain why I woke back up in my own apartment; I'd thought Noah had let me stay at his place, he'd said it was too dangerous for me to be alone for the night-

Why did I wake up back at the apartment?

"Oh! Look who's awake!" I looked up from the floor in surprise, catching sight of Trisha standing by the cracked door, eyes peaking through as I caught the sound of Amelia's slapping footsteps.

Oh crap.

Crap, crap, crap, crap-

"Okay, young lady, you have some explaining to do."

I spluttered at the sight of Amelia coming into the room like a storm. Despite being dressed in her apron- she must've been in the middle of cooking breakfast- she looked just as threatening as a grizzly, spatula hanging in one hand, arms crossed tight across her chest and I could feel myself wilting under her glare.

Trish stood in the back in the doorway, not daring to enter but still looking at the two of us with a burning curiosity.

"I- I-"

"That Noah guy came and dropped you off at three in the morning, Trish and I were worried sick, your hand was bandaged, we thought you got mugged! Were you hurt? Did he hurt you? What the hell happened? You didn't message, you didn't tell us anything, I was just about to call the damn police before he dropped you off dead asleep!"

"Yeah, what the hell?" Trisha echoed from the doorway, fingers clutching the frame, eyes flipping between me and Amelia. "Girl, you can't just ghost us like that, we thought you got kidnapped or something, you gotta at least tell us where you were headed, do you know how scary it is to come back and see you're still not home ?"

"Bree, you know we trust you but, this isn't like you to just disappear, you have to understand we were worried sick-"

"I know, alright?" I raised my voice, getting the two of them to stop short of going into another rant about my irresponsibility last night.

"Look, I know I haven't been myself after Brent but I just-" come on, Bree think, I just needed something to let them know I was fine- "I just wanted a change."

Trish's brows shot to her forehead as Amelia's expression shifted into something unreadable, "You wanted a change?" She echoed, one brow going a tad higher.

I shrugged, already starting to question my own story, "Yes?"

Her lips pursed and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, waiting for the second I'd be discovered for lying-

"Did you have fun at least?"

I looked back up at her in surprise, her expression looking like- well I don't even know, concern? Interest? A mix between the two?

"What?"

"Did you have fun?"

I blinked, realizing she could care less about what we did, or even what happened to get me there to Noah's place. It had been a living hell spending those last few months with my ex that the second I broke the ties between us I was just- drifting, I was living sure, but it was almost like when we split he took all of my personality with him.

That trip to the art gallery last night was one of the first nights the three of us went out and Amelia-

She was just looking out for me, making sure I didn't need her again, but still standing just behind in case I needed someone to talk to, to lean on when I needed to.

If I was the one wanting a change in my life she wasn't going to question why I went out with a stranger. It was dumb and I could see in her eyes that that panic she'd had was real and ready to make a move if I hadn't been the one to make that choice.

Guilt bubbled in my stomach that this 'change' wasn't exactly the one I was sure she was picturing. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the familiar figure standing next to the streetlamp outside, mossy hair caught in a breeze and green eyes searching-

I nodded, smashing my lips together into what I hoped was an encouraging smile back at my two best friends.

I really was fine-

Honest.