Because I Could Not Stop For Death | Lockwood & Co.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

— 𝖆 𝖇𝖎𝖗𝖉 𝖈𝖆𝖒𝖊 𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖐

"𝐈'𝐌 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄, 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐋𝐘, 𝐆𝐔𝐘𝐒," Eden groaned softly, though she tried to open her eyes and hissed when she was met with sunlight. "Lockwood, put me down."

Anthony scoffed, glancing quickly down at the girl in his arms. It had been a tricky feat, getting her up the narrow spiral staircase from the basement, but he had managed. George had run ahead and opened up all of the doors that he needed and Anthony was currently carrying a groggy, half-conscious Eden up to her bedroom.

"We found you passed out on the basement floor," George quipped from where he stood at the door to the attic, opening it to let Anthony pass through. "I think that qualifies for being carried to your bed."

"But I'm okay," Eden insisted, though her head rolled toward Anthony's shoulder and she didn't have the strength to pick it up.

"No, darling, you're not," Anthony argued softly. He frowned curiously, as if trying to figure out what could have caused her to pass out. She had said that she couldn't remember what happened, just that she had woken up in the midst of Anthony and George attempting to haul her to her unsteady feet. "Did you eat today?"

Eden let out a breath, her head jostling on his shoulder as he carefully climbed the stairs. "Uh, I . . . I don't remember," she answered honestly. It was something she wasn't proud of, but often, because of how hectic their lives and jobs could be, eating was something she would sometimes forget to do.

Anthony sighed in response as he walked over to her bed. George had come up behind him and was already there, pulling the covers down. Gently, Anthony deposited the half-conscious Eden onto the mattress and reached down to pull her shoes off quickly. Then, he pulled the covers up to her chest. "Get some rest," he told her, his voice quiet.

She didn't reply verbally—she simply nodded into her pillow and closed her eyes.

---

Eden blinked her eyes open, her gaze settling on the ceiling of the attic. Now, this wouldn't normally seem odd, as it was where she slept. However, it was odd to her simply because she didn't remember going up to bed. She pushed herself up and took the covers off of her body, one hand rubbing her eye as she faced the window in the room. Her eyes fell to the nightstand on that side, noting a glass of water and a plate, something sitting on it wrapped in a paper towel.

Eden tilted her head, noting that there were two little notes beside the objects. Beside the glass, a note that Drink Me, and beside the plate, a note that said Eat Me. Reaching for the plate, she unwrapped the paper towel and found a doughnut from Arif's. Chuckling softly, she didn't quite understand why Anthony and George were showing such hospitality, but she took the pastry and stood up, making her way toward the door.