𝑪𝑹𝑶𝑺𝑺 𝑭𝑰𝑹𝑬 ↯ 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘭𝘧

「 12 」

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

When TJ slipped down the stairs the next morning groggy and inexplicably irritable, she afforded herself only a half sigh as she shuffled into the kitchen, where Louisa was in her usual seat by the window. Her sandy hair was twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck and a pair of reading glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, and she was reading the newspaper but put it down to offer TJ a soft smile. The morning sun streaming in through the kitchen window bathed her in a golden light, making her look youthful and soft.

"I'm surprised you're up so early, after everything that happened last night." Louisa commented, peering over her glasses and smoothing a hand over the paper so it laid perfectly flat on the table. "Are you feeling okay?"

TJ offered a shrug to convey that she was neither good nor bad. "I'm just tired."

"You have a free pass to stay home today, you know."

TJ shook her head as she began preparing herself some toast. Her stomach was churning, and she hoped that some food might settle it; hopefully it was just because she was suddenly feeling so awful about her stand-off against her uncle. "No, I want to go. I need to check on—"

"Your friends?" Her aunt finished for her, and TJ could hear the smile in her voice. "Maybe a special someone?"

TJ let out a heavy breath as she popped two slices of bread into the toaster, tipping her head back slightly and letting her eyes close for a moment. "I was going to say my art assignment, but sure. I also need to see if anyone found my phone considering I lost it when I was fighting for my life."

Louisa tutted but didn't say anything, and resumed her flicking through the pages of the latest news of Beacon Hills.

She said eventually, as the toaster popped, "You're a horrible liar, but I'll let you keep your secrets. For now."

TJ almost rolled her eyes at the irony but continued making breakfast. She smeared a generous amount of peanut butter across her two slices, and Louisa eyed it when she plopped the plate on the table. TJ lifted a brow and waited for her aunt to comment, sagging into the chair, and the older Gray woman made a show of picking up the paper and hiding behind it.

"You could at least cut up an apple and put it on top." Louisa mumbled.

TJ huffed, probably a tad too dramatically but she didn't care. "I almost died last night, I think I deserve a bit more peanut—what is that?"

The front cover of the newspaper had snagged TJ's attention, and she reached over to tug it from her aunt's grasp to get a better look. She ignored the look on Louisa's face as she pushed her plate aside and laid the newspaper in front of her, the big block letters on the first page making her stomach churn even more.

TWO MORE BODIES FOUND: WHEN WILL IT STOP?

"Do you know anything about this?" TJ asked without looking at her aunt, eyes skimming through the article to find names. There were none. Her features were twisted into a frown as she reread the article over and over again, but it revealed nothing about how they died or who they were. The only notable point was that they were discovered by a hiker pretty deep into the reserve.