How She Came Home

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Note: This part until the end is my favorite part of the story. Let's start.
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The next day she woke to a sunrise she didn't deserve.

Staying perfectly still she looked up at the ceiling, painted violet by the light spilling in from the quiet street beyond the window.

She searched herself for signs of pain, for the inevitable headache of too much alcohol, the stinging in her feet that the drugs and numbing needle had banished yesterday.

All seemed calm and somewhat subdued, a cotton wool effect overtaking her sluggish form as she blinked slowly, still half asleep and lingering in the mournful happiness of a dream.

Taking a deeper breath, Becca prepared her body to sit up, the ceiling slowly transforming to a soft blush of pink. It looked like it was going to be a good day, the clear kind with a fresh wind off the bay and the foothills visible through the faint haze of smog shrouding the city.

It was the kind of day she would have spent with Freen, hiking through the heat and coming home to dinner out the back and saccharine cocktails, the coconut smell of sunscreen clinging to their skin as cicadas hummed around them.

Instead, she climbed out of bed and showered, dressing in thin loungewear, the oatmeal colour washing her pale skin out made her way downstairs.

Making a cup of coffee, she stood at the open back door and watched Athena sniff around, the day already balmy as it strayed towards spring.

It seemed peaceful, yet heavy, and she listened to the sound of cars pass by and a muffled vacuum cleaner as she sipped her coffee, Nam making herself breakfast in the kitchen as she quietly moved around.

The sound of footsteps thundering downstairs disturbed the peace a moment later and Becca frowned as she turned around in the doorway, meeting Nam's eyes as she raised her eyebrows skeptically, knife raised from where she was smearing avocado over a piece of toast.

Mind was breathing heavily as she ran into the room, pale and wide-eyed, looking wild and caged as she walked towards them, mouth opening and closing speechlessly.

"I- they found her."

Becca flinched and turned around, shoulders taut as she pressed her lips together. She felt slightly nauseous as the thought of what remains they'd found - how much of her had been left for them to find? How small were the pieces? The empty coffin seemed easier than burying scraps.

"I... don't want to know," Becca softly replied, shaking her head as she raised her cup to her lips with a shaking hand and took a sip. "Don't tell me how much--"

Mind let out a choked laugh of elation, the sound breathless and light as she bore down on Becca and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around and cupping her face in her hands. Shaking her as she laughed, brown eyes filled with tears, Mind smiled widely.

"She's alive, Becca. They found her alive."

Pulling herself free and stumbling backwards, out onto the deck, Becca blanched as her stomach twisted and her eyes filled with tears. She was overcome with anger as she turned around, trembling all over as she squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth.

"No, stop it. It's not fair. She's gone, Mind."

"She's not. They just called my mom; she tried calling you but you didn't answer. They're saying it's her; we have to go and confirm it."

The coffee cup fell from her limp fingers and smashed on the decking, espresso splattering her pants as she turned to Mind, face slack with disbelief as a reluctant kernel of hope sparked in her chest.