If Only

Chapter 28 - The Only Reason

The smoke in the air

Couldn't hide my shame

-Gregory Alan Isokav; That Moon Song

*~~~~&~~~~*

Sammy POV

I sighed in frustration once more, closing out of the window pulled up on my laptop before me. I had spent hours completing missing assignments and catching up with all of my teachers, which had been stressful and overwhelming. I had gotten most of it completed, and my professors had all been very understanding about the matter, offering me plenty of time to get the late assignments turned in. So overall, it hadn't truly been too horrible.

This was worse, I thought, scrolling further and further down the lists of housing options.

It had been hours since we had gotten back from my old apartment, and allowing myself time to rest didn't seem to be a good idea. Because when I had laid in my bed and closed my eyes, all that flashed beneath my lids were Josh's mangled body or Tyson, his bodyweight pressed against mine as he...

I had made it about that far into the dream before I had promptly stumbled from my bed and into the bathroom, just to hurl up one of Lizzy's world famous meals that I had eaten earlier today before we left. Or yesterday, I thought, glancing towards the clock to see that it was now well past 4 a.m. Thankfully, even though it was a Saturday, I wasn't scheduled for work, so I wouldn't be dead on my feet while serving customers.

Then again, I might've been better if I had been scheduled if these were all of the prices for apartments around here. I had been living modestly as it was, paying my cut of my apartment with Tyson and living off of the meager tips and scholarship money I had collected. But there was nowhere around that would allow me to keep my housing bill quite so low. Probably because there weren't many apartments around in condition such as the one I had been living in.

I rubbed at my temples as I refreshed the page again, as if suddenly there would be some spontaneous apartment that would fit my every need and somehow be in my price range. The headache that had been slowly building the past few hours was now throbbing, as were my ribs as I realized I was hours past a dose of pain medication.

I reached to the side of my bed, grabbing the pills and my water, just to find my bottle empty. I released a huff as I silently slipped from my bed, well, as silently as I was able in a house full of lycans.

I still hadn't fully wrapped my head around the notion, and I wasn't sure if my mind couldn't comprehend it or if I had just somehow managed to take in the information relatively calmly; but I was hoping it was the latter. I twisted the door handle slowly, opening it as I prayed in my mind that it wouldn't creak and wake up the whole house.

I made my way down the long hall, doors and pictures aligning the walls. I really needed to take the time to explore this house now that I was up and about, because it was the largest one I had ever been inside of. Despite its older design, it was essentially a mansion. I had long since lost count of the amount of rooms and halls, only knowing the distance from my guest room to the bathroom and main kitchen/living room.

I made my way down the steps, taking in the tasteful design of it all. It was certainly rustic, with weathered wood floors and walls making up the entirety of the house. Beams were underneath the stairs, and beside them, a grand fireplace with a wall made of stone. A small fire burned now, though it looked as if it hadn't been tended to in a few hours.

The furniture was made of brown leather, just a shade brighter than the wood surrounding it. Dashes of color were thrown around the living room in the form of pillows, fur rugs and pictures hanging on the walls or resting on the tables.