Flames At Midnight

06 | grace yearwood

I woke up feeling uneasy.

Despite being exhausted from staying up late the night before, I woke a half hour before my alarm. I could already tell it wasn't going to be a good day. The couch was empty, meaning Porter was already up.

The air mattress made a faint noise as I climbed off.

Quentin was asleep on the floor, next to Dillon and Kya. Their things were piled in the corner of the basement, although it wasn't much; they only had some clothes and basic toiletries.

Upstairs, I found Porter in the kitchen, toasting some bread. His curly, dark hair was getting long and unruly.

"Morning."

He jumped at the sound of my voice. With a hand clutched over his chest, he said, "Grace. You surprised me."

"I noticed."

"I didn't think anyone was going to be up so early. Who are those people downstairs?" Porter asked.

"Quentin made some new friends."

"Really? From where?"

"Just from off the street," I said.

"Seriously, though. Where?"

I gave him a look before repeating myself. "From off the street."

"Are you joking?"

"It's six in the morning. Do you think I'm joking?" I said, pouring myself a glass of juice.

"So are you saying Quentin brought homeless people to live in his basement?"

I almost choked while sipping on my drink. "What? Of course not. That's not what I meant. It's a long story, and I'd rather not get into it right now."

He nodded. "Did you guys find what you were looking for last night?"

"We did, but it was a long and boring search. You made the right choice to stay in. I'm crying on the inside right now for those lost hours of sleep," I told him.

"What were you guys searching for again?"

I hesitated. "It's not really my place to say. You'll have to ask Quentin when he wakes up."

I was sure Kya wouldn't be too happy adding someone else into the fold, but I trusted Porter and I had no loyalties to her. After witnessing how easily she pulled that time capsule story out of thin air, I made a mental note to keep an eye on her.

She obviously wasn't lying about having powers or helping Quentin master his, but I still wasn't sure of her intentions. It still nagged me that she and Dillon showed up after our run in with the masked man. I didn't believe in coincidences.

Quentin might have welcomed them with open arms, and an open basement, but they wouldn't convince me so easily.

"Quentin tells me everything," Porter reminded me.

"So then you'll hear it from him when he wakes up."

"Fine. But I still can't believe you guys did that. Especially after what happened Friday night." Porter spread jam on his toast and offered me a piece. "You can usually talk him out of stuff like this."