HER QUEST-Magic In The Blood

Chapter 7

Ian swore under his breath as he reached the door. After tucking Sonia in bed last night, he was up until dawn. And when he tried to get some sleep, his mind seemed to conjure up things, keeping him wide awake in the process. He had not slept a wink and that had put him in a very nasty mood.

   To avoid running into any of his family members, he thought of calling Gage and going for a run with him. Gage’s constant chatter would help ease some of his foul temper. However, that plan went down the drain when he found out that Gage was sleeping peacefully.

   Not wanting to throw a temper tantrum, Ian decided to go for a run by himself. And so, off he went; sprinting through the woods, hoping for the frustration to leave his body. The woods were a kind of home to him. The scent of earth, the fresh air, the green lush and the chirping of the birds usually helped him calm down. If only that would have been the outcome of his run.  Instead, he grumbled at the birds to shut their chirping and kicked the stones on the ground in annoyance.

    Ian cursed loudly and with a black cloud hovering on his head, he hurried home.

   A cup of coffee should help, he thought, then I will go and kick Gage's butt out of his bed. His sour mood started to fade at that thought.

  Entering through the front door, he had intended to get himself a cup of coffee straightaway, but the sound of muttering and shuffling coming from the living room made him take a detour.

  Frowning, he peeked into the room and there she was, crouched down on her hands and knees, looking for something under the couch.

  Ian crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe.

  "What's up?" he asked, his eyes lighting up in amusement on seeing her jump in fright.

   "Ouch!" Sonia bumped her head before rubbing it, her face scrunched up in pain and her eyes squeezed shut, “Oh hey,” her eyes widened in surprise at seeing him, “Nothing much, just looking for something.” 

    "Looking for what exactly?" he took a couple of steps into the living room, making sure to leave some distance between them.
   "Just something I misplaced,” she mumbled before a bright smile graced her lips, “by the way, Good Morning!"

    And it was like clouds parting to let a beam of sunlight through them. Before he knew, he was smiling at her, all hints of his sour mood vanishing.

    "Morning. Do you want me to help you?"

    "Thank you, but I don't think it's here." she replied casting a glance around the room.

"What exactly did you misplace?" Ian enquired, taking a step forward.

  "My bracelet," Sonia answered, a sad expression replacing the smile on her face.

  The smile slipped off Ian's face almost immediately. Sonia, however, didn't notice it as she had her head cast down and her hands stuffed in her jean pockets, "Someone dear to me gifted it to me a long time ago."

    Oh! Was it a memento from a lover? Ian barely controlled the growl as he heard the vicious whisper in his head.

    "I will just check my room again," she mumbled, her voice so soft that he would have barely heard it if he was not standing so close to her. It snapped him out of the internal battle he was having with himself.

Why does she sound so upset? Is that thing so important to her? He thought, as she walked past him, her shoulders slumped.
  
   Ian stood there, staring at the door. Clearly, she loved the person who had given her that thing. But why was she crying? He could see the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes before she left the room. But he could not understand why she would cry for a silly piece of accessory. There were many varieties available out there, she could easily get another bracelet.

  It's a token of love, you droll, the voice spat again, it's natural for anyone to be sad over something like this.

Go to hell, Ian cursed at the voice and raked a hand through his hand, "Damn it!"

    He dashed towards the stairs and straight up to his room. Dropping onto his knees, he pulled open the nightstand drawer. He grabbed the bracelet and examined it like he had the previous night. That damned thing has kept him up all night.

   Ian turned it in his hand and observed it.