Runaway

Chapter 25

"This prune wants coffee. Please." I put the bags down and sat at the kitchen counter, resting my head on the cool granite and letting my eyes shut again. I heard the coffee machine beep and brew and a mug slide across the counter a moment later. I fumbled for it without lifting my head and my hand found the handle.

"Mmm..." I took a sip and smiled as the caffeine woke me up. "Good coffee. You can talk to me now, I'm good." I took another greedy sip of that delicious brew as Andie sat opposite me and started eating up a bowl of Frosted Flakes. Yum...

"I'm glad. You really are a grouch in the morning, aren't you?" She poured milk into her bowl.

"Not normally. Only whenever someone-" I glared accusingly at Andie "-wakes me up before nine. But I'm in a sociable mood by say eight, eight thirty-ish if you're lucky."

"I always consider myself lucky", Andie said with a smile. "It's before eight am and you seem like your usual self."

"Yeah, don't push it. Don't poke the bear or however that expression goes." I downed my coffee and let out a satisfied sigh. "Can I borrow that coffee machine sometime?"

"Sure. As long as you only use it here and clean it afterwards."

"Oh, forget it then." I got up from my seat and brought my mug to the sink. "Where's Dyl?" Andie nodded her head up to the ceiling.

"Sleeping. He's got a fever so he needs to rest as much as he can, and speaking of Dylan..." Andie went over to the small pot that was boiling on the stove and shut off the heat. "Can you do me a favor and bring this up to him? Herbal tea is supposed to be a remedy for fevers." She poured the hot liquid into a large mug and held it out for me to take. "Please?"

I sighed. "Alright."

"Thanks, Dani. I'll be up in a minute after I clean up dishes." I nodded and started walking up the staircase to the second floor. The stairs creaked a bit as I climbed them, and I was careful not to spill the overloaded mug of tea as I looked for Dylan's room.

It felt very weird going up there on my own. I'd only been up here once the first time I'd visited the McCades a month ago, and that was only to use the bathroom. How time flies, I thought as I carefully opened the first door on my left.

Its walls were a lilac purple with matching bedsheets and white furniture. There was a full-length mirror on the other end of the room facing the door, and a vanity and dresser against two of the other walls. Everything was spic and span and all in their places. Andie's room no doubt. I reached to close the door when I caught my reflection in the mirror.

Did I really go out looking like that this morning? My black hair was knotted on the left side, while the right side was somehow (sort of) intact. My face looked greasy since I didn't really have time to wash up this morning before Andie sent me on that little errand of hers. I blamed sebum.

I closed the door and immediately headed across the hall to the room I knew was the bathroom. There, I wiped my face with a wet paper towel, brushed out my hair as best I could with my fingers since it didn't feel right to use someone else's hairbrush without their permission, and did a quick breath test. I recoiled at the smell.

Oh man, I'm going to end up like Peter Silvers at this point. I remembered the oily-haired, stank-breathed boy that had tried to kiss me two years ago, and shivered at the memory. I am not going to smell like him. Ever. Even while debating whether it was right or not, I searched through the cabinets until I found a bottle of mouthwash. I was pretty sure they wouldn't mind, or notice, if I used it just once.

After freshening up, I continued to venture around the second floor to find Dylan's room. There was a double-doored room at the end of the hall, which I assumed belonged to Mr. and Mrs. McCade. There were two rooms left. One would be Dylan's and the other would be Jack's.