Perspectives

Chapter 41

Piper hadn't realized until now how much she had taken advantage of having everything around her be scaled to the right size. She appreciated it fully now as she laid out in her bed, covered in sheets that weren't big enough to get lost in and atop a pillow that she didn't have to climb onto to be able to rest her head on it. 

Looking around her room, Piper smiled. Smiled at the old dresser she'd had since she was six. Smiled at the assorted band and random movie posters she had covering her walls. She even smiled at the pile of dirty laundry she had left on the floor. Dorothy had been right, there really was no place like home. 

Piper glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table to see that it was half past one. Considering she hadn't gotten to bed till 5 am last night, that wasn't so outrageous. With a yawn Piper pulled herself out of bed, taking a moment to run a brush through the tangled mess on her head before heading out to the kitchen. 

Having taken the day off of work, Piper's mom sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in hand and a magazine in front of her. When she heard Piper come into the kitchen she looked up and broke into a soft smile. "Good morning, or should I say good afternoon." She greeted.

Piper smirked as she went to pour herself a cup of coffee. "I think some sleeping in late was in order." She replied.

"I won't disagree." Piper's mom said happily. 

The two chatted while Piper had her breakfast as though everything was the same as it had been a week ago. Piper's mom didn't press for any information about where Piper had been, which Piper was grateful for, because she still wasn't sure what she was going to tell her. It wasn't like she could tell anyone the truth about what had happened, surely no one would ever believe her. At the same time, she hated the idea of having to lie to the people she cared about like this. 

Last night Piper's mom had called the police to let them know that she had gotten home safe, but hadn't provided them with any other details. Piper knew that wouldn't satisfy them for long, they'd want to know what happened to her. 

As Piper stacked her dishes into the dishwasher, she heard her mom clear her voice, a tell-tale sign that she was about to try to talk about something that Piper might not like. "I understand that you may not want to talk about what happened." She began. "But the police need to know, and more importantly I need to know." 

Piper let out a low sigh before turning around to face her mom. "You're right, I'll tell you everything." She told her. "Can I get dressed first though?" Piper asked with her best smile of innocence. 

"Yeah, go ahead." Piper's mom relented. Piper could tell her mom wasn't anymore eager to have this conversation than Piper was. However Piper's mom was much better at making herself do things she didn't want to. Piper's preferred method was to avoid anything unpleasant for as long as possible.

Having spent much of the past few days wearing jeans, Piper opted for some comfortable athletic shorts and a loose fitting gray tank top that she tied in a knot at the bottom. She threw her freshly washed as of last night hair into a ponytail, rolled on some deodorant and called it good before heading to the bathroom. 

Just as she was washing her hands, Piper heard the doorbell ring. She quickly toweled off her hands and stepped out into the hallway to see a head of red hair at the front door. Piper's mom stepped out of the way, allowing the girl to charge in and nearly tackled Piper as she pulled her into a hug. "Oh my god when I heard you were back I wanted to come see you right away, but my parents said I had to wait till my off period at school!" Naomi exclaimed as she gripped Piper tighter. "I was so worried when I saw you weren't there after I came out of the school, and then I found your phone on the ground and could only assume the worst and--"