Found

Pancakes

Trigger Warning 

I awoke the next day with the sun. I had no perceptive of time, only a ray of sunshine lying flat on its back as it spread across the carpeted floor. Memories of the night before flooded my mind as I rubbed my eyes. 

If memory served correctly, it was a night to remember. Almost everyone was drunkenly singing show tunes by nine in the evening, each with very questionable dance moves. I must add, I was easily the soberest in the room, only having had a sip of Josh's campaign whilst toasting to my new family. The food was far better than anything I had ever had, but then again no one in the Cook-Burrage household could cook even the simplest of meals, which was overly ironic. And to top off the night, we had ice cream as the clock struck midnight, just like the countless nights on tour. 

I turned to my right, picking up my phone that was perched on-charge, on the nightstand. As per usual, I'd awoken too many texts from the people I like to call friends. 

Georgia: Grace! Good news! The idiots we call Will and Bash have begun speaking again. 

Diana: How is that good news? All they do is argue. 

Bash: We do not! 

Will: Er yeah we do! 

Bash: We do not!

Georgia: Okay! Voice of reason coming through. This has happened too many times to count. 

Will: Yo Grace? You alive? 

Bash: Grace

Grace

Grace

Grace

Will: She's dead. 

Georgia: Shi- 

Diana: I'm sure she's not dead, right Grace? 

Grace?

Georgia: GRACE.

Will: Nooooo! I'll forever be alone. 

Bash: You could marry me? 

Will: Dude, your my second choice, not my first. 

Bash: WEll SoRry. 

Georgia: Can we please focus on the fact Grace is dead. 

My eyes scanned down the blue messages, each making me laugh slightly. I was almost filled with a warm feeling - if I did die, at least I know that people would miss me and we wouldn't have the whole Dear Evan Hansen palava. 

Grace: Heyyyyy

Georgia: See I told you she was alive. 

Diana: Wifeeyyy! 

Grace: Wifeeeyyy! 

There was a knock on the door, ripping my eyes away from the group chat. I pulled off the covers, exposing my legs to the cold bedroom, before scurrying to the door to see who was on the other side. 

It revealed my mum, newly Mrs Cook. She had a wide grin on her face despite probably being hungover from all the alcohol she had consumed the day prior. "I brought food!"

It was only when she announced the arrival of food that I noticed the pancakes she was carrying on a tray. I immediately grabbed the tray from her hands, scurrying over to my bed where I sat down with it. "Thanks, you know me too well." 

 I dug my fork into the side of the pancake stack, slicing a small section of the larger, fluffy body. She mirrored my actions, taking a slightly smaller slice. "So, how was dad last night?" 

"Asleep as usual," she chuckled, batting her eyelashes that still had some remanence of mascara on them. "Grace, are you okay? You're more quiet than usual." 

I sighed, placing the food in my mouth. My mum didn't mirror my actions this time, instead boring into my eyes to look for an answer. "I just miss New York, that's all. And all my friends." 

She gave me a pitying smile, resuming eating the pancake we were working through. "Well we'll go home tomorrow, but I thought I could take you out shopping today. Would you like that?" 

I giddily nodded my head, deserting my position on the bed and digging out some clothes to wear. 

-.x.- 

It didn't take long, but we arrived in a park, dropping heavy shopping bags on the bark. In unison, we took a swing each and enjoyed the warm sunlight as it bounced off our faces. We made some small talk, and I recounted the events of last night that were wiped from my mum's memory. 

I looked forward after recounting some of Sky's most prude jokes, taking a deep breath to calm myself from the fit of laughter. I watched a small bird flew across the sky, chirping as it went. I looked back to the ground to see someone who I never thought I would see again. At that moment, they were just a blurry figure in the foreground, but I knew exactly who they were. 

Thomas. 

I squinted my eyes shut, hoping that it was just a hallucination like on Halloween night, but when my eyes flew back open his face was more evident than ever, scarring the very memory of the evil I once knew. 

"Mum..." I pointed over to him, my finger wavering with panic. She threw herself off the swing, standing in front of me, making us back away from him. He was stood right in front of us, a fingertip away. 

"Oh please Elizabeth, we all know I won't hurt Grace." 

"And we all know I don't believe you." I could tell she was scared, there was a slight tremor evident in her voice, but it was incompressible compared to mine. I tried to stutter out words, but instead, all I could do was stand behind her, frozen. 

He shook his head, slyly grinning. "Give her to me." 

"We all know that won't happen." 

He reached inside his pocket, pulling out a black object and pointing at us. "I said, give her to me." He cocked his head, his smirk sliding wider. "Or I'll shoot."