Eighteen
That night, I camped out on the sofa in the living room, listening for any sound that would suggest Melissa was going to sneak out again. With Mae sleeping in Tia’s bed that night, I wasn’t too concerned, but Melissa could be quite sneaky when she wanted to be. At one point, there was a creak from the upstairs landing. I muted the television and concentrated. Finally, I decided that the house was only settling on its foundation.
Mae shook me awake in the morning hours. “Wake up, Min.”
I jerked away and winced. I received a crick in my neck from the way my body slumped across the cushions. Mae snickered at me as she picked a strand of hair out of my eyes.
“It’s morning,” she told me. “And we’re all accounted for.”
I groaned and wiped the sleep out of my eyes. Living in this house was definitely detrimental to my health. I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in forever. It was a good thing I couldn’t die, because exhaustion was pushing me towards a grave.
“I’ll make you some coffee,” Mae said as she walked into the kitchen. I rubbed my neck and stood up. For a moment, I forgot why I fell asleep on the couch.
Already, after promising myself to be centered on my job and helping these girls, I was slipping. Everyone, except Melissa, was already there, leaning against the counter, eating cold cereal.
“Mrs. Baker called,” Jennie said. “Titus is sick today, so we’re on our own.”
The bistro table was still in the kitchen, so I sat down there with my elbows on the tabletop and my head in my hands. I nodded and asked, “What time is it?”
“Seven-fifteen,” Ashley exclaimed. “I gotta go. I’m meeting Holly before school.” She rinsed her bowl in the sink and walked out the back door.
“Yeah, we’re gonna miss our bus,” Amber said, putting her bowl in the sink also. Mae and Tia followed her out the front door.
“Where’s Melissa?” I asked Jennie. She poured a cup of coffee and set it down in front of me.
“She hasn’t come down yet. But don’t worry, she’s still here.”
At that moment, Melissa stomped down the stairs. From my seat, I saw her turn towards the kitchen. She spied me, raised her chin, and stomped out the front door without a word.
“All is well in the state of Denmark,” Jennie muttered, grabbing her bag.
I grunted in reaction. “I believe the phrase is, 'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.'”
“So it is,” she mused. “I’ll see you later.” She walked out the back. I heard the putter of her scooter, but then the house was silent, and I slid into a stupor at the table. Ignoring the appealing aroma of the coffee, I pushed myself off the table. A few minutes later, I was lying across my bed, still clothed in last night’s jeans and t-shirt, sound asleep and snoring, I was sure.
The phone interrupted my nap. I reached blindly across to the bedside table.
“Hullo,” I muttered into the receiver.
“Mrs. Meyer? This is Mrs. Reed, the high school’s counselor.”
I opened my eyes. This can’t be good. “Yes, this is Min Meyer.”
“I just wanted to tell you that you can pick up Melissa’s make-up work after three o’clock,” Mrs. Reed informed me. The sound of papers shuffling and an intercom announcement buzzed in the background.
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The House of Bells: The Essences Saga - Book #1
RomanceMin Meyer is not the typical thirty-two year old single woman. In fact, the only truth to that sentence is that she is single. Min was once called Need -- the Essence of Need. A spiritual body that governed and guided that aspect of the human so...
