The Year Of Rain

Valley. Part 4. Price to pay

I was debating whether or not to use the life-death thing now, and then I went "What the freak?!" and used it.

!!WARNING: DRAWINING USED NEAR THE END OF THE CHAPTER. IT'S ONLY A SHORT PARAGHAPH SO IT CAN BE SKIPPED, NO WOORIES!!

The house was cold in the morning despite the heat being on all night. Flowers of ice had been drawn on the windows overnight, layers of snow covering the yard and everything in it.

Cecilia woke up early, surrounded by books and papers that she still had to grade, homework she had to correct. She groaned, looking at the amount of work that waited to be finished. Even during holidays, a teacher's work never ended. She hot out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, needing a shower to help chase away the lingering desire for more sleep. Outside, Amygdala was playing with the dogs, the animals having gotten used to its presence and touches, no longer shivering in fear whenever the Great One was around. Patches was by its side, muttering under his breath, glaring daggers at the pets.

"As I was saying my lord, I think it would be better to" the spider said, trying to draw his master's attention when both of them spotted a red car pull into the driveway.

They looked at each other and then back at the unexpected vehicle. The front door on the driver's side opened and out came a tall woman, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a long blue winter coat, the hood with white synthetic fur sewn on the margins hiding her face from their view. They watched her quickly closing the door behind her only to open another in the back and take out a tray covered with tinfoil. She headed towards the main door of the house and knock, waiting for a minute before doing it again.

"Cecilia! Are you awake? It's me, Sarah!" the woman announced herself, continuing to knock.

"I'm coming!" came from the other side, followed by the sound of rushed steps approaching.

Cecilia opened the door, a wide smile painted on her face.

"Sarah! I'm so happy to see you! Come in! Come in!" she said, making way for her older sister to enter.

She led Sarah into the kitchen, taking the tray from her and placing it on the counter, while the woman unzipped her coat, complaining about the weather, her cheeks turning red from the warmth inside as her body embraced it.

"Can you believe how cold it is? I'm telling you; it's getting worse every year. Two years ago, you could walk outside in only a sweater and now? Not even a jacket does the job. You're still shivering." Sarah said, placing her coat on the backside of the chair and sitting down, rubbing her hands against each other. "I haven't even let the girls go out in this snow! What if they slip on some ice and break their feet?"

"Better watch out than be sorry later." Cecilia said, opening a cupboard to take out a kettle, two cups and plates. "Coffee or tea?"

"Coffee please." Sarah answered, before continuing her chatter. "I'm mostly concerned about Clara. That girl breaks one foot every single year ever since she was 9. When she was 9 she slipped on ice. At 10, she had an accident during P.E., and she slipped again at 11. Now, Liviu is making bets with Troy to see how she's going to break it this time."

"I'm sure he was just joking."

"Well, it was in bad taste and I made sure he got it. I had him sleep on the couch for an entire month and look after her while she was healing too, that ought to teach him a lesson." Sarah commented, looking through the kitchen, examining the wallpaper, the furniture, the taste that went into all of it.