Awakening

Chapter 18

Rose smiled and took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh, coffee filled air around her. She closed her eyes and stretched her arms back, a few bones popping as she did. It was a bright sunny day, the first in a rain filled week. It had been so dreary, almost depressing. On top of that she had to fake being sick to avoid anyone seeing her wound from the other night. She was glad the week was over.

"You do realize you're making weird sounds, right?"

She opened her eyes and looked at Max, sitting opposite her, his expression quizzical.

They were sitting outside the local coffee shop, enjoying a carefree Saturday. And waiting on Emily, who was late. They all had hung out a few times since the lake house trip. Emily had wholeheartedly decided that he was a great guy. Rose found it easy to talk to him. He didn't interrupt her. Didn't try to fix everything for her. He just listened. She found that she enjoyed his company. He somehow managed to see the good in everything and everyone. He was always making jokes and keeping the mood light. Every time they had interacted, the doubts she had over him had slowly ebbed away. Of course, she still had trouble opening up completely. Her past had made sure of that and she still kept that part of her life under lock and key.

She rolled her eyes. "Everyone makes noises when they stretch. If you don't, you're not doing it right." She took a sip of her coffee, enjoying the combination of the strong and bitter notes dancing on her tongue.

"Yeah, but most people try to tone it down when they're in public."

She almost made a snarky remark, but then saw the laughter in his eyes. She stopped and looked at them for a moment. She loved how his dark eyes would light up when he was joking, the specks of brown turning into a deep golden color. It reminded her of honey. Warm, golden brown honey.

Suddenly she was aware of a movement before her face. He was snapping his fingers at her.

"Hey! I would say 'My eyes are up here', but you seemed to already have found them and managed to get lost in them." He smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Please. Like I would ever stare at you."

He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his arms, his muscles bulging beneath his shirt. She was sure this was on purpose.

"Oh, no. Of course not. I must have just imagined you basically undressing me with your eyes."

"Wha... I was not! I was just..."

Suddenly a movement to her right caught her eye. Emily plopped herself onto the chair between her and Max. The air surrounding her filled with lilies and jasmine.

Her face was a mixture of shock and excitement. "Did you guys hear?" She didn't, however, give them an opportunity to answer. "There was an attack on one of the nearby farms!"

Rose almost did a double take. "No! What happened? Did anyone get hurt?"

Emily continued in a rushed pace, a horrified look on her face. "They're all dead! Apparently it was one big massacre, no survivors."

Now it was Max's turn to interject. "Who? Who died, Emily?"

But was if he hadn't spoken. Emily just went on. "Jim said there was blood everywhere. They were completely ripped to shreds, but get this, not one of them was eaten. Apparently..."

Confusion made its way to Rose and Max's faces. Rose frowned before interrupting. "Emily, wait. What? What do you mean no one was eaten?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Keep up, Rose. Not one of the sheep were eaten, just torn to shreds."