I barely got any sleep last night. If I don't sleep with my window open a crack, my room is too quiet. But it was almost unbearable last night, the howling. The howling was endless. It sounded like there were wolves everywhere, even in my backyard.
And to tell you the truth, I was terrified.
I was too scared to even look out of the window to see if I could see one. They sounded too close.
I thought I would love hearing a wolf howl, that it would be majestic and comforting, but I was wrong. It sounded like there were hundreds of them. At least five different howls were echoing around, answering one another, calling out to the next.
Maybe if I had gone to sleep earlier I would have been able to sleep through the noise. I had laid down right as they started, around eleven.
Now the sun was rising and I was in the kitchen, trying to find coffee grinds. Not long had passed when I realized my mom probably didn't bring them. So, I sighed.
I started drinking coffee when I was eighteen. It's gotten so bad that if I don't drink a cup in the morning, I get caffeine headaches. It sucks. My eyes were threatening to close as I was walking around. I desperately wanted to either go back to sleep or consume an unhealthy amount of caffeine.
Being tired isn't even the worst part of this morning, though. When I woke up, my stomach sank. It felt like a pound of rocks were sinking to my toes and staying there. That's when a feeling of impending doom settled over my heart, too. It was almost like I was forgetting something, but more like a sense that something big was going to happen.
I used to get the same feeling in school. Mostly when I had forgotten about a homework assignment and I knew my professor was going to chew me out for it, or if I forgot an appointment or club meeting or something. The feeling was real annoying, honestly. It made me want to punch my own gut. Thanks, anxiety.
"No coffee?" dad grunted as he tumbled into the kitchen and started opening the cabinets. I smiled. I wasn't used to seeing him up this early.
"Afraid not. I wanted some, too," I admitted. My arms were crossed over my chest, hiding the design on my t-shirt. Dad huffed as he turned around to look at me.
"Want to go explore town? We can get some on the way home, I don't know what places open this early," he offered.
"Absolutely." I nodded and immediately followed dad into the foyer to slip our shoes on. My dad's outfit pretty much matched mine, except his sweatpants were those typical plaid pajama pants while mine were plain black.
"Oh, shit, gotta grab my wallet. Be right back," dad said as he patted his pockets. He ran up the stairs before I could acknowledge his statement. I decided to wait for him outside so I opened my front door and stepped onto the porch.
My arms were immediately met with chilly morning air. I closed my eyes, relishing in the beauty of the early morning. The birds were starting to sing, a soft breeze lifted through the leaves, and there were no traffic sounds to be heard. Everything was so peaceful. That feeling in my stomach seemed to settle down, too.
I was standing there, enjoying the quiet when the rumble of a car engine disrupted everything. It made me open my eyes and watch a dusty-red, two door jeep barrel down the dirt road. The doors were taken off and the soft top was fully pulled down.
As it passed, I barely got a glimpse of the driver. It was a girl, I could tell that much, but she had sunglasses on so I couldn't see her face. She whipped her jeep around the corner of the street so tightly I thought it might fall over. It pulled into the Auden's driveway.
Judging by the two surfboards sticking out of the back seat, I had only one guess as to who had just gotten home. I would've stayed to see what she looked like, but my dad opened the door behind me and had me turning around.
"You ready?" he asked. I smiled at him and nodded, watching dad re-lock the front door as he stepped out. When I faced front again, I caught a whiff of the most delicious smell.
"Do you smell that?" I hummed, pointing my nose in the air. Dad shuffled his keys around, looking for the one to our car.
"Smell what?" he asked, not truly paying attention to me. I thought for a moment and took another deep breath. Gosh, it smelled so good.
"It smells like warm maple syrup. They must be making breakfast over there," I smiled, nodding to the Auden's place. Dad breathed a laugh and turned his shoulder to me as he led the way down the steps of our porch.
"I'm glad I can't smell that. It would definitely make me stop somewhere to get pancakes with you." I raised my eyebrows, hustling to the car with him.
"Can we do that anyway?" I hoped. Dad smiled.
"I thought you'd never ask," he shot back. So, we climbed into the car, dead-set on finding a breakfast place open at seven in the morning. I'm sure we'd be able to wait until eight if we truly needed to, but I knew we weren't going to come home with an empty stomach.
I kept getting this urge to look back at the Auden's house as we pulled away, but I didn't entertain it until we were almost out of sight.
The evergreen walls were being touched by the morning sun. Their windows reflected the light as it rose in the East, creating a shine that was almost painful to stare at. There was an outline of a figure in the back garden, but we were too far away to see who it was.
"So, you like it here so far?" dad asked. I pulled my attention back to him.
"Yeah! Do you?" I asked in return, even though I already knew the answer. It's only been a day, but dad already looks so much healthier. His face has color, he shaves, he combs his hair. The simple things aren't the hardest things for him anymore.
I just hope it isn't a phase. I really, really hope he doesn't fall back into the same rut he was in back in North Carolina.
"I love it," he smiled brightly, turning off Myrtleberry lane. Instead of replying with words, I placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, showing him how happy I was for him.
The rest of the ride was quiet.
_________
Before I knew it, I was waking up.
"Hey, Nel," dad cooed as he gently shook my shoulder. "Nel, we're here," he continued softly. My eyes fluttered open, slowly taking in our surroundings as the grogginess left me.
Out of the front windshield, I saw we were in front of a quaint diner. It was a little odd, because around it was a normal neighborhood, and the place was truly just an emerald-green home. The sign on the front read "Ruby's" in protruding white letters, outlined in orange.
I rubbed my eyes before I opened the car door, stretching as I got out. My dad was waiting for me by the hood. He was holding the key, ready to lock the car as soon as I joined him.
"This place is cute," I commented sleepily as we turned to go inside. Dad nodded.
"Yeah, I'll have to bring your mother home something," he added. I pulled the diner's door open, noting to check my phone frequently in case mom wakes up and finds an empty house. We didn't leave her a note.
Walking in, there was a surprising load of people in already. Some were drinking coffee, others eating. The walls were littered in advertisements, posters, business cards, literally anything relating to spending money. But the atmosphere was homey. They had these cute fairy lights around the menu written up on chalkboards.
"They don't have pancakes here, but the reviews said they have amazing burritos and beer," dad said. I snorted and bumped his side to let him know I didn't appreciate his beer for breakfast joke. He bumped me back with a smile.
We headed towards the "order here" sign, situated above a counter cut out of the wall. The menu was a little overwhelming, but I was glad to see the breakfast section was relatively small. Their selection of breakfast burritos was very saturated. I wasn't sure I wanted one, though.
"Good morning! What can I get for you?" the waitress behind the counter asked. I smiled at her as she greeted us, watching her ear-length blonde hair bob as she talked.
"Hi, I'll get a steak and egg burrito and an iced americano," dad said. I was still looking over the menu as he dug his wallet out of his pocket.
"Mild or spicy for the burrito?" the waitress asked.
"Mild, please."
"Sure! Will that be all?" I shook my head and offered her an apologetic smile for taking so long.
"Can I get a little devil with bacon? Oh, and a hot vanilla latte? Made with non-fat milk." I watched the girl nod and type my order in.
"Sure thing! That'll be eighteen sixty-one," she smiled. Dad nodded curtly and handed her his credit card, to which she motioned to a card reader. I think I heard him mumble something about technology, but he followed her instruction anyway. The waitress turned and sent our order somewhere in the kitchen. "You can sit wherever you like. You're number fourteen."
"Thank you," I said quietly as I accepted the table number from her. Dad and I turned around, spying for an empty table. It's how I made direct eye contact with a familiar face, who looked just as surprised to see us.
"Nelly Madison! Is that you?" Jo Auden called as she pounced from her chair. She hurried over to me and grabbed my hand excitedly, shaking it up and down to no end.
"Hi Mrs. Auden," I smiled widely with a soft chuckle. Jo shook her head as the grip on my hand tightened.
"Call me Jo, really," she insisted, then turned to my dad before I could say okay. "You must be the famous Mr. Madison!" she gushed. My dad looked a little shaken by her overly friendly attitude, but she was so sweet about it that it made him smile.
"Yes ma'am. Arthur. It's good to meet you. I think my wife told me about you. Jo, is it?" he offered. She nodded and shook his hand after letting go of mine.
"It's good to finally meet you, too. Come join us! Logan and I were just out for breakfast." She let go of my dad's hand and motioned to the two empty seats at her four-chaired table. Then, she got real close to my ear to tell me, "you've got to help me cheer Logan up." I stared at the side of her head with a raised eyebrow, but she paid it no attention.
"Oh, no, we wouldn't want to intrude," my dad refused, giving Jo an apprehensive eye. Jo swatted him off, shaking her head and sitting back down.
"I insist," she commanded. My dad and I exchanged a look but shrugged and sat down, nonetheless. It was barely a second later that Logan joined us. He looked to be coming from the bathroom.
To say I was surprised to see his disheveled state was an understatement. He was in his pajamas, just like everyone else at the table, though his hair was frizzed everywhere, and he had these dreary, dark circles sagging under his eyes. It didn't look like he was even alive.
"Uh... good morning?" I offered hesitantly, diverting my gaze to Logan's mother. Jo just smiled at me, like she was silently hoping I would be able to help. I'm not sure where that idea came from, though.
"Hey, Nel." Logan smiled weakly. His energy effected me. I could feel the negativity coming off him in waves. My dad looked shell shocked. He didn't know how to deal with someone down in the dumps, and I could tell by the way he shifted in his chair that he was uncomfortable. I didn't know what to do, either. I felt rather intrusive and that we really should have refused to join the Auden's for breakfast this morning.
A waitress came around and broke up the tension.
"Here we are... I've got a mild, steak and egg breakfast burrito and a little devil with bacon? Your coffees are coming." That couldn't have been better timing. Dad and I smiled at her and accepted our food, which was in these cute little red baskets. Dad's burrito was wrapped in foil, and he looked all too eager to tear into it.
My breakfast was on an English muffin. I think it was a fried egg, bacon, and cheddar cheese. I'm not too crazy about fried eggs, but I've always wanted to try one now that my tastebuds have matured, so I hope it's good.
Looking to my left, my dad was already eating.
"So, what's the verdict?" Jo asked, watching my dad chow down. I picked up my sandwich thing and took a bite. My eyebrows immediately shot into the air. This thing was delicious.
"This is so good..." I mumbled with a mouth full of food. Jo smiled widely and nodded her head.
"Good!" she laughed. Dad was humming, expressing a little too much how good his burrito was.
"Outstanding. Truly an outstanding meal. I'm so glad we came here," he said in utter seriousness. "That pizza last night was not very filling." Then, he realized who we got the pizza from. "Oh shit, uh, no offense, Jo." The way he said that made me snort and, to my surprise, Logan even cracked a smile.
"None taken, Arthur. I'm sure it was freezer burned. This one just had to take it over." Jo nudged Logan. He immediately went back to scowling. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"What's got you in the dumps?" I pried, chewing the next bite of my meal. Logan looked at me for a moment, then diverted his gaze to his lap again. He side-eyed my dad, unsure if he wanted to spill his troubles with him around.
"Sarah and I broke up," he mumbled glumly. I frowned. He made it sound like things were going well last night.
"That sucks, I'm sorry," I returned. I snuck a glance at my dad to find he wasn't even listening. He was still making out with his burrito. I'm horrible at comforting people. Logan looked like he was about to cry.
"It's all good. Not her fault. Her ma—"
"—n she wants to marry showed up," Jo cut Logan off quickly, kicking him under the table. I snapped my head in her direction out of surprise. She looked a little nervous as she gave me a nice, innocent smile.
"Huh?" I asked. I couldn't hold my tongue. They said, her man she wants to marry showed up? What does that even mean?
"She found the man she wants to marry," Jo spoke up again, nodding her head. I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Already? Did they not just break up?" I asked her, speaking a little quieter. Logan slumped even further in his chair.
"We broke up last night," he answered, earning another kick from Jo under the table. I blinked a few times and decided to not question it. That is the weirdest thing I have ever heard. This Sarah girl must be a crackhead. Getting married the day after she breaks up with her long-time boyfriend. Makes no sense at all.
"What a bitch," I muttered under my breath, forgetting Jo was at the table. "Sorry," I immediately said to her. Logan perked his head up, offering me a small smile. Jo laughed and shook her head, letting me know it was alright.
"Thanks," Logan mouthed. As I was directing my attention back to my breakfast, my eyes scanned over the wall, landing on an advertisement for a Jeep dealership. It made a lightbulb go off in my head.
"Oh!" I exclaimed suddenly. Everyone at the table jumped a little at my outburst. "I almost forgot! I think um, what's her name?" I already knew her name. I only hesitated to make it seem like I didn't care. "Uh... Avery! I think Avery is home!" I snapped my fingers, looking all excited in hopes hearing his sister is home would cheer Logan up.
"What? How do you know?" Logan asked. Then, his eyes kind of disconnected. They were looking at me, but not really at me. It was a weird sensation and honestly, I didn't like being stared at that way. I looked away from him, at Jo.
"Uhh... I saw a red Jeep pulling into your drive this morning." I side-eyed Logan to see his eyes still foggy and distant. I frowned a little. "There were surfboards in the back, so I just assumed..." I trailed off, noticing both Jo and Logan now had the same expression. Jo's didn't last as long, she quickly blinked and nodded happily.
"That would be her! Thank goodness you told us," she laughed. I gave her a funny look.
"Why?" I asked. Logan let out a snort as him and his mom exchanged a knowing glance.
"Our entire house is probably booby-trapped by now," Jo smiled. "Last time she came home while we were out, I kept opening my cabinets and having these awful rubber spiders pop out at me. Ugh, it was to no end. If she wasn't family, I would strangle that girl," she finished with a loud scoff, shaking her head disapprovingly.
"She said she didn't pull any pranks this time," Logan said quietly to his mom. She turned to him with an eyebrow raised.
"Right, and I have two heads," she deadpanned. I stared at Logan for a while, realizing I never saw him take out a phone to text his sister. I could've been paying too much attention to Jo to notice, but it was still a little strange. A lot about this family is strange, honestly, but I guess that's what happens when you move across the country. People are different.
"Can we go home?" Logan asked. Jo nodded, pointing to his unopened burrito.
"Take that with you, I'm sure Avery will eat it." Then, she turned to my dad and me, "I'll have to have you all over for dinner sometime. Maybe we could do a cookout with the Holly's, too. Wouldn't that be nice?" she asked. I nodded my head.
My dad perked up immediately, "yes, absolutely. I can do the grilling. Steaks or burgers... oh, actually, you know what would be good?" We all raised our eyebrows to tell him to keep talking. "Shish kabobs," dad finished, banging his fist on the table. Jo chuckled and nodded.
"Sounds delicious. I'll get in touch with Cherry to arrange it. Enjoy the rest of your breakfast," Jo smiled. I sent her a smile too as I picked up my English muffin. Logan offered me a small wave, which I returned with a nod. They left quickly.
Soon after, the waitress came back with our coffee and apologized for the wait.
"I'm going to need to go for a run after this." I pointed my nose at my sandwich, talking to dad. He chuckled, looking back at me.
"Only if you take the shotgun," he teased. I laughed. He was finished with his burrito but that didn't stop him from eyeing my food like a hawk. I took another bite, trying to ignore his stare. As I was chewing, a couple sat down at the two-seater table next to us.
"Euh," my dad recoiled. I raised an eyebrow, looking at him cringe in his seat. I directed my attention back to the couple, realizing it was two men. One dressed very femininely with makeup, the other a frat-boy type.
"What?" I asked him, unappreciative of his reaction.
"It's just unnatural. Thank god you aren't like that," he said, putting an approving hand on my shoulder. I pulled my lips into a thin line and looked towards my food.
"Yeah," I returned quietly. I picked up my sandwich and stared at it, wanting to take another bite but finding my appetite absolutely destroyed. My dad physically angled his body away from the table with the gay couple.
"Man, this breakfast was good, though. Are you gonna finish that?" he asked. I looked at him, then back at my food, and sighed inside my head.
"Nah, you want it?" I asked, trying to keep a normal tone.
"Yes," dad replied almost instantly. He reached for it but I pulled it away so he couldn't grab it.
"Only if you promise I can go for a run in the woods." I raised my eyebrows. Dad didn't even have to think, he was just staring at my food and nodding.
"Yeah, absolutely, whatever you want," he rushed, reaching for my sandwich. I don't know why what he said bothered me so much. I faked a smile as he took my food.
Thank god I'll be able to escape into the woods when we get home.