After Lenore opened her eyes, it took a minute for reality to seep back in. When it did, she couldn't help but smile. Barely a month ago, coming to Eden had felt like a prison sentence for a crime she didn't commit. Now it was the only place she wanted to be...
Because that was where Victor was.
The world works in strange ways...
Still grinning, she rolled over in bed and let her eyes roam to the big window at the back of her room. Outside, the sky over the forest was just as bruised as yesterday and she could hear the steady pitter-patter of rain on the roof overhead. It was miserable weather, as it always seemed to be in Eden, but Lenore didn't care.
Today was going to be special.
Lenore threw off her covers and leapt out of bed. Despite the gloom of the storm, she felt like she was connected to a socket, energy was surging through her. It wasn't quite six in the morning, a whole two hours earlier than her usual wake-up time, but that was fine. She wanted to spend a little more time getting ready anyway.
She grabbed her phone on the way to her closet and checked her messages. There was nothing new from Victor since yesterday. Not so surprising, considering the hour. His last message had arrived only a few minutes after her fight with her mom when he was still on his way home.
Forgot to tell you what time i would pick you up
Guess i got a lil too excited lol
Does 7.45 work?
Lenore had replied, Works for me. Looking forward to it.
Seen you then i guess, Victor had added. Cant wait.
Her heart fluttered as she read over those last words.
She quickly typed out a new message.
Morning! Can't wait to see you.
Lenore sighed as she sent it, and then again as she looked over the contents of her closet. Most of her wardrobe was still in her suitcase on the floor because she hadn't bothered to unpack it. She chose the least wrinkled items—jeans and a dark green long-sleeve shirt—and pulled them on. It had been a while since she had put any real effort into her appearance and she was a little worried she had forgotten how. At least getting up early meant she had plenty of time to figure it out. She dove back into the suitcase, looking for her makeup...
Downstairs, a door slammed.
Lenore paused her search and listened. That had sounded like the front door. It had to be her...
"Mom?" she called. Isn't it kind of early for mom to be up?
There was no answer.
Lenore gave up on digging around in her suitcase and headed out to find out what was going on. As she stepped into the hall, she listened to the usual creaks and groans of the old house. When she was little, her grandmother taught her how to use those sounds to pinpoint where someone was.
But the house was silent and still, aside from the howl of the wind outside. Walking along the landing, Lenore went to the little circular window at the end of the hall that looked over the yard below.
The rain lashing against the glass made it hard for her to see much, but she could make out a dark figure running across the lawn to her mother's car.
Where was her mom going at this hour?
Probably some errand, Lenore guessed, pushing it from her mind. Whatever the reason, she was glad her mom was gone. She still hadn't forgiven her for what she had said the day before and if she saw her now, another fight was inevitable.
But now she didn't need to worry about that.
This day kept getting better and better.
It was just past seven by the time Lenore made it downstairs, ready for the day. Her mother still hadn't returned so Lenore had the place to herself. Lenore found herself humming as she headed into the kitchen to grab her usual breakfast. After grabbing it from the fridge, she didn't sit at her usual spot at the kitchen table, instead choosing the parlour. She still didn't like the room much, but the big armchair by the window looked out over their driveway, so she could see Victor coming.
The wind and rain battered the glass, even worse than before. Lenore was thankful that Victor had promised her a ride in a car. Though kissing in the rain had been nothing short of amazing, she didn't think she wanted to do it again just yet. It had taken her forever to warm up after she had come inside as if a strange chill had settled in. It was hard to shake, even now.
Breakfast done, she curled up in the chair and checked her messages again. There was still no response for Victor.
She frowned. He was supposed to be here in less than half an hour. He had to be up by now, didn't he? But then she remembered that he was a boy, and boys barely had to do anything to 'get ready.' Maybe he slept in as late as he could, hitting the snooze as many times as possible. Lenore couldn't help but giggle as she pictured a sleepy-eyed Victor, his hair mussed, his pajamas rumpled. She'd ask him later if he was a morning person...
Her phone rang, its own alarm going off, her warning to leave the house to begin her usual walk. She turned it off as the wind thrashed around the house, rattling the glass of the window. Yeah, she was glad she didn't have to go out there. The weather hadn't been this bad in her childhood, but maybe it was an off year. Her grandmother had always said the wind was a warning...
She checked her messages. It was now 7:30 and there was still no reply, but it was fine. Maybe he wasn't the person to text first thing in the morning. She leaned back and fidgeted with the upholstered buttons on the chair, her eyes fixed on the driveway.
It felt like ages had passed when she checked again, but it was only 7:40.
Any minute now.
But then 7:45 came and went, and Victor hadn't shown up.
What's going on? she wondered.
Had he slept in?
Was he running late?
Was he sick again?
For what felt like the millionth time, she checked her messages. Still no response. Her last message hadn't even been read.
Did lose his phone? Or break it?
She sent him another message anyway, just in case.
Everything okay?
The message went out, but no one read it.
Lenore huffed and massaged just below her collarbone, trying to ease the tension that was building in her chest. Her anxieties from yesterday had started to creep back in.
What if he wasn't coming?
What if he changed his mind?
What if he didn't like her after all?
It was 8:00 now. If he didn't show up soon, they were going to be late...
Something on the driveway caught her eye. She shot up straight, her eyes focusing on the vehicle headed her way.
There he is!
Lenore released a heavy breath and began to gather her things. As the car reached the yard, she leaned closer to the window. The heavy rain made it hard to make out the kind of car, but—
A shiver shook through her as her whole body went cold.
It wasn't Victor's car. It was her mother's.
She flopped back into the armchair.
Where was Victor?
Lenore watched from the chair as her mother got out of the car and headed back towards the house. And she wasn't alone. Someone got out of the passenger side and followed her, though the rain was too heavy to see who.
The front door threw open and her mother thundered inside, stomping her feet on the mat to shake the rain off.
"...she's started talking about it again," came a voice behind her. Lenore recognized it as Delilah. "Nothing concrete, nothing planned, but it worries me."
"I get that," her mother replied through gritted teeth. "But I won't let it happen again. If it does—"
Her mother went silent and still, and then whipped around, staring straight at Lenore.
"What are you doing at home?" she challenged. She seemed agitated. "Shouldn't you be at school?"
"I was just... waiting," Lenore muttered. There was no fight in her.
"Waiting for what?" Delilah asked, shaking off her coat. She was smiling, but it was stiff, unnatural. "A ride?"
Lenore couldn't bring herself to mention Victor so she just looked down at her hands in her lap.
Thankfully her mother seems to understand.
"Do you want a ride?" she offered, her voice softer this time.
Lenore paused. She didn't exactly want to go to school, not with all these worries rattling around in her head. But now that her mom was home, she didn't want to stay there either. Her mom might be distracted by Delilah for a while, but eventually, she'd come around, asking questions. Questions Lenore didn't want to answer.
School it was, then.
She nodded at her mom.