My hand recoiled sharply, a startled yelp escaping my lips as hot oil made contact with my skin. I jerked back a step, holding my hand up to my lips with a frown. The bacon sizzled innocently before me, filling the kitchen with a pleasant smell of cooking meat.
I'd been all but held captive in my room for the last two days, after briefly having the opportunity to explore the grounds with Ranger and Ethan. And it was all at Von's insistence that I barely leave my room as well.
I loved the man, but I wanted to smack him for that.
Ethan would visit and tell me how they were doing with research in the library. He would occasionally bring work with him, a few thick books and scraps of paper he believed could give more insight on my situation. Often times I ended up dozing as I listened to him mumble to himself as he read.
Von had deemed himself my guardian and took the job of bringing me special herbal medicines which eased the overall pain when my pills ran out. He had also been kind enough to drive to the nearest town and buy me clothes, consisting mostly of plain shirts and yoga pants with little logos on the hips.
It was the third day, and I'd grown tired of resting. The pain was in all honesty completely gone and I was recovering remarkably well. The bruises on my back - one having been nearly black - were now a dull yellow with varying patches of darkness.
The incredible healing was something I had a feeling went along with the usual book-logic cop-out I'd come to accept.
Still, I became restless just sitting in bed reading book after book.
And that brought me to where I was, carefully trying to avoid another unexpected pop of oil. I shuffled around the kitchen, glad that Von seemed to keep it stocked with more than just cans of food. I was pleasantly surprised to find fresh vegetables. And I made a tiny mental note to ask Von if he had grown the vegetables myself.
My left hand made the task of skinning and chopping the potatoes difficult, but not impossible. Von had been reluctant to remove the brace for longer than necessary. Even when I told him I had no pain no matter how "hard" he touched my fingers.
I stopped to turn the bacon, and then replace it with more once I felt it to be perfectly crispy. I had seen the three men eat three large servings each easily. And Von ate the most out of all of them, which I didn't find surprising given his size.
No sooner than I had started the potatoes did I hear the sound of feet hitting the stairs. They halted halfway down, hesitating for a few seconds before speeding up to a quick trample down the steps.
I turned just in time to see Ethan come around the corner, dark brown eyes lighting up at the sight of the covered bacon plate. A wide grin came over his face, and he rubbed his hands together eagerly. He looked like a somewhat greedy little kid on Christmas morning, even though with his size he could never be mistaken for one.
He strode over to reach around my shoulder and pluck a bit of bacon from the pan, yelping in slight pain that was quickly ignored, and popping it into his mouth despite the heat. For a moment he stood there, air rushing out of his mouth in quick intervals as he attempted to regulate the temperature of the still cooking meat on his tongue.
"Ow-h!" His voice came out thick, a hand moving to fan his mouth quickly. "Tha'th ho'th!"
I stifled a chuckle with my fist, nodding once or twice as I somewhat awkwardly pat his arm, to reassure him the pain would end. Of course, it did soon after and he offered me a bright grin before going to take another piece from the plate of bacon already cooled down.
"Hot but good. I guess I get first pick?" He commented, bracing a hand on the counter to my right. I nodded.
"I was going to make everyone eggs too, any particular way you like them?" I faced the stove, pushing my spatula through the potatoes before turning the bacon with a fork.
"Three, scrambled if you can. Von doesn't like eggs, but Ranger likes his sunny." He moved away, and I let out a tiny breath as he sat down at square table pushed up against the wall. It was old, and the top was layered with documents and oddities, but it seemed sturdy otherwise.
At the mention of the blond, my hand paused for a fraction of a second.
I'd seen him rarely since the small outing with Ethan around the property. Most of the time, when I'd made a hobble down the stairs before Von could catch me, I would see him in the Library pouring over books. Otherwise I'd catch him walking by my doorway without a pause or glance in my direction.
I bit the inside of my cheek lightly as I retrieved the eggs and found another pan to use. I doubted the stove had seen this much use in ages, the three out of four burners being used simultaneously.
"Need any help?" Ethan asked, resting his elbows on the free space of the table. "I'll feel bad if I do nothing you know."
I cocked my head to the side, tapping my finger lightly on the counter before nodding. It would be impossible for me to do the dishes with my hand the way it was.
"If you wash the dishes I'll call it even."
"Ah damn, shoulda seen that coming... OK."
"Ah! Seems we got ourselves a cook, eh?" A familiar booming voice came from behind me.
I let out a startled yelp, almost flinging potatoes behind my shoulder in my shock if it hadn't been for the strong hand that steadied my own. Ethan tossed me a wink and I pursed my lips, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
"Hadn't meant to scare ya." A large hand settled atop my head, ruffling the morning curls affectionately. "Jus' proves ya couldn't hurt a fly if you get startled like that.
His words had me pausing for a second time, cocking my head to the side before nodding slowly. I'd nearly forgotten the fact that I was still a somewhat suspicious character to them. And I couldn't very well blame them for thinking it.
Von reached around to pluck a piece of potato from the pan popping it into his mouth with a small hum of approval. Then he was pulling plates from the cupboard and settling them off to the side Gentle grey eyes twinkled in my direction, with all the warmth of a father or grandfather. And for a tiny moment I felt humbled just to be in the presence of a man who had practically adopted me without question.
"Think I'll have some, before the brats do anyhow." Von grinned, forking several bits of bacon to deposit onto his plate as Ethan let out a sound of protest.
"I'm not a-"
His words were cut off by a sudden and rapid knock at the door that had everyone freezing for a fraction of a second. Von, paused as he opened the cutlerty drawer. And it came as no surprise to me when he instead withdrew a gun. It was then apparent he hadn't been expecting visitors.
My worry was cut off as heavy footsteps reached my ears, and Ranger appeared in the archway. His hair was somewhat wet, and his clothes wrinkled from being tossed on in an obvious rush to get downstairs. He paused in the archway, noting Von's tense shoulders and my somewhat worried gaze. His eyes slid over the food behind me, flickering once to my hand that held the spatula before he dismissed it entirely.
"Don't worry. I called them." And without anything more he strode out of sight and onward to unbolt the front door. I heard it open, followed by two sets of footsteps before it was closed and locked once more.
A small part of me wondered if I should have made more food.
"Ranger, good to see you." An older mans voice reached my ears. "Now care to tell me why we had to hurry over? We were all the way on the other side of the states. A little information could have done wonders boy." His tone was light, but I could sense an underlying concern to it.
Beside me I noticed Von's posture relax, and his gun was returned to wherever he had pulled it out from. Frankly I didn't want to know how many guns were in the house, or where.
Ethan had returned to his meal, not entirely relaxed but also not as tense as he had been before. I still hadn't moved from my spot, staring at the entrance to the kitchen nervously. It was only a sturdy hand on my shoulder that belonged to Von that made me slowly turn back to the somewhat too crispy bacon sizzling at my back.
"Damn, smells good. I thought you guys didn't cook?" A second voice reached my ears and my hand stilled, halfway through turning the bacon.
It was startlingly familiar.
"That's what I'd called about."
"What? Almost three days of driving for breakfast?" The voice spoke yet again, and I shook my head rapidly. My ears had to be playing tricks.
I turned my head in time to see a tall man enter through the doorway of the kitchen. He was not extremely tall as Ranger, Ethan and Von seemed to be. However he was a good size taller than I was, as well as older.
His skin was tanned from what I could only peg as many days out in the sun. He was rather lanky in build, but also lean as if he worked out quite regularly. His hair was cut short, a pleasant blond with several streaks of grey running through it. The only sign apart from the worry lines that made him look anything over 30.
His posture was relaxed up until when he saw me, and a tiny flag of warning went up in my head. Within half a second he was sizing me up; and the look on his face said it all. He knew I was nowhere near a hunter, but he wasn't looking at me as though I was a demon. In fact, he was looking at me as if I was an entirely different class all together.
And that couldn't possibly be a good thing.
"Hey Pop, what are you-..." The second voice, the familiar one, trailed off.
Ranger raised a questioning eyebrow at the shared gaze, eyes flickering back and forth between the two of us.
My heart froze in my chest as familiar ice blue eyes met my own, wide in shock before they narrowed sharply in unmasked rage. His body tensed, hands curling into fists at his sides. I was about to open my mouth and proclaim my shock, when I noticed it was already too late.
And I suddenly found myself with a muscular arm across my windpipe, and a gun barrel set directly between my eyes.
x-x-x
Gosh, I wonder who in the world these two strangers might be? And why would Ranger call them?
If you have any guesses, shout it out! If you already know, tell me what your favorite cookie is! (Or sweet treat, if cookies don't tickle your fancy.)
Comment and vote please!