Dad had gotten home in the early hours of the morning, surrendering to bed until about midday when he dragged himself up much like I had. He looked as I felt, drained, tired and overworked.
Together we sat at the dining table eating bacon, eggs and toast. We were quiet, enjoying the silence and the dull tone of the cartoons on the living room television.
"What are you doing today love?" He asked, munching on his butter coated toast
I shrugged "Hanging out with Danny"
There was no point lying or dancing around the truth, he would find out someway somehow anyways "What about you?"
"Even though I'm sure I could go back to bed and sleep for a solid 24 hours straight, the adult thing to do says I'll get dressed and make it to Luke's soccer game in time for the second half" He smiled, his eyes sporting dark circles
"Have you ever thought about taking some time off dad?" I mused
"I have" He sighed "But I don't like the thought of letting my patients down"
"I get that, but you need time for you, for your family too, not saying you don't spend time with us already, I mean you're an amazing dad, but you give a lot of yourself to work. If you had some time off, you could even have a few date nights out with Mum, I know she would enjoy that"
He narrowed his eyes on me "Has Mum said something to you, did she ask for you to persuade me?"
"No, she didn't, Why? Has she been asking you to take time off too?" I took a sip of my orange juice
"Great minds think alike it seems" He winked "You are both so similar sometimes it frightens me"
"I've always thought of myself being more of your personality, not hers" I opposed as I leaned back in my chair
"In some ways. You are laid back like I am, you're a home body like I am, we both don't seem to have an ill-temper, but as for the rest" He leaned back like I had, combing his fingers through his unkept hair
"You are determined like she is, selfless and kind, you always want to help and you always follow through with what you begin. I'm lazy in that sense, I struggle to do as I say, I struggle to finish what I start, like that old mustang in the garage" He laughed
"Which is exactly why you should take a week or two off" I enforced while I stood, collecting his empty plate with mine
"I'll see what I can do Em" He sighed as he stood "Have a good day, I'm going to shower and head out"
"Okay" I called as I began to wash our dishes up, the warm water on my fingers soothing.
Just as I was shaking my hands dry, purposely wetting Mollie who sat at my feet, my phone began to ring from my bedroom
Racing down to answer it, I reached it just in time before the caller hung up
"Hello?"
"Emilia, hey it's me" Skyler's voice greeted on the other side
I had momentarily forgotten about what had happened between Mathew and Danny last night, remembering instantly when Skyler's tone hit my ears that their had been many witnesses
"Hey, sorry I haven't text you, I not long woke up" I half lied
"I figured you would have had a 'busy' night, and needed to sleep in, hence why I'm calling now" She breathed "So, tell me what happened and I'll tell you what happened when you left"
I hadn't thought of an excuse for my friends yet as to what had happened once Danny and I had left early together. Now my brain was scrambling for a viable one.
"Danny and I went to the park to talk, that's all we really did and then he took me home"
It was a pathetic attempt, and I could tell just by her brief hesitation that she hadn't believed it for a single second
"If you want to really know what happened after you left, and let me tell you, it's good goss and useful, then you're going to have to tell me what really happened, so, let me be more specific" Skyler began, her tone playful yet serious "Did you kiss him?"
I made an obvious sigh before answering her, honestly "No, no I didn't"
"Okay, did you do anything intimate or romantic?" She continued to interrogate
"No Skyler, I promise"
It wasn't hard to sound convincing, because it wasn't a lie
"Oh" She sounded disappointed - she wasn't the only one "Well that's not exciting at all, the complete opposite of what happened with James and I"
I could see her wriggling her eyebrows suggestively, a good sign. I was happy for her, she deserved the attention, and James was a genuinely great guy. Suddenly, I was jealous, of her and James, of Cara and Justin, Paisley and Dayton, all of them. They were all capable of exploring personal feelings and relationships, without the supernatural fear Danny and I had. They had no clue just how lucky they truely were to be able to even look at each other.
"Do I get to hear the juicy details?" I asked curiously as I prepared clothes for the day
"Of course you do, I was going to tell you regardless, you and I both know my threats are pointless" She laughed, her mood bright and cheery "After you left, Mathew started saying stuff about how he was going to get you both back, he said that he wasn't going to let you both make a dick out of him"
I had expected that, if anything, more.
"He ended up leaving in a hurry after he spoke with someone on the phone. So with them gone it was a good night, but it would have obviously been better had you of stayed" She rambled on with the bonus features "Anyways, James and I made out, a lot, the first time was on the dance floor and throughout the night it kinda progressed, eventually we ended up behind the bleachers on the football field"
"Do I want to know what happened next Sky?" My tone was strong, like a mother's would be in the awkward situation
She let out a small nervous laugh "It was getting heated and then we got distracted, had it of not been for what we saw, what we heard, James and I probably would have been.. undressed" She chose her words carefully
"What did you see and hear Skyler?" I urged for information "It wasn't Ash and Fletch again was it? They've been caught doing it on that field so many times already.." I recalled the numerous rumours of the pair having enjoyed using the football field for their inappropriate relations
"No, no it wasn't. It was Mathew"
"Mathew?" I repeated, confused
"Okay, so Mathew was there with some super hot girl, they looked friendly, you could totally tell she was flirting, and he was loving it. James and I snuck closer and heard them talking, they were talking about you and Danny"
My heart instantly dropped, reality rushing into mind "What did she look like?"
"Like I said, she was hot, she had on this gorgeous red dress and her hair was long wavy and beautiful, but that doesn't matter, it was what we heard-"
From there on, my ears had began to ring. Insects were crawling under my skin at the latest development. I couldn't hear what Skyler was saying, even though I wanted to know what had been heard. My brain needed to catch up, absorb the information and then process it before I could handle the next unknown blow.
"Emilia? Emilia are you still there?" Skyler's voice beckoned back my sanity, my attention
"Yeah, sorry, I was just having some reception problems, I didn't hear what you heard, can you start over?" I asked, dramatically pulling my new clothes on in a rush, eager to meet with Danny and reveal to him the new twist.
It was easy to see what was going on when Skyler had told me the truth. I was fortunate that she and James had actually been where they were to see and hear what they did; this gave us a huge advantage. I was shocked, and then when the news settled in, I told myself that I should have expected it. If I hadn't of been frightened at the prospect of dying in the place of Danny before, it was certainly alive now, and sooner than I had imagined.
Pulling my light black cardigan over my floral blue singlet blouse, I left the house on foot, aiming for Danny's home.
I had attempted to call him, but had received no answer, which became more of a worry. All I could think about, was the betrayal, the hatred and the sneakiness of what was seemingly going on. I wanted to talk about it, I wanted someone to calm me down before I took matters into my own hands. I wasn't afraid of Mathew, but I was afraid of the influence that was now being held over him. He was being fed lies, and he had no idea of it. Manipulation was a powerful gift, but a dangerous one.
The breeze on my walk was slightly fanning down my tempter, the walk probably doing my mind and body more good than I had expected. Pacing myself, I kept my heart rate steady and my shakes at bay.
The distraction of my Saturday afternoon walk seemed to be doing me a world of good. Many others were out enjoying the cool weather, walking their dogs, jogging, gardening or washing their cars. The normalcy that I caught glimpses of was refreshing and gave me a small clutch at hope. Maybe one day that could be me, enjoying the simple things in life, the normal things. I had once had that, and now that it was gone, I realised just how good I'd had it. I guess that old saying stuck.
Captured by the birds overhead and the white picket fences I passed, I had only noticed at the last second the obstruction on the footpath. Seeing it last second, was better than having not seen it at all, because when I fell forward, my foot catching the protruding cracked cement path, instincts told me to be ready.
My hands reacted appropriately, reaching out to soften the blow. I had landed firmly on my knees and palms, the rough cement scraping off a layer of skin. I hissed out in reaction, gritting my teeth as I stood and examined the damage. My palms were raw and red, slight bleeding escaping the thin scrapes and scratches. I dusted the loose gravel from my skin, bending down to do the same with my knees, which were now also bleeding through my ripped jeans. The obvious injuries were petty and minor, but the aching and groaning my already damaged wrist was now doing gave me room for concern.
"Damn it" I cursed, looking back at the deadly culprit with spite, the broken path I'd not ever noticed before
Holding my wrist close to my chest, I began to move forward again.
Slowly my hairline fracture had begun to heal, pain no longer a daily struggle, but now, I feared it had been reversed and prolonged.
Five minutes later, I was knocking on Danny's front door - with my good hand.
"Hey" He answered as he pulled the screen door open, standing aside to allow me entry
"Hi" I shyly replied, moving into the warm home, nervous for now a number of reasons
Despite not often looking at me, or my direction, Danny was fast to recognise that there was a problem.
As I dawdled into the living room, I realised it was quiet. There was no sight of Blake nor Selena, whom were both supposed to have been there.
"Where is everyone?" I turned as I stood beside the back of the couch, self-consciously rubbing my wrist in slow circles
"What happened to you?" Danny ignored my question, stepping forward with his firm eyes on my hands
"Nothing" I tried to brush it off, knowing he would feel guilt as I pushed my hands back down to my sides, my palms facing away from him
He raised an eyebrow unbelieving of my lie, stepping closer and reaching out for my hands "Show me"
"It's fine Danny" I rolled my eyes, turning from him, crossing my arms, the movement only arguing against my claim
"Stop being so damn stubborn" He grumbled, taking a hold of my upper arm, gently pulling my posture unfolded, moving his slow fingers down my arm to my wrists
"Like you can call me stubborn" I scoffed as he examined my wounds
"You fell?" He mumbled
I nodded "Yeah"
His hands dropped from mine, his body moving to the kitchen "Mum should be home soon, she can take a closer look at your wrist, it's already swelling, so you've definitely stirred the injury up again"
He returned to my side with an ice pack, lightly pressing it to my left wrist, the freezing sensation causing me to instinctively hiss out