“I'll have to add your thumb into the system,” he said as he opened the door.
Once inside, my eyes widened. The house had a lot of natural wood and metal. Almost all of the walls were covered in it. The floors were a light birch color, with the natural light flooding the space.
I was shocked at the mixture of tastes. The house had a rustic look to it, but when you mixed in the metal lighting and the open rafters, it didn't quite fit under that category.
The kitchen is down the hallway. The living room and greenhouse are down there as well.”
“Greenhouse?” I turned to him with a confused expression.
Frank nodded. “It's not really a greenhouse now. My mom used it for a tea room, but I haven't touched it.” He shut the door. “The house has four bedrooms. All upstairs. My room is the first one, and you can have whatever other one you want. They are already furnished.”
My heart sank a little. What was I going to do with all of my stuff? Some of my furniture meant a lot to me. A question for another day.
“I'm going to go change,” I said, turning and heading up the stairs. I could hear my dress dragging behind me, and I tried to pick it up. I slipped past the door of the bedroom and glanced into the second one. The room was basic, with a bed and a dresser sitting across from it. There was a large window with its curtains drawn, leaving the room looking warm.
I walked inside and looked around. A small mirror was hanging near the corner, and some pictures were hanging next to it. They were photos of the landscape. No personal or family photos.
I reached back and started to unbutton my dress. I felt my fingers shake as I undid each one, feeling my stomach twist up.
I looked outside, taking in the backyard. There was a swing set in the distance with what looked like a treehouse near it. There was a huge porch with several chairs and a fireplace just near it.
I was a little over halfway when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, holding the dress up, but I knew my entire back was open. I looked over my shoulder, watching as Frank stepped into my room.
My heart stopped beating as I looked at him. I watched as his eyes scanned me, and I watched as they hardened. He ran a hand over his face and sighed. “Jesus, I'm going to need a drink to do this.”
He turned, stepping out of the room as quickly as he came in. I felt tears swell, and I bit hard on my cheek to stop them. My lower lip quivered, and I turned away. I placed my hands on my stomach and took a slow breath.
I closed my eyes, trying to push his words out, but they rang over and over in my head. I saw the way he looked at me, and he thought I was ugly. It was the only reason he would say that after looking at me.
I undressed as quickly as I could, kicking the dress away from me. All the encouragement I had before was gone. I opened the dresser and grabbed the first thing I could. It was a baggy shirt and a pair of pants. I yanked them on and grabbed thedress off the floor. I opened the closet, threw it in, and slammed the doors shut.
I threw the blankets up on the bed and crawled under them. I felt my entire body shake, and my hands shook as I rested them together.
I looked outside the window. I took in the tree house and the swing set. I imagined whoever built them clearly loved their kids. Likely Frank's dad or his grandpa for his father. Either way, the house was built with purpose and love.
I grabbed my phone and looked at a few messages that I got from Sam and Katie. They had blown up the group chat. Normally, I would have smiled, but I didn't. Their words of encouragement only made me feel worse. I couldn't shake Frank's expression from my head.
I rolled over, staring outside the window, and waited. I didn't know when he was coming back, but I needed to try at least. We both had an obligation at this point. We could both be adults and do this.
I felt my eyes growing heavy and tried to shake them off, but couldn't. I don't know when I fell asleep, but when I did, it was dreamless.
Chapter 4 - Frank
I rubbed at my eyes as my brother, Kerr, spoke. I wasn't the only one who was frustrated. We were in a meeting with Willow and Zed, two of the Council members who were designated to speak on my pack's behalf. Kerr and I did a meeting with them every couple of weeks to stay on top of information
Willow sat across from me, and Zed sat next to her. Zillow was in her mid-sixties and had a sharp tongue. She had short gray hair that bobbed around her head. She had a pinched face, which went with her attitude. She looked at me, her eyes warning me to shut Kerr up before she did. She had a short temper and didn't like to waste time.
Zed sighed heavily in his chair, which caught Kerr's attention. Zed ran a hand through his pure black hair that was peppered. He was a little more approachable than Willow on a good day. I was guessing he was around Willow's age.
“Kerr, is there anything important in this report? We don't have all day to sit around here and listen to it.”
Kerr frowned. “Of course. I wouldn't call you into this meeting if it wasn't.”
“Then spit it out already,” Willow said, a snap in her voice. She tapped her fingers on the table, getting antsy. “I have a busy day, and I don't have time for you to take forever to get to the point.”
I crossed my arms, giving Kerr a nod. He placed his papers down. “I had a woman report that she might know something about the darkness and the vision that Sam had about the child.”
This seemed to catch Willow and Zed's attention. “What did she say?”
