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Chapter 32
I sit against the front door, enveloped in my blanket, waiting without a drop of patience in my being. The tile floor is hard and cold, but I've adapted to the discomfort and stopped caring about my numb toes. My mind is conjuring all sorts of things I want to shout at him. There are so many things that I can't seem to decide what to say first. Maybe how it's our first night as people that live partially together, and he's abandoned me on this special marker. Maybe how this is the second time he's done this—left with little to no explanation—and all I can do is worry until he comes back, if he does. Maybe how I'm in this house all alone and something could happen to me; he must have left for a reason.
My fingernails dig unconsciously into my palms as my eyes stay fixated on the ground. Sounds come from outside then, and I perk up like a dog who's been waiting for their owner
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Waindale Chapter 33
"Hey, Kid."Glancing up from the nest of blankets and pillows and clothes that I've made myself on my bed, I see my mother walk into my shadowy room. She comes to my depressed, laying figure, urges me to scoot over, then sits beside me."Grandma told me that you aren't feeling good today. That's okay. Missing one day of school here and there; it won't hurt," she says and brushes the top of my head with her fingers. "I just wanted to check-in. Grandma said she'll make you something to eat if you're hungry."I shake my head."Maybe later then. You know, this reminds me of when you were younger. Before bed, I used to read you stories and we'd be sat like this. I would read and play with your hair and you'd be out in minutes. Remember? We
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I sit in the corner of the shower and watch the tips of my fingers shift from blue as they warm. The water falls onto my legs from above like a million little punches or swift, passionate kisses. My head is clearing now. The fog has drifted and it's easier to think.I can feel Adam's presence on the other side of the bathroom door. I'm conflicted once again; half of me wants him to hold me and run his hand down my hair, but the other half wants to remain cold. Although I was falling to pieces, it was easier without him. My purpose was clear—last as long as you can. My purpose isn't clear now. I don't know what to do, so I sit here and watch my hands like a mermaid studies her new legs."Wrenley," I hear him call, his voice low and worn-down. "Will you come out of the bathroom?"H
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Adam is in his office. I hear his voice and two others as I make my way down the hall. The double doors are open, and when I appear between them, Adam's eyes immediately find mine. It's Ben and Alexander. I know I must be interrupting pack business, but there is no one else I want to talk to but him."Wrenley?" Adam asks."Can we talk?"He nods slowly and leaves his seat. Ben and Alexander both smile my way; I smile back and lift my hand up in a partial wave.Adam's hand connects with the small of my back as he leads me into the family room. Before he can ask what's going on, I turn to him and say, "My Dad is here. I met him today.""Your father?" He questions. "I thought you didn't
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I walk down the road with my hands warm in my jacket pockets. Sunlight filters through the forest beside me, bringing a kiss of heat to my face in the cold air around me. The cold doesn't feel so cold anymore, only a sensation that neither pleasures nor hurts me. I'm sure if it were snowing, I'd feel differently, but right now I am content. It reminds me of when I would wake up in the middle of the night, hungry. The chill from the fridge would caress me as I stood with the doors wide open. I would look over the same foods until my snack standards lowered. My problems used to be much simpler then—disappointment over the fact that my mother ate the last piece of that evening's dessert, or maybe, at the most stressful, a poor test score in one of my classes.The quiet helps me as I try to sort through my thoughts once again. Every now and then a car will pass by, or a noise will call
Waindale Chapter 37
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I run out into the snow. My feet plow through as I hurry, as my eyes stare up at the thing. I drop my backpack to the ground once I reach it. My hands touch the bark to make sure the tree is really here, and when I don't go tumbling through it like a hologram, I know that it's actually in front of me.The orange tree stands tall and sturdy. It's many branches splay out with smaller limbs sprouting in every direction. The greenest leaves coat the branches, and amongst the thousands of them are bright fruits. My eyes bounce from fruit to fruit in disbelief. I reach up and pluck a low-hanging one. I run my fingers over its skin and roll it between my hands. Lifting it to my nose, I smell the thing but it doesn't emit the scent of an orange, nor does it look like one."Careful there."My e
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