Chapter 11

My head hurt when I woke up; I knew I'd dreamed of voices but I couldn't remember what was said. That's the last time I take those to go to sleep, I thought to myself and rolled out of bed, the bright sunlight shining through my windows stabbing my eyes.

Aunt Claire had left a note on the fridge saying she'd gone out with some friends and she'd be back later tonight, a hastily written cell phone number below her writing if I needed to reach her; she hated cell phones.

I had the house to myself, the sun was shining, my headache eased after breakfast and it might reach forty degrees. The majority of the snow was melted by noon and I decided to go exploring.

Claire's backyard ended at the trees and there was a little dirt track that led through to a small clearing a little ways in. I grabbed a picnic blanket, a regular blanket, a book and a bottle of juice and headed out, my cell phone turned to vibrate just incase.

The woods were comforting and smelled of clean air with the slightly musty odor of decomposing leaves rising up from under my feet.

The clearing was just as I remembered it, though in shades of brown and gray rather than the green I was used to, the earth squishy from the melted snow. I laid the plastic side of the picnic blanket down, took off my shoes and sat cross-legged in the middle, the other blanket across my lap.

It was very peaceful, the sounds of a Western Meadowlark echoing through the trees, its loud, cheerful warbling whistle making me smile. I laid back, my hands under my head and closed my eyes, relaxing. There was no place in my head for worry or irritation, no room for anything but the simple pleasure of connecting with my surroundings in a way that can't be done in a city. This was the real reason why I came here every summer; not the people, but the land.

I don't know how long I laid out there, but next thing I knew, it was sunset and I was really cold. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, marveling at the idea that I'd dozed off. The wind picked up and I shivered; suddenly my little clearing wasn't very friendly anymore. I shoved my feet into my shoes and picked up my things, hustling down the path with the creepy feeling that something was watching me.

I breathed easier once I was inside, not that I thought I was any safer, I just knew where possible weapons were.

I made myself dinner, finished my homework and was watching a movie when Claire got home.

"How was your day?" I asked as she came in the door carrying bags. "Need some help?"

"No, I got it," she shut the door with her foot, dropped the bags on the floor and flopped down beside me on the couch. "It was good. Me and a few others went on a garage sale spree and found some good stuff."

Aunt Claire loved searching through other people's junk and discovering treasures, whether it be clothes, furniture or knick-knacks. This time, it was a little bit of everything.

There were quilts, a few plates, a couple of shirts, some scrap fabric she thought would make nice curtains for my room and a few other tidbits.

We went through her finds and found places to put them, rearranging things to her satisfaction. She asked about my day and I told her, laughing as we recalled similar escapades in my younger days.

Even though I'd napped outside, I was still tired. I took a long shower and retired early; tomorrow was Monday and I was eager to see Connor again, though I knew I shouldn't be; it wasn't like we were actually dating.