Chapter 40: *CHAPTER 40*

I was woken up the next morning to be subjected to the same torture as I had been the previous one. I woke up exhausted, after dinner last night and the realization that I had some sort of affinity to Magic of all things, I'd lain in bed awake for hours tossing and turning. Thankfully I hadn't ended up in Malcolm's room like I had the night before--the Bond seemingly satisfied after our afternoon in the truck. Neither of us had brought up what happened, and at this point I wasn't sure if I were brave enough to.

The only thing that got me out of bed at all after the hellish workout yesterday was the memory of the vision I'd had of George, the dark figure standing in his living room. With the newfound worry gnawing on me that I really could end up a target of the murderer, I decided it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to work on my ability to run away. Now, though, I was quickly coming to regret the decision I'd made while half asleep. If I'd thought maybe Malcolm would give me a reprieve after everything I'd been through last night, or what we'd done yesterday, I'd have been very wrong. If anything, he pushed me even harder than he had yesterday.

"Slow down," I panted, "I'm going to throw up if keep going like this," I wasn't exaggerating either. My insides were on fire, my stomach churning uncomfortably with every pounding footstep against the concrete. Running fucking sucked.

Impatience burned through Malcolm down the bond, "It's not the speed that's making you sick, it's the chili cheese fries you ate last night."

"No," I told him definitively, on a huffed breath, "it's definitely the running." I hadn't been feeling sick until after he started pushing me to move at this ungodly pace.

Caleb and Malcolm turned to each other to share an amused look.

"It's not funny." I told them.

"Just breathe through it." Malcolm unhelpfully suggested, "If a monster is chasing you, it's not going to slow down just because you asked it to."

I flipped him off which only made his amused expression grow.

After a grueling run and an even more miserable session with weights, I hobbled my way up the stairs to my room, a mug of coffee in hand to shower away the agony that was the last hour of my life.

After last night, I felt like a wire stretched too thin. My nerves were shot, muscles jittery. Everyone always claimed exercise was supposed to help with that, help get out anxiety, but running with Caleb and Malcolm had just made me more tired. Dark circles stuck out in stark contrast beneath my eyes, and even smearing a few layers of concealer beneath them hadn't helped to completely disguise the puffiness there.

Luckily for my tired body, I didn't have work this morning—unluckily if you looked at the bills I still needed to pay. I scrolled my email on my phone, grimacing as I took in the new bills that were stacking up in my inbox. Re-counting through the tips I'd made over the past few days that I'd shoved haphazardly into my wallet didn't help ease the mounting stress.

Not for the first time, I wondered if I'd need to get an extra job my first semester of college to help pay for housing. The mortgage on my uncle's house wasn't terrible. But add that to everything else... I rubbed the stress lines I could feel stretching across my forehead. The idea of working long hours on top of adjusting to college life and a new class schedule wasn't ideal to say the least.

Looking at my accounts though, I knew I'd have to take out a hefty chunk from my savings to make up for what I hadn't made this month. At this point, I didn't think I had a choice. I'd make it work. I had to.

With that thought ringing in my head like a mantra, I emerged from my borrowed room; Still exhausted, but at least clean. In pair of fresh clothes, I made my way to the sound of voices coming from the kitchen.

Half way down the stairs, I caught the sound of an unfamiliar female voice mixed in with the sound of Caleb and Malcolm's voices and my steps slowed fractionally as I turned the corner and through the archway leading to the kitchen.

At the expensive dining table at the far side of the kitchen, which I was quickly coming to realize was rarely used if ever, was a sprawl of computer monitors and other equipment in the midst of being set up. I watched on in shock at the unexpected scene in front of me. I hadn't been gone that long. However it had gotten here, it had happened fast.

A long pair of legs stuck out from beneath the dining table, feet clad in a pair of lilac Converse tennis shoes. Caleb hovered near the pair of legs, clutching a pile of wires in his arms, his expression one of bewilderment as he eyed the wires and flashing lights with wide eyes.

Malcolm, lounged casually against the counter a few feet away from the explosion of computer parts, looking on with an expression of boredom. At the sound of my hovering footsteps in the doorway, his tawny head turned in my direction,"There you are."

"What's all this for?" I motioned toward what looked like a startup tech company in the middle of the dining room.

"Penny does research for the Oculus," Malcolm explained, "I called her up to research the idea you had about checking into hospital records."

There was a shuffling beneath the table as Penny extracted herself from beneath the table, "Hello," a chipper voice called out in greeting. There was a dull thud as she knocked what I assumed was her head on the edge of the table on the way out. "Ouch," she muttered under her breath, blushing furiously. Rubbing at her forehead, she stood up to her full height.

Long, dark blonde hair had been twisted out of her face in a pair of messy twin braids dragging along the sleeves of the gray t-shirt she wore. A slim pair of glasses were balanced across her freckled nose.

She took a few steps to thrust a hand in my direction, a hesitant grin spread across her face, "Penelope Rutherford, but everyone just calls me Penny. You must be Kassie," As she approached, I realized how tall she really was, probably close to Malcolm's height.

She clasped it with a firm shake, and I couldn't help the smile I felt spreading across my face. There was something...sunny about her. She was wearing a t-shirt that said, 'Hedgehogs, why don't they just share the hedge?' With the image of a hedgehog saying "no". Something about her shifted the somber mood that had taken over me this morning. I liked her instantly.

"Nice to meet you," I told her, and meant it. Pointing to the computers scattered around I said, "That's a very impressive set up you have there."

Her face lit up at the compliment, "Thank you! Though, not all of it's mine. The Oculus lends me some of their equipment when they hire me on to a case. I freelance for them in research while I'm finishing up school." She shrugged, like it was no big deal, but I was impressed.

"And you have to carry all that around everywhere?" Looking at all that equipment had me feeling exhausted for her.

"Not usually," she sounded relieved by that fact and I couldn't blame her one bit, "Most of the time, I go over to their offices and do the work on the computers there, except when it's specifically requested."

Even with all the extra work it seemed she was doing, she looked chipper, "I'm almost done setting up, just give me a few more minutes and I'll be good to go."

She turned back to the dining table to click on a few switches, screens beginning to light up like a Christmas tree. Caleb asked her a question I couldn't hear as she worked and a blush overtook her face again.

"What's that look for?" Malcolm asked me, following my gaze.

Ignoring his question, I asked, "You made her bring all that here? Why?"

"Can't exactly be in the office all day right now." He jiggled the wrist that was marked with our Curse Mark like it should be obvious. "And this case has gone on long enough, I want to keep an eye on things while I'm going over evidence."

It did line up with what I knew of Malcolm so far. He didn't seem like the type of person to just sit back and let things happen. I guess we had that in common then. I couldn't exactly argue with his readiness to have this case wrapped up. A deep ache throbbed in my chest at the prospect of George's murderer still out there. He—and all the other victims—deserved to have some justice after everything.

Malcolm tapped his hand on the counter impatiently, "We ready to go Penny?"