Chapter 59 ETCH-A-SKETCH
Edeline
Man, I’ve had my fill of exhaustion, excitement, heartache, nervousness, and confusion today. Alright, time to hit the hay. I’ll catch up with Nixx tomorrow and get all the details.
I really hoped I wouldn't be overwhelmed by anxiety tonight while I found myself alone with my thoughts.
...
I stared at the blinds, watching as the sun slowly rose higher in the sky. With each passing hour, its light grew stronger, pushing away the night and making the moon retreat to the other side of the world.
Restless nights have been a part of my life before, but last night was different. All I could do was think, shedding a few tears and lost in contemplation. It seems this will be my life for the next eight months.
A pounding headache greeted me as sunlight streamed into my bedroom. I didn't feel like getting out of bed today. Besides chatting with Nixx, who sneaked in around 2 a.m., I hadn't done much. I made it back home by midnight, but Nixx ended up staying out longer than planned. I was curious about what happened with him last night.
As the sunlight filled the room, I rolled over lazily and buried my head under a pillow, letting out a groan. The darkness provided some relief; I never really got along with sound and light.
Despite my exhaustion, a sense of comfort and a bit of excitement lingered as I thought about last night's memories. It was bittersweet, but those memories would definitely keep me going for a while. I had to admit, it sounded pretty sad. It’s frustrating to develop feelings for someone you can’t be with, but at least someone wanted me. There were just a few bumps along the way.
But as I promised myself, I’m going to keep pushing through. I’ll avoid that person and stick to my daily routine. A change of pace would be nice—just living my own life without worrying about what Percival is up to.
The smell of bacon drifted up to my room, instantly rousing my senses. I glanced at the clock.
It was 8:06 a.m.
Way too early...
With a sigh, I gave up on trying to go back to sleep and decided to see what was cooking. Though I haven’t fully regained the weight I lost during my “episode,” I’ve been eating better lately and managing to keep it down. Surprisingly, those memories that made me feel giddy ended up being beneficial rather than harmful. Things seemed to be going well—well, as well as they could. Let's just see how everything unfolds.
“Hey, Mom,” I called out as I came down the stairs and spotted her at the stove. Her dark hair was neatly done, as usual. I had no idea how she managed it.
She turned, her face softening into a sympathetic smile. “Everything alright? You were out pretty late last night.” She came over and wrapped me in a warm embrace, pressing her cheek against mine.
“I’ll be fine, Mom. Just taking it one day at a time, you know?” I tried to reassure her, though inside I was tearing up. She kept her distance, giving me a thoughtful look.
“Hey, Edeline, you haven’t been getting much sleep, have you? You don’t look too great, sweetheart. I don’t mean to sound rude, but your mom is definitely going to notice those dark circles and tired eyes. Is there anything I can do to help, babe? You seem really helpless right now.”
We always try to solve our problems, but this situation felt like an Etch-a-Sketch that just wouldn’t shake clean.
I shook my head slightly, managing a small smile. “Mom, there’s nothing you can do. It’s just that sometimes I wish Percival wasn’t meant to be Alpha, you know? If he weren’t away for the summer, none of this would be happening. If Darius had been born first, things could have been so much better for me. And you’re right—I didn’t sleep last night, or the night before, or really hardly at all the past week…” I sighed, resting my head on her shoulder as she gently rubbed my back.
Her sadness was almost palpable, a wave of empathy that seemed to seep into me. I couldn’t quite put into words the deep sadness that overwhelmed me. “I’m really sorry, Edeline… I’m so, so sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
I scrunched up my face, touched by how deeply she felt my pain. “Hey, Mom, it’s not your fault. I just got dealt a really crappy hand,” I mumbled against her shoulder.
After a brief pause, she spoke up, her voice a bit shaky. “I’ll take care of this, I swear. Just know that I care about you, and you can always count on me because I’ll always be here.” Her voice cracked at the end, a sign of her own struggle to stay strong.
My mom, always the laid-back type, had this unwavering belief that she could fix anything—even my friendship issues.
“Yeah, I got it, Mom.” I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and reached over to grab a piece of bacon from the plates. “Hey, where’s Dad? It’s Saturday.” I glanced around, but his newspaper was nowhere in sight.
She had a small frown as she flipped another batch of bacon. The sizzling grease filled the air with its smoky aroma. “So, your dad had to go talk to William about something…” Her face stayed set in that tough expression, so I decided not to push.
I heard some noise coming from upstairs. Being a wolf has its perks—like super sharp hearing that picks up every little sound. We had a tough time with that when Nixx hit puberty.
Now that Nixx was awake, it seemed like a good time to ask him a few questions before I lost my mind. I was surprised he was up so early, considering he came in at 2 a.m., but the smell of bacon had a way of rousing everyone in the house.
“Hey, I’m going to check on Nixx. Are you planning on staying home today, Mom?” I suddenly felt something cold against my chest and touched it out of curiosity. Then it hit me—it was the locket Percival had given me. I grinned to myself, feeling a bit of comfort from its familiar presence.