The Peregrine Passage

Chapter Four: Hazel

By the time morning comes, I'm awake well before my alarm. I stayed up almost all night wondering what the symbol could mean, what to do next, and what to wear. The questions vary in importance but regardless of that, I'm excited for today. The weather has continued its cold streak in Maple Rdige and I don't make the mistake of underdressing today, opting to layer a green scarf on top of my wool coat.

I look for my mom in the kitchen on my way out of the apartment, but I don't see her. We didn't get the chance to catch up last night and I find myself missing her a little bit. We've gotten significantly closer since my dad died, even though she's had to work a lot more. I used to tell her everything but lately, she's been too busy to sit down with me for more than a few minutes at a time. These past few months while we've been struggling more with money, she hasn't seemed the same. She never complains about anything, but I can tell she's tired.

I peek out the small kitchen window to see a slight drizzle, but nothing too intense. I hustle down the stairs and out the front of the building, quickly making my way to the street. The ground is still muddy from the rain last night and my boots make dents in the soil as I slosh my way to the diner. I arrive at around 6:45, but I don't care that I'm early. The door rings as I step through and I catch myself holding in a smile as I see Adam in the back corner. I guess we both want to get to work.

I slide into the booth across from him and pull my purple notebook out of my backpack.

"Good morning, Hazel." His elbows are propped up on the table and he seats his head on his hands.

"Good morning, Adam." I greet in a mocking tone.

"So, let's get down to business. What's on the agenda for today? I took Sawyer here so we can drive straight to the mansion from school." It takes me a second to remember that he named his truck.

"I brought some supplies to explore the stairwell a little more when we're over there. We're also going to need to head to the town library to see if we can get any information on Charles Peregrine and that symbol. There's probably some more relevant stuff in the mansion library too. I think we'll have to look through all those journals. I definitely want to read at least a couple of them, just to use as sources for our paper."

I pause as the waitress from yesterday comes up to the table, remembering that she's Adam's sister. She eyes me up and down and gives her brother a smirk.

"Wow, the same girl two days in a row. What can I say, Adam? I'm impressed, she's pretty." I catch myself blushing and clear my throat.

"Oh, we're not—" I'm about to explain the situation when Adam cuts me off with a sigh.

"Hazel, this is my sister, Piper. She likes to make fun of me and is incredibly annoying, but she provides free food, so we keep her around." He elbows her from the booth and grins.

"Nice to meet you, Hazel. Pumpkin pancakes and coffee, right?" She's already writing in her notepad before I confirm. I notice a few similarities between her and Adam. They both act like they're in on some joke that nobody else knows and talk like they're consistently on the verge of laughter. Visually, though, they couldn't be more different. Where Adam is tall and slender, Piper is short and curvy. She's also quite a bit paler than him with deep-set, stone-gray eyes. Her hair is dark and has subtle streaks of midnight blue that compliment her silver eyeliner.

"Yes, that sounds perfect. Nice to meet you, too." I give her a shy smile.

"Burger for you, Adam?"

"I will actually be trying the pumpkin pancakes this morning, as well." His sister gives him a mocking look of shock before jotting his order down and walking to the back.