Running Red: Lost Moon

Chapter 8: Records

Rhea stood in the living room, looking at the mess of food on the coffee table. She sighed as she walked over to the stairs. She had to get to work. "Levi!"

"Yeah?" Levi appeared in his bedroom doorway, leaning on one crutch, Brian's head poking out the doorway in curiosity. A tan cat dashed out of his room towards the guest room. Levi twisted to look at it and called out. "Come back Ozy."

"Make sure you clean up the living room before you go to bed."

"Okay." He turned to head back into his room.

"I better see the brace on your arm when I get back home, or so help me I'm going to tape it to you!" Rhea heard the usual teen groan of refusal. "I mean it, Levi." She walked over to get her purse and keys. "And don't you dare make Michael clean it up."

A half-awake Michael asked as he came down the stairs. "What about me?"

"The living room is Levi's mess to clean up." Michael yawned, his words coming out garbled, and Rhea laughed. "Try that in English next."

Michael rubbed at his eyes before stooping to pick up his cat when it bumped up against his leg. "I said okay. Want me to order them dinner?" He started scratching at the cat's chin.

"If you're okay with it. Make sure you get enough. Levi has a hollow pit somewhere on his body to fill."

Michael and the cat startled at the shout from Levi's room. "I do not!"

Rhea didn't miss a beat as she yelled back. "Stop eavesdropping; it's rude! Don't forget about your doctor's visit today!"

"Has he always been able to hear that well?"

"Yes." Rhea reached out to pet the cat behind the ears. "And it was a pain trying to keep him from snooping while me and Andrew talked Christmas. I miss Arnan, he went missing after Andrew disappeared. We had to give up finding him when we moved out here." She moved to dig through her purse. "Anyways, here's an extra twenty." Michael started to protest. "Trust me, you're going to need it. There are three teens up there and two more showing up soon. So if in doubt, order more."

He took the twenty, and Rhea was almost out the door when she paused and looked at Michael. "Make sure he's safe. I know he's mad at you, but he's not mad enough to not listen if there is trouble. He doesn't hate you. If he did, he wouldn't have acknowledged you the whole time you've been here."

Michael nodded as he caught the screen door from swinging shut. Ozy quickly squeezed past Michael to get outside. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did. God knows how long I didn't like him the first few years I met him." He fought to scratch the burn mark along his jawline. "He'll be fine."

Rhea stopped outside the door on the porch and shivered a little. She missed the cold weather. Then, turning, she pointed at the door. "My coat." Michael grabbed her coat and passed it to her. "I'll be home late. There was a large order for Halloween. We need to make sure we have enough supplies, and the client is coming in to go over designs."

"What about Levi's doctor appointment?"

"Can you take him? We didn't expect this order to come out of the blue like this."

"And Brian and Drystan?"

"They wanted to come. Came at eight in the morning and woke Levi up." She turned to leave. "It's at two. Just make sure he gets there and doesn't talk the doctor into getting out of a cane."

Michael watched as Rhea drove away, and before he walked into the house, he traced something on the door frame. When the door closed, the spot glowed before vanishing.

Michael walked through the living room into the kitchen. He snagged the keys on the kitchen table before walking over to a door off the kitchen. Reaching out, he knocked on the partially opened door and looked in. The room had originally been a mudroom that connected to the porch. Rhea's father had boarded up the old doorway. He converted the space into an office/guest room around the same time Michael and Levi had come into the family. "Cain."