Country Mile

FINALLY WARMER

Almost a full week had passed since Anne Cutler's home burned down. The den across from Adam's room had since been transformed to accommodate her prolonged stay. Its appearance stayed relatively the same, save for the couch that was replaced with a bed. The bookshelves now held a few things Anne was able to salvage from the fire, and Adam's desk remained in place so she would have a private area to retreat to when grading papers. It looked homey and as much as Anne didn't want to fall madly in love with the space, or the man across from it, such a denial was becoming harder to refute with each passing day.

Despite the warmth blossoming within Anne's chest, the opposite could be said for Genna. The inner atmosphere of the farm house was still considerably colder. There was no laughter at meal times, no dance parties during clean up after dinner. Interactions were stagnant. Genna had decided that as little socializing as possible would serve her best. The very last thing she wanted to do was add fuel to the fire Adam lit each night as he reminded her of the importance of staying on the straight and narrow.

Having also lost her privileges of seeing Archer and their friends outside of school during her grounding, Genna used Hastings High as a nice escape from the pressures she felt at home. She spent every moment she could with them until the final bell rang. The only positive thing she could see coming from the sentencing Adam had dished out, was her homework was always completed and she had ample time to study.

Usually on Fridays, Genna would procrastinate doing homework until Sunday evenings, but having nothing better to do with her time, she set herself up at the kitchen table. She laid out each assignment in order of difficulty; choosing to do the harder tasks first and ignoring everyone who came in and out of the kitchen as she focused.

The scent of dinner permeating throughout the room made her realize just how long she'd been sitting there working, but a sense of accomplishment filled her as she slipped the last completed packet into its rightful folder. She silently put everything back into her book bag and zipped it closed. Slinging it over her shoulder, she looked up to see Adam watching her. They stared at each other briefly, but just as it looked like Adam was going to say something, Genna made a quick exit and trotted up the stairs to her room. It wasn't long before Delilah's voice called up from downstairs.

"Genna, dinner's ready!"

The petitioned one rolled off her bed and made her way to the bathroom to wash her hands. As she washed, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was bombarded with thoughts of how different she looked. How different she felt. It wasn't like her to be the goody-goody. It wasn't like her to withdraw from everything around her instead of put up a fight.

It wasn't like her to choose silence over assertion.

However, in this war of wills with Adam, she had to learn to pick her battles wisely. Sighing at her reflection, she dried her hands and made her way downstairs. The house's other occupants were already seated when she arrived at the table. She quietly took her seat, still pretending she wasn't allowed to speak even though Adam had said she could. It helped keep her from earning herself more troubles to answer for at bedtime.

As Genna took in the view of what was served, she realized Adam had made their favorite meal: chicken fajitas. She looked over to see he was yet again already watching her. She gave him a grateful smile, making the left side of his mouth turn up in response. An emotion she couldn't name trickled in through her hardened exterior. Warmed tortillas, cheese, lettuce, and other various ingredients were passed around wordlessly, just like most nights since Anne's arrival.

"So," Adam spoke, his deep voice breaking the silence and causing Delilah to jump in her seat. "How was school girls?"

The familiar phrase soothed Genna's nerves.