McGee: Drawn to Life! (Special)

Chapter Four

*It was strange waking up in a new home. The smells were different and instead of crows and cars, the sounds of songbirds greeted Ellie's ears as she stirred from the bed. She ran her hand through the mop of red hair on her head, despite puffy eyes from her tears the night before mixed with minor bruising on her face, she couldn't lie and say she didn't have one of the best nights of sleep in a long while.

After treating herself to a nice long shower, Ellie decided to emerge from the bedroom, watching as her Aunt was already dressed for the day and making breakfast.*

DEBRA:
*She jumped slightly as she heard footsteps approach.*

 Oh!! Good morning, Ellie!

*She noted the girl was back in her hoodie. She added PJs to the list of things she already had going in her head of things to get the teen.*

 I hope I wasn't the one to wake you up!

ELLIE:
No... No, no you didn't wake me.

*She watched as her aunt cooked eggs on the stove. There was no doubt the scent was delicious, given all she'd eaten the last few days was snacks and hospital food, her appetite mostly lost.*

The uh, birds in the garden did, actually, but not in a bad way...

*Ellie noted the woman had a bandana in her hair, battered jean overalls on her person that were covered in paint stains, and a pink tank top; what was she doing? *

DEBRA:
*She hummed happily, turning the eggs over.*

I love those little chickadees! It's such a pleasant way to wake up~

*She heard the sound of the fridge opening and looked behind her a moment, seeing the teen looking lost in the chilled box's contents. A moment later she pulled out an apple, looking it over with a small sigh before closing the fridge and going to the table.*

O-oh, I'm so sorry... I thought you'd like eggs. You did as a little girl.

ELLIE:
*She stopped halfway through pulling out her chair.*

 I...do...

*When her aunt just blinked at her, Ellie suddenly seemed to realize--*

 W-wait, you're making us both breakfast?

DEBRA:
*She felt her blood boil as Ellie seemed so stunned and confused.*

[Really, Courtney?! You were at this very stove with me making breakfast for Ellie the last time she was here and scolded me for how I did her eggs!]

*However, she kept her anger hidden, instead smiling brightly.*

 You still like them sunny-side up, right kiddo?  

ELLIE:
Y-yeah...

*She slowly sat down, watching as the woman went back to her cooking. She looked down at the apple for a moment. Despite at first thinking, it would be her only meal, it did look good.*

 U-uh, Aunt Debra? Do you mind if I eat this while I wait for the eggs to be done?

DEBRA:
*Again she felt her insides tremble with anger, but she hid it perfectly. She smiled at the girl.*

 You never have to ask to eat anything in this house at any time...

ELLIE:
*She hadn't had to ask back at her old home really, since she was always so busy being in the background, but if she ate too much, Jacob would notice and flip out. However, she saw Debra watching her with a soft smile; why was she being so nice? Wasn't she just another pain in her day? An extra chore...? However, she nodded, feeling dumbfounded.*