Experiment Scarecrow

Chapter 10

"And that's all there is no know about crows." Brooke smiled, relocking the screen of her phone after having swiped the app away.

Scarecrow frowned, lifting his eyes to meet hers. "That's it?"

She nodded. "Mhm. I read you the entire series of them, Scarecrow."

She soon stood up, brushing the dust off her blue jeans in doing so; her knees temporarily locking from the stationary position. He stared toward the floor, lost within his own thoughts, before he quickly stood up after her. "So, you're going to come back...?" he asked, his eyes similar to a panicked child's.

Brooke froze, slowly lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Um, yeah, why?" she questioned.

He nodded, fumbling with his hands. "I just wanted to make sure. You can go now." 

She lifted an eyebrow, glancing toward his anxious fidgeting before brushing past him between the altar. "I will bring real  books next time I come, ok?"

Scarecrow nodded, turning to watch her leave the church. He glanced to the crow who had remained on his shoulder the entire time. The crow flicked its tail, another squawk escaping it. "I don't believe her either..." he whispered.

Once she remerged into the light, a giant smile crossed her, now, flushed face. She shook her head before sprinting off toward the path she took back through the woods. A gentle breeze pushing her hair back from her face as she followed the small worn path.

At this point, Brooke could not believe she had gotten even this  far with him. It seemed as if he was quite the recluse, but the more she forced her visitations, the more he seemed to open up to her; but whether he liked it or not, she did not know, and most likely wouldn't know any time soon.

She placed her phone back into her pocket before climbing back through the fence, and making her way back across the road to her driveway. But once she entered the driveway, she stiffened at the sight of her mother's car parked out front. She desperately dug through her pocket, tearing out her phone and tapping on the screen; a picture of Thunder appearing with the time overlaying it.

3:30 P.M.

She lifted her head, her eyebrows furrowing. 

Her mother wasn't supposed to be home this early.

Brooke shoved her phone back into her pocket, treading up the driveway up to the white porch. She ambled up the stairs, her fingers carefully wrapping around the door handle before twisting it, opening the door ever so slowly. Placing one foot inside, she cautiously stepped in, closing the door behind her with a quiet click as the door latched again.

She began to tip toe toward the stairs, her eyes darting toward the archway leading into the kitchen to her left.

"Brooke. I heard you. Get in here, now," her mother ordered from inside the kitchen.

She looked down toward the single step she managed to climb before sluggishly making her way around the staircase and into the kitchen. Hovering near the arch way, she peeked in to find her mother sitting at the dark stained table, glaring toward her.

Brooke could already feel her mother's slate grey eyes digging into her, preparing for another barrage of questions.

"Where were you?" her mother asked sourly.

She forced a deep inhale through her nose before letting it escape out of her mouth. "The library..."

Her mother nodded, her focus drifting off to the patio door on the opposite wall, absent-mindedly drumming her fingers on the table. "All day..?"