POWERS OF NATURE Book 1 - Into the Storm

Chapter 6

Stephanie woke with a start, the cream throw pooling at her waist and her muscles stiff. That meant she had slept deeply and she smiled, before fully realising that the sun was high, shining brightly across her bed.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, realisation hitting her. She was still wearing the clothes from yesterday, and her stomach growled at the fact she had missed supper. That brought another exclamation, as she remembered her mom and their talk.

Stephanie bolted from her room, the journals and file forgotten, and hurried to the end of the passage before rushing into her mom's room.

"Mom!"

Sue jumped, spilling the coffee she been about to drink onto the front of her shirt. She turned as Stephanie came into her room and hurriedly set her mug down onto desk. She had been doing some extra work while waiting for Stephanie to wake up.

Stephanie hugged her mom fiercely. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I only meant to nap. I didn't mean to.." her voice trailed off as her mom laughed.

"It's okay, honey."

Stephanie pulled back to look at her and her mom rubbed her arms. "You're not mad?"

Sue shook her head, a smile still on her face. "After finding you asleep, I realised how tired you must have been, and I can't fault you for needing a day to just sleep."

Stephanie smiled stiffly, tensing as she pulled out of her mom's arms. "Coffee?" She changed the subject.

Sue noted the tense pull of Stephanie's face and her heart stuttered, remembering the file. "Shower first, then coffee."

Stephanie sheepishly grinned, relaxing.

~~~

An hour later, after a hot shower, fresh clothes, and a cup of coffee after a quick meal, Stephanie headed back up to her mom's room. She smiled as she entered, feeling the sense of peace she always felt when she was here, and sat on her mom's bed.

"I'll be right back, honey." Sue brushed a hand over Stephanie's head before leaving the room and Stephanie lent back against the cushioned headboard.

Her mom's room had always been a place she could find peace. The room was big and airy, with two large windows opposite the bed so one could look into the garden. These were almost always open, except in winter or most recently, during the storms that had been happening. The cream curtains that framed the windows were pulled back with bright green ties.

Most of the colours in the room were an off white, or creamy tone, with splashes of bright colours set against it. Even the posts of four post bed were wrapped in colourful organza.

The bedding matched the curtains, and again there were bright and colourful throw cushions laid out against the cream. On the floor next to the bed was a soft, fluffy chocolate brown rug which covered most of the floor - Stephanie smiled to herself as she remembered the memories she had of falling asleep on the rug as a child.

In the corner of the room stood an old TV that was rarely used, next to which stood her mom's desk, covered in papers as per usual. The desk was a beautiful dark mahogany, setting a stark contrast against the creamy tone of the room.

Another smile formed on Stephanie's lips as her gaze landed on the old and worn armchair in the other corner. Many a night she had sat in that chair with a book, while her worked.

She turned at the sound of her mom returning, and smiled as Sue joined her on the bed. They sat in companionable silence, each one lost in their own thoughts as they drank their coffee.

Sue wondered how to bring up the file, how to start the talk they so desperately needed to have.

Stephanie found herself thinking about the unopened journals, waiting on her desk. Her fingers were itching to turn their pages, to read their secrets, even while the sane, rational part of her shied away from the thought. So when her mom abruptly popped the very exact file she had been wondering about onto the bed next to her, Stephanie jumped off the bed and backed away, vaguely wondering if her mom could read her mind.