When the Sun Rises

Chapter Five

 "Goodbye!" I call to Gweyr as she glides to the door in a hurry.

She turns to look at me as she opens the door, her hair flying around her face in a blur of color, and she flashes me a quick smile. "Goodbye, Taenya. Have a great day and remember to keep the door locked. There are eggs in the kitchen if you decide to fry them for breakfast. I love you," she says, and then she leaves, locking the door behind her.

I let out a soft sigh as I ponder the endless possibilities of what I can do today. Gweyr leaves to travel to the shop early every morning before the sun comes up, and she works until mid afternoon. Falenas is currently staying in Rivendell for the week, which is something he enjoys doing every once in awhile, so I am alone with just my thoughts to keep me company.

I look around the empty house in thought before deciding to go back to bed and rest. My feet pad across the cool wooden floor as I walk down the hallway in my nightgown that does little to fight the early morning chill. I close the door to my room behind me, and I climb into my bed, wrapping my blankets around my body tightly. The faint sound of crickets outside of my window calms me, and I snuggle deeper into the cocoon of my sheets.

My mind wanders back to yesterday when I met 'Dan again. I smile sleepily as I remember his silver eyes looking into mine in a way no one ever has before. He is so different than all of the other people in my life. When he asks me questions about myself, he is truly curious. He honestly cares about my thoughts and my opinion on certain things, and he forever seems as if he is trying to read my mind, trying to see past what my expressions show him. It is pleasing to me to know that he cares to know so much about me. No one has ever shown me so much attention in my entire life as he has in the past few days.

And in return, I find myself opening up to him. I find myself wanting to know all about him, as well. From observation, I have learned that 'Dan is strong willed. From the strong tenor of his voice to the sparkle of mischief that lies deep within his silvery eyes, I know that he is carefree. He is also genuinely kind. He is always offering to walk me home, though I decline, and yesterday when I decided that I wanted to climb the giant Mallorn tree that sits in middle of the clearing, he was constantly giving me his hand to make sure that I did not fall as we climbed. Truly, I have climbed dozens of trees in my lifetime and was far from needing assistance, but I kept this my own little secret hidden behind a suppressed smile, for I was happy having him hold my hand in his warm and strong one. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but I see no problem in allowing him to take care of me seeing as to how happy it seems to make him.

'Dan is like the warm orange sun peeking up over the treetops after a long, cold night, and I have been searching for the perfect sunrise for quite sometime.

____

I yawn widely as I place another piece of wood in the stove, careful not to burn myself as the flames lick up the sides of the dry wood. I close the door to the stove, leaving it slightly open, and I grab two eggs from the basket on the counter. I crack them open on the side of the frying pan one by one, watching as the yoke seeps onto the hot surface and begins to sizzle and pop. As the eggs fry, my gaze travels out of the kitchen window that I have opened up. The sunlight pours into the lonely house, lighting the room and causing it to feel light and airy like a dream. I yawn again.

Once the eggs are done, I seal the door to the stove tightly in order to smother the flame. I take down a porcelain plate from one of the many cabinets in the kitchen, and I shovel the eggs onto it with my fork. I then walk to the dining room and pull out my chair. I place the plate onto the table and sit down, and then I begin to eat.

When I have finished and cleaned up, I make my way to my room in order to get dressed. I search through my wardrobe for a dress, wondering what color will suit me best. I want to look beautiful when I see 'Dan today, so I take longer than usual to find a dress. I finally find a long and flowing green dress that catches my eye, and I quickly shimmy out of my nightgown and into the dress. I hurry over to the vanity that sits in the corner of my room, and I sit in front of it, wondering how to fix the mess that is my hair. I sigh as I look in the mirror. My skin is pale, my eyes dark with fatigue. It is odd how I have not been able to sleep well after meeting 'Dan. It is almost as if my mind is revolting against me. All I ever think about is the tall and handsome, silver eyed ellon, and it is starting to affect me. Even Gweyr has noticed my lack of attention. I have zoned out several times whilst she was speaking with me, my mind far away in the forest, and she has questioned me with a look of suspicion each time it has happened. I am beginning to wonder if she somehow knows.