The Unveiling - Modern Magic: Book 1

Chapter 25

A/N: Two chapters in one day?  Yes, but honestly it was going to be one gigantic chapter that really had a clear break between events, so the Chapter 26 is considerably smaller, but it needed to stand on its own.  You'll see.

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Chapter 25 - A New Day

Daylight finally succeeded in rousing me from sleep. I blinked against the glare as I stretched in the bed I was going to have to get used to sleeping in. I glanced over at the small clock on the night stand, noticing the time was just a little before 8am. I looked back out the window, surprised by how high the sun was already at that time of day. Looking back at the night stand, I found my phone. Two messages had come through while I was sleeping.

The first was from my mom, saying she was glad I landed safely and to enjoy my summer. She finished with a reminder that text updates would never be unappreciated. I smiled and sent a quick "You got it" in response. The second message was from Diana. I instantly smiled at seeing her name next to the unread message icon. I checked the message. She also mentioned being glad I arrived safely. She had her interview and received an offer that evening. Best of all, the internship was actually going to be a paid one. Those were pretty rare, and I was definitely happy for her. She would be going in later this afternoon for all the official stuff and had safety training on Friday before starting work on Monday. I sent her a message congratulating her and mentioning how I knew she was going to be awesome there. I found myself missing her already, even though I'd gone far more than a single day without seeing her before. Knowing the distance between us seemed to just make things more real.

As my second response went out into cyberspace, I heard my grandfather calling for me. "You up yet, Lad? I know you were tired, but the sun's getting on with its day!" I smiled and laughed quietly to myself. He wasn't wrong, and that was a nice way of saying 'Move your butt!'

I stood and stretched again. I still had most of my clothes on from the day before, but my stomach grumbled, making me think that breakfast might be a good choice prior to showering. The smell of eggs and bacon followed shortly after, solidifying my decision. I quickly found the stairs down, only being turned around for a moment. My memories of the night before were still foggy from my lack of sleep.

As I reached the ground level and turned towards the living room, I got a second look at the layout of the house. It was simple, but not limited. The front door faced the stairway with the living room and then kitchen off to the right. The living room itself was large. Two full sofas and a recliner faced a well-kept fireplace with a large TV mounted on the wall above it. Framing the fireplace were two bookshelves, large and made of thick, polished wood. The shelves were full of books of various styles and ages. I continued through the living room, into the kitchen. There wasn't a doorway, the two rooms flowed easily into each other. Only a single step upward and the change from carpet to hardwood really marked the border. The kitchen consisted of a kitchen table with four chairs, and then the prep area. My grandfather was turned with his back partially to me, working at the stove as the smells I had caught upstairs only strengthened.

"I hope ye like bacon an' eggs, Lad." His voice carried over his shoulder. My eyes took in the rest of the kitchen, noticing mostly older stainless steel appliances, but they looked like they were in good shape, and regularly used.

"Of course. It smells great already." I leaned on the small island countertop that stuck partially out from the wall, giving me a side view of the stove top. I looked quizzically at the pan holding what was supposed to be bacon.

"I figured if the sun wasn't wakin' you up, the smell o'breakfast would do the trick." He looked over at me and then laughed at the look on my face. "Whatcha' gawkin' at there? You never seen bacon before?"