The Star and the Ocean (Book 1 in the Starborn Series)

Chapter Sixty: Interlude

[Content Warning: Strong language]

It was the chill in the bed that woke Priva up.

Groggy and bewildered, she glanced around the room and found it empty. The other side of the bed was still made up. She had spent the night alone.

"What now?" she grumbled, dragging herself out of bed.

She pulled on a sweater and made her way down the hallway. The room Rue and Connor shared was empty too, soft morning light streaming in through the windows. Priva zoned out for a moment, watching the lazy dance of dust motes through the golden rays and listening to the sounds of life coming from the kitchen.

Downstairs she found the couple buzzing around preparing breakfast. Their bright-eyed toddler, Gaten, was already happily babbling away from his chair at the table.

"Oh, Priva!" Rue gasped, catching sight of her out of the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry, did we wake you up?"

"Nah," Priva said with a shake of her head. She could feel the bed-headed disarray of her kinky black hair as she moved - she must have looked as tired as she felt. "Have either of you seen Jeremy yet this morning?"

Rue and Connor exchanged a glance.

"No, why?" Connor asked slowly, poking at the eggs he was working on in his frying pan.

Priva frowned, knowing they were already thinking the same thing she was. "He didn't come to bed last night."

Connor sighed and pulled the pan off the burner. "Do you want me to check?"

"Don't worry about it," Priva waved him off. "I've got it."

With slightly more intent, she marched off toward the study - the misleadingly elegant name the friends had given to the basement den. Before she even reached the door, she knew her assumptions were correct. She pushed in without knocking, smothering her urge to barge in swinging.

"Please tell me you weren't down here all night," she huffed, arms crossed.

Jeremy peered up at her over the screen of his laptop. He sat on the floor, stacks of papers and notes strewn around him in every direction. If the chaos didn't give away his long hours spent in the study, the dark circles beneath his eyes.

"Why?" he asked. "What time is it?"

"Morning." Priva assumed her inflection would be dangerous enough she needn't explain why that was a problem. Still, this was Jeremy she was talking to.

"You have to see this," he told her, ignoring her comments altogether. Priva narrowed her eyes, glaring in a way that would make any normal person fear for their safety.

Behind her, footsteps padded down the stairs.

"Jeremy, is everything alri- ah, fuck. C'mon, dude. What are you doing?" Connor glanced around the room, surveying the mess in dismay.

"I've found something." Jeremy beckoned them over with obvious excitement. "Seriously, you guys have to come see this."

Priva rolled her eyes at Connor, who sighed.