Shattered Tears

Chapter 4: Life is Beginning

I wake up to Rowen gently running her hand over my hair.
"Honey," she muses, "it's time to get up. We have a lot to do today. "
My tired eyes take in her smile as I sit up. I scratch my head and swing my legs over the side of the bed, stretching. My feet land on the floor, and before I know it I'm standing... With no pain.
Rowen grabs my shoulder, expecting me to collapse because of my feet, but she lets go soon after, realizing that I am completely healed. I look at her, a smile playing on my face, It's only been three days, and my feet are fine.
She takes my hand and leads me out of the room. She ushers me into the bathroom, and I get ready to take a quick shower before we go.
After I get out, Rowen sits me down, and runs a brush through my hair.
She sighs, "this is so different..."
"What do you mean?" My voice comes out sounding sleepy but a lot less hoarse.
"Well," a light chuckle escapes her, "I raised two boys, and all their friends... It's different having a girl in the house."
"Two boys?" I ask, looking at my reflection in a mirror sitting in front of me.
"Yes," she smiles, "Alex, my first, and Ash, my last. Ash is ten, and Alex... He's almost nineteen now."
I turn to look at Rowen then, "Nineteen!? How old would that make you?" I pause, "I mean if you don't mind telling me..."
She just giggles, "ah it's fine! I'm actually forty-seven."
My jaw drops, "You can't be! You don't look any older than like.... Twenty-five..."
She laughs, "I get that a lot... I'm just blessed with health!" She puts the hairbrush down on the counter and helps me up. She then leads me out of the bathroom, while I'm still wrapped in a towel, to another room farther down the hallway. When she opens the door, I'm in awe... The room has bags and bags of clothes, newly bought, everywhere.
"So," Rowen muses, "I took your measurements when you first arrived, and had some friends of mine do some shopping for you." She pauses, "although we have a lot more to do, today."
I look at her in disbelief, and wrap her in a hug, "You shouldn't have!"
"Of course I had to!" She giggles, "you need clothes. You can't just walk around town in a hospital gown."
I nod, laughing, "You're right..."
She leads me over to a mirror, and we go through bags of clothes until I find something I like. I end up dressed in a pair of bleach-splattered skinny jeans, a white v-neck tee shirt, and a jacket that is black leather on the outside, but fleece on the inside. It's incredibly warm. I also manage to find a Panic! At The Disco beanie, and slide it on, along with some black combat boots.
After I'm dressed, Rowen leads me to an elevator just off of the common room. We go to the top floor of the house, which looks like a completely separate home, complete with a kitchen, and at least three bedrooms. I look at the back wall of the house and realize it's completely made of stone.
"This house is built into the side of a mountain," Rowen calls, grabbing a pair of keys off of a rack, "the lake rests on the other side of it, although, almost nobody knows about the part of the house you've been staying in. They just assume that I live up here." She laughs, "it helps that most people think that the elevator is a closet."
I laugh, rich people... It's like being in a movie.
She grabs my hand and leads me out the door. It's stopped snowing, but there is still a thick blanket that covers the ground. We walk out toward an old Chevy truck. Seems a little out of character for all of the crazy, expensive things inside the house. I shrug it off, and follow Rowen.
We drive for a while, heading into town. She takes me to a mall, and we shop, ending up with what I think is too much stuff. Throughout the entire experience she watches me, and is extra aware of everything I do. I wouldn't say that it makes me uncomfortable, but it does make me curious. We have bought school supplies, clothes... Anything and everything I could want... Rowen even forced me to get a stuffed wolf that caught my eye. It looked like the wolf I saw before, and she insisted that I get it. I even put it back, but she grabbed it without me knowing and threw it at me when we got back into the truck. I look at her, surprised, and she just smiles.
"Rowen?" I ask after a few minutes of driving, holding the stuffed toy in my lap.
She hums in response, glancing at me for a short second and then returning her eyes to the road.
"Thank you..." the words escape my lips with utter sincerity. "Thank you for everything."
A wry smile dances across the woman's face. She nods, a silent gesture in answer to the thanks that was given. I look through the dulled glass of the window of her truck, and I can't help the smile that sits quietly on my lips, nor the happiness that rises in my chest. I watch trees and buildings pass by, and I zone out, letting my mind wander, past the forest, and into the sky. When the truck comes to a halt I'm caught a bit off guard. With a jingle of the keys, the voice of the truck engine dies down. We're home.
Home. I think to myself, Maybe this could be home.
Rowen opens her door and gets out, letting me follow. We grab bags out of the bed of the truck and head inside, not quite getting all of them. when Rowen opens the door she lets out a surprised yelp, drops one of the bags, and rests her hand on her chest. Liam stands in front of her in the doorway, chuckling at the woman.
"Seven hells, Liam, you scared me!" A relieved laugh bubbles out of her.
"Sorry, sorry," he says, picking up the bags Rowen Dropped, "do you need a hand with your bags? "
Rowen nods, and I feel a smile spread over my face. The stuffed wolf dangles in my arms.
Inside, after all the bags are brought in, Rowen sits down at the dining table. We join her, and talk for a while, sipping tea.
I notice that Liam glances over to me, and says nothing. Instead, he gives me a light smile. I catch his gaze, taking a sip of my tea. His gold eyes sparkle, and for a moment I can't look away. Rowen's words fade into background noise for a split second, and in that moment I see just how attractive the man really is. His jawline is chiseled, leading down onto deep collar bones and broad shoulders. His lips are full, tainted only by a small scar that's hardly noticeable. I catch my breath, noticing that he is appraising me as well, and suddenly I'm very self-conscious. I convince myself to pull my gaze away quickly, tuning back in to Rowen' s voice. The entire encounter was no longer than a glance, but my heart is pounding.
"So," Rowen speaks, "I have a question." She looks at me with mischief sparkling in her eyes.
"Uh," I sputter, "sure, what is it?"
With her hands clasped, she says the words, "Windows, or no windows?"
I'm confused by the question, but I answer, "Windows..." I quirk an eyebrow at her, "why?"
She stands, offering her hand, and I take it. Liam seems to know what's going on but his expression doesn't give anything away.
The woman pulls me into a hallway just off the kitchen. Another elevator sits just at the end of the hall. She presses the only button on the wall and the doors slide open. After ushering me inside, she presses a button with an A printed on it. Rowen doesn't let go of my hand, and when the door opens, I look into another hallway. It's dark until Rowen flips a light switch.
"I haven't been up here in years." She says, "It's still one of my favorite places."
"What is this place?" I ask, and Rowen smiles in return.
"You'll see."
She leads me to a door almost at the end of the hall, and pushes it open. When I walk in, a smile spreads over my face. It's beautiful. The room is almost bare, with the rafters open above my head. A huge bed sits in the corner, under a string of hanging lightbulbs. A hammock chair hangs across from the bed, and beside both, there is a window that looks out onto the lake. The floors are hardwood, but they are covered by a large, white, furry carpet on the far side of the room. There are other lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, on either side of the room. The blankets and pillows are all white, ice blue and silver. I'm in awe of the room, but something catches me slightly off guard. Everything in the room looks brand new.
"What is this? " I say, tearing my eyes away from the room to look at her.
"Well," she smiles brightly, "I was hoping, you'd be okay with staying in this room."