Desires

•CHAPTER V•

Finding my way back was easy. I started think I was being too worried about nothing, as when I arrived down my street the sky wasn't a dark black but more of a dark blue with some sort of light guiding me back. Before I entered the house I saw that the driveway was empty. I assumed that my mother wasn't back yet and stepped inside anyways.

Stepping inside I closed the door behind me and a thought rushed through my head. Why was the door unlocked? My eyes widened as I swallowed hard. "Hello?" I called out loud enough for it to echo down the hardwood of the house. No reply. I took another step, unzipping my jacket packet to reach for my phone, ready to dial emergency services. "Welcome back Miss Degray." a soft voice spoke behind me and I jumped back gasping a little. "Did I frighten you?" Mrs Elm said and I sighed in relief knowing it was her. I had to get used to having her around though I was sure I didn't hear her at all on the supposed to be creaky floorboards. "Sorry no, I just didn't expect anyone to be here." I said quickly and swallowed. Realising that her grey eyes were still looking at me as if she was waiting for me to say something. There was something odd about her eyes. They weren't a sort of grey you would find beautiful, but instead a little sinister, almost like she had seen all the horrors of the world. "Uhm, do you know where my mother is?" I asked as I took off my jacket and hung it on the coat rack. She shook her head slowly, her blonde bobbed hair bouncing. "Well she was supposed to be back by at least the afternoon." She said "not to worry though dear, I'm sure she's caught up in traffic." She added and placed a hand on mine. Though I could tell she was coming up with a lie, in a town like this, what traffic can occur? I was distracted by her hand as it was cold and her skin was soft but it was too soft, like it had been kneeded too much. I noticed no ring on her hand and I was sure it was her left, but shook my thoughts.

I took back my hand and smiled back before walking upstairs feeling like she was watching me from the steps. I'm being paranoid and I hated it. This town is just odd. I step into my room to realised that I had needed to turn the light on since it was so dark. That's right, it was the evening now and my mother still wasn't back. How long was I in the forest? It felt so timeless and I can hardly remember how I had gotten there in the first place. All I can remember is seeing Romeo's eyes and his smirk that sat on his lips. The thought of his face was enough to make me smile now.

I feel like silly girl thinking all this over a boy whom I've just met today. So I shake my thoughts and realise that I'm hungry. I hadn't eaten all day, apart from the coffee this morning.

Walking downstairs the floorboards creak under my feet. I wonder if it's because I'm heavier than Mrs Elm. Or this house just hates me and loathes my presence. Either way I think nothing of it and make my way past the study and living room to the kitchen. I open up a saved tab on my phone of a link to my mothers pasta recipe on the "Cuisine Magazine" website.

While the pasta was waiting to boil I read my mothers instructions to take a pinch of salt to the water. It's only now that I realise how odd it is that she seems like a stranger online. I can't help but feel like it's weird to learn to cook from your mother over her job online rather than face to face. Do I wish that she could teach me to cook? I can't answer as I don't know. This trail of thought can go on for hours but it's only minutes until my pasta had started over bubbling.

After eating I wash the dishes, and then dry them so it left no evidence of my mess behind. That was when the front door opened and I could hear the cold gust of wind outside. My mother walked in the kitchen unaware that I was there, with a guilty smile on her red lips. Her usually neat dark hair was windswept as she unraveled her beige tartan scarf. As soon as she realises that I'm staring at her, asking with my facial expressions where she had been, the smile disappeared almost like she was caught in the act. "Oh! Azra I didn't realise you were back. How was it then? How has Morgen been treating you?". I see now that she has picked up the shortened name, I'm sure this is because of her conversation with the locals. "Yeah. I went to the forest." I replied. I wasn't going to mention my encounter with Romeo because I feel like that would be a conversation normal daughters would have with their normal mothers. So I kept quiet. "Ah yes. That's one of the thing I do love about this place. The forest was always my favourite hiding spot when I was younger. I used to go and read on the riverside to get away from my brother and sister." She said with delight as she took her jacket off and opened the fridge. There was something odd about everything she said. She never spoke about her younger days, or even said anything about Morgenstel. Let alone her private rendezvous' with her books away from my uncle and aunt. She never spoke about them either. Not to me anyways. She must have been in an awfully good mood and it made me even curious to where she had been. Though I couldn't ask her directly. "So how was the meeting?" I asked realising my voice was quiet and hoarse. Perhaps it was the shock of the personal details that came out her mouth. She stopped what she was doing and then turned around to look at me in the eye. She now couldn't stop the smile on her face which was a new look. "It was perfect." she stated like it was a dream come true, and then disappeared into the dining room, her heels clacking on the hard floor.

I was left in silence and shock. What had made my mum carry this youthful bliss? What made her so happy? If I didn't know better it would have been what I looked like on my return from the forest today, my return from Romeo.

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authors note:

more updates coming up in the next hour!

updated: 6th/feb/2018
i'm thinking if i say when i update then people will realise this isn't some story from 2013 that isn't going to be continued. this is very new and will definitely continue !

-kiim