Chapter 4
Poison City
Eve woke the next morning alone on one side of Cal's wide bed. Morning light filtered in through the white curtains which moved back and forth in a gentle breeze. Eve stretched and yawned before rolling out of the tantalizingly warm blankets and making her way downstairs.
She slowed in her approach at the kitchen doorway when she heard the murmur of voices. Eve recognized the first as Grandma Thorne's.
“Calla, dear, are you a lesbian?”
“No, grandma. I like boys. Guys. Men.” Cal didn't sound sure which title to settle on.
Eve stifled her laughter.
“Good morning!” she exclaimed and strolled into the kitchen with a greeting smile, putting the awkward conversation to rest.
Calla's grandmother swept her attention to Eve and Cal quickly slipped away, nabbing up a slice of toast lathered in jam. She rolled her eyes at her friend as she dropped down into a seat at the table.
Calla was definitely straight if her positive appraisal of the male body was anything to go off, though if Eve was her she knew she'd like to avoid that conversation as well.
Grandma Thorne was a kind woman at the age of seventy-five – they'd celebrated her birthday this past Spring – with grey hair and a widows peek. She'd helped raise her grandchildren alongside their mother, who unfortunately spent most of her days at work and sometimes the occasional weekend on business trips. Much to her daughter's disapproval.
“Good morning, Eve.” Grandma Thorne said, then pointed at the table where a steaming stack of pancakes sat. “Eat.”
She took the seat adjacent to Cal's, served herself, and then stole the maple syrup from beside her plate. Cal frowned at her with a mouth full of food, which was the only thing stopping her from protesting against the theft of the object of her unhealthy addiction.
Jax, Calla's little brother, came bolting into the kitchen as Eve pushed the syrup as far away from her friend as possible.
“Is mum back yet?” he asked.
Grandma shook her head. “I told you yesterday; your mumma won't be home until tomorrow evening.”
Jax's shoulders slumped with disappointment as Josh - Jax's twin; identical, but clearly distinguishable from each other once you knew them both – joined them at the table, stealing away the maple syrup for himself.
“What are you and Cal doing today?” Josh directed the question at Eve as he stuffed pancake into his mouth.
“Don't talk with your mouth full.” his grandmother scorned.
“I think we're going to the library.” Eve replied, glancing over at Cal. “And then... probably to the tattoo parlor?”
“To see lover boy.” Jax drew out, making kissing noises at the air.
Cal rolled her eyes. “Shut up, you dweeb.”
“Raffe is going to be busy with a client.” Eve said with a smile. “We're going in for other reasons.”
She spared a quick sideways glance at Cal who gave her a beaming smile and then angled it down at her plate. The last thing they wanted was for Calla's grandma to catch on.
Eve stabbed her fork through the remaining squares of pancake and drew them through the puddle of maple syrup gathering on her plate, popping them into her mouth just as Cal finished her toast. They jumped up, washed their plates in the sink and thanked Grandma Thorne for breakfast before leaving the house, closing the door behind them as they went.
YOU ARE READING
Withering Starlight
Teen Fiction. "We're candy to them. They're poison to us." • • • All seventeen year old Eve wants to do is work at her friends tattoo parlor, make it out of high school, and put her to...
