Absent

Chapter 5

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"Wake up!" My eyes shot open and I shielded myself just as a pillow came down on my head. "You're burning daylight, Shortcake. We've only got two weeks until I leave for a month."

I buried my head into my blanket, but I couldn't help my smile. Jason, annoying as he was, insisted on spending every day before school started doing something I had never done before. How there were still things on his list was beyond me. I never complained though.

Today, however, I was completely exhausted. We'd gone hiking the day before on a trail in the mountains. It was beautiful, but we hadn't gotten home until long after midnight. By the time I was showered and ready for bed it was the early hours of the morning.

"I'm tired, Jason." I grumbled into my pillow.

"Don't care." He hit me again with the pillow. "Rise and shine. We've got a big day planned."

I groaned, shaking my head. "Ten more minutes." The pillow hit me again and I groaned into my mattress. "No."

"That's it."

My eyes widened when I was pulled from my bed and thrown over Jason's shoulder. I let out a squeal at the sudden movement and a surprised laugh escaped me when he spun around in a circle. My sleep-filled brain nearly couldn't handle the change in motion.

"Jason! Wait-" Then I was flying. He tossed me off of his shoulder and back onto my bed.

I bounced into a sitting position on my bed. Reaching over, I grabbed my pillow and swung it at Jason, hitting him in the side.

"Fine! I'm awake." I tried to look angry, but I was failing miserably. The entire time I had known him, I couldn't think of a time Jason had ever made me upset- even accidentally.

"Good." He said simply with a smile. "Get dressed. We're leaving in fifteen."

He walked out of my room, leaving me to get ready. I released a heavy sigh and pushed myself off of my bed. I stretched, feeling the exhaustion slowly leave my body. I looked at the clock on my nightstand to find that it was already 9:00am, which was two hours later than when I normally woke up to go on a run with Jason.

In the Agency, and working with the FBI, I never once slept in so late. This was extremely new for me, but the changes in my life were nice. I wanted to experience more. Every day I saw a little bit more into this world that I didn't even know existed for most of my life. I had missed out on so much and now that I was here, I couldn't miss out on any more.

Excited to see what Jason had in store for the day, I quickly changed into a soft blue t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. I slipped into my shoes and pulled my blonde hair into a ponytail before leaving. After making a quick stop in the bathroom to brush my teeth, I made my way downstairs where Stella was cooking eggs for what looked to be breakfast burritos.

Jason was crouched in front of the fridge, but turned when he heard me walk in. "Think fast." Then he threw a water bottle in my direction.

I caught it easily, like I did all of the other objects he constantly threw at me. Jason liked to test my reflexes, and so far I hadn't failed.

"Rowan, can you get the plates out, please?" Stella asked me and I complied, walking to the cupboard to grab down four plates.

"Actually, mom we're gonna be taking those to-go." Jason cut in. "We've got to get going."

Stella frowned. "You two have been out all week. Don't you need to rest before going off to your football training?"

Jason placed a hand to his heart. "And miss quality bonding time with my little sister?" His face morphed into one of utter offense. "Never."