Issues / ROMAN GODFREY / #wattys2019

Twenty-Two.

-

Mariana cleaned up her mess in the other room while the other three were out. She did the physical work this time, wanting to look at all of the books for something interesting to read when she was done. There were a lot of first edition books that she was afraid to handle. Their bindings were rather worn but the pages were in good condition, despite that old book smell that wrinkled her nose. Mariana preferred the new book smell. 

She was an avid reader herself but lacked a lot of the classics in her library. As she stuffed book after book away, her eyes caught an awfully worn one that smelled heavily of rotten wood. Her nose wrinkled and she turned it over, revealing the title written in another language. The cover was chipped, and when she flipped through the pages she found the whole book was written in Romani. Mariana frowned, who in this family knew how to read it?

She slowly shut the book and took a look around, as if she were being watched. She walked to one of the couches and stuffed it under the cushion for later, her conscious telling her to do so. 

Mariana turned off the light and headed upstairs to Roman's bedroom where she sat on his bed. Her phone needed a charge and she searched his room for a charger. She looked through his drawers, finding condoms and something in a case that made a sound when she shook it. It wasn't until she looked under his bed that she found a mirror with a light dusting of white residue. She stared at it. 

"They found cocaine in his system."

She remembered Peter's words as she stared at it. Mariana never touched drugs in her life, but knowing Roman was a user made her feel weird inside. She quickly slid it back under and stood up to go into the bathroom, washing her hands while thinking about Roman's coma and whether or not that meant there were more in his future. 

Mariana decided to run a bath, giving up on finding a charger and keeping the phone on the floor next to her. She looked for some bubbles or oils or something and came up with nothing. Mariana stripped, leaving her clothes in a pile and leaving the door cracked when she slipped in. 

-

"You guys need to call me if anything else happens," Peter said to Roman as he spread out some blankets for his temporary home. Letha helped, ignoring her dad who was watching them from a distance.

"We will don't worry," Roman replied before shrugging, "I think we should be okay for the night, those cops are far away from here, and Chasseur is gone," he said and Peter nodded.

"Who is Chasseur?" Letha asked her cousin. Roman looked down at her with his hands in his pockets and shrugged. She glared at him and turned her attention to Peter who was whistling as he sat on his makeshift bed. "Peter?"

"Come on, man!" Peter moaned, causing Roman to giggle like a child. "She is with Fish and Wildlife, she's part of the reason why we got ambushed by those dicks tonight," he said and Letha rolled her eyes. 

"What, she thinks you're a werewolf too?" she asked and Peter just gave her a knowing look. "I'm just asking, you guys keep hiding things from me," she said before punching Roman in the arm. "Just like not telling me you're awake!"

"OUCH! I'm sorry okay?" Roman said before looking at Norman who seemed to be getting impatient. "I'll call you tomorrow, try not to die in here," he said and Peter smirked at him before laying back with his hands behind his head.