Awakened (Unbound, Book 3)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

For once, I was surprised at the truth of what Devland had told me. Remembering what he had said about the studio being on the third floor once I reached the stairs, I bypassed the hall leading to my rooms and ran up to the next floor. Slightly out of breath, I opened the first door I reached and gasped in surprise to see my paintings and supplies. Even more importantly, the boxes with my mother's belongings were there, seemingly untouched.

A feeling of elation I hadn't felt since coming to Wickenton filled me.

After checking to ensure everything of my mother's was there, I set up my easel behind a box so that anyone looking into the room wouldn't immediately see it. Once it was set up, I pushed everything weighing down my thoughts from my mind. Picking up the paintbrush felt like going home, and I lost myself in the first project since painting the picture of my mom for Islene before I'd lost my memory.

*****

The next morning, I was tired from having stayed in the studio until after one in the morning. Throwing my hair in a messy bun and forgoing make-up, I dressed in jeans and an off-the-shoulder sweater. Despite the exhaustion, I was happy.

Running down the stairs, I skipped into the kitchen and sang, "Good morning, Mrs. Renaldi!"

She looked up from the stove as I sat at the small table, surprised. "Good morning. Did you have a good sleep?"

I laughed and took a sip of the orange juice already set out for me. "Yes, though I only slept a few hours. It was good, though."

"It's nice to see you happy," she said. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Whatever you're cooking up for Calin works for me." I shrugged. "He said he'd be here this morning."

"It's also nice to see you accepting him," Mrs. Renaldi said, laughing with a shake of her head.

"I—"

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, but I didn't bother getting up, having learned that he'd either let himself in or Gerard would answer the door. Sure enough, a few moments later, Calin walked into the kitchen, smiling. As usual, he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed with his tousled, sun-kissed hair. Though not wrinkled, his dark jeans and long-sleeved white shirt appeared to have been thrown on without care, but it looked good.

"Morning, Calin!" Mrs. Renaldi waved to the table. "Have a seat. Nora has an appetite for something other than coffee for a change, so you're getting a full spread. Hope you're famished."

"Haven't eaten since supper last night, I promise." He sat down, staring at me as he crossed his heart with his finger and smiled. "Morning."

"Hi." I smiled.

"Did you wake up early and sneak coffee? You seem happy."

I shrugged, darting my eyes to Mrs. Renaldi and back to him, hoping he'd understand what I meant. Not that I needed to hide anything, but I didn't feel like advertising it. For a little while at least, I wanted to keep my art to myself. It was like a temporary escape and if I could hole up in the studio for a few days, I felt like that tranquility would prepare me to deal with the chaos I'd been thrust into.

"Anyway, we have time to stop on the way to school. Maible texted to say her mom was dropping her off early so she could plan that fundraiser," Calin said and sat back as Mrs. Renaldi set down our plates in front of us.

Grabbing my fork, I said a quick thank you and dug in, feeling famished. "Okay," I mumbled between mouthfuls.

We were quiet as we ate, and I asked for seconds, which took away the time allotted for coffee. I didn't care. Besides, I was wired. If I was given coffee, I'd probably get jittery or start bumbling like an idiot. I'd probably be stupid enough to kiss Calin or something.

"Ready?" I finally asked, setting my fork down and looking up to find Calin and Mrs. Renaldi watching me as though I'd grown a horn from the center of my forehead. "What?"

"Nothing," they replied in unison.

"Uh huh. You know what?" I looked between them. "I'm in a good mood and neither of you are ruining that with sour attitudes." I grabbed my bag and locked eyes with Calin as I walked by. "Let's go before we are late."

*****

At lunch, I grabbed everything that looked good, once again feeling famished. When I sat down, Maible's and Calin's eyes grew wide when they saw my tray piled high.

"What?" I looked down, feeling heat in my cheeks as I noticed I had more food than I probably had all of last week. "I'm hungry."

"Maybe it's a sign that you're recovering?" Maible shrugged, returning her attention to her own lunch.

"Regaining strength?" Calin asked. "Maybe you're going through a growth spurt."

"I feel good today." I nodded. Stronger? Yeah, there was that. Every day since I'd read from Zach's book, I felt stronger. I wondered when it would end. Was it temporary? It was like I had grown in power since losing my memories.

"So, can you guys help with the bake sale I told you about?" Maible asked, looking between Calin and me.

"Bake sale?"

"Nora, I told you about fundraising for the Christmas dance!"

"Right." Calin nodded and kicked me under the table. "When do you need help?"

"Monday." Maible didn't even blink.

"What? It will take me longer than that just to find a no-bake recipe safe enough for me to use!" I sat back in my chair and frowned. Maybe I could bribe Mrs. Renaldi. I knew if I told her she'd be able to feed groups of people all at once, she'd bribe me to let her help.

"We'll go to my house and do it together," Maible said.

I sighed and thoughts of getting help evaporated. "Fine."

The quiet settled upon us as we ate. Once I was finished, having eaten three-quarters of what I'd chosen, I pushed my tray away and leaned back, folding my hands over my stomach. Finally, I was full.

"I need to go for a run," I said, nearly groaning, but I didn't move to get up.

"Come on, I'll go with you," Calin said and stood. He turned to me and held out his hands. "Need help?"

"Ugh. Yeah."

I grabbed his hands and he hefted me out of my chair, making it seem like no effort at all, which was probably an act to be kind. We separated outside the locker rooms and met at the track, stretching before we began. It was quiet. Neither of us spoke until the first lap was complete.

"So, you're starting to feel better?" Calin asked as we kept our pace at a job. "Stronger?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Better than before, anyways."

"That's awesome!" He grinned and waited a few more seconds before asking, "Is that why you're so happy?"

I shook my head and didn't respond right away and was grateful when Calin didn't push. We completed eight laps in total, walking the final lap to cool down. Still, even as we sat down to stretch, he didn't ask, which is why I finally felt like sharing.

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I explored the Manor," I said as I leaned forward to touch my toes.

"Is it as creepy as I'd imagine?" Calin laughed.

"I mean, there was the tunnel or whatever, but I didn't go down there," I said, squinching my nose. I stretched my arms across my chest, holding my elbow. When I let go, I smiled as I thought of my work in progress in my studio. "But you know what I did find?"

"Hmm?"

"Devland actually put a studio together for me," I told him, unable to keep the surprise out of my tone. "It has all of my paintings and supplies, and guess what?"

Calin, standing now so he could stretch his legs, smiled as he looked down at me. "What?"

"All of my mother's boxes are there and nothing is missing."

"Really?" Calin dropped his legs and reached down to help me stand.

Once I was on my feet, we stood facing each other. I lifted my chin and smiled. "Maybe he's not that bad, huh?"