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Book Two in the Darien Grace Chronicles
"I couldn't hear the music. I knew that it was pulsing all around me, I could feel it vibrate through the air, but I couldn't hear it. I hadn't been able to hear it for a while now. I ju...
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Darien Grace
"Christ. I don't think I can do this." I muttered. The second the plane had landed on the tarmac in New York, the shaking started. I'd managed to sleep through the majority of the flight. I was now regretting the two Bloody Mary's Jas coaxed into me churned in my otherwise empty stomach.
"Do us all a favor and control yourself, Darien. God, some people you just can't bring out in public..." Jas chided, skipping up beside me, clicking her tongue, while linking her arm in mine. I turned to glare at her and her smug grin was firmly in place.
"Have I told you lately how much of a pain in the ass you are?"
"Yes, two minutes ago when I hauled your ass up the jetway."
"Ahh, so two minutes too long, then. Pity."
"Looks like you need to up your game, Grace."
"All in good time, McKenney." I smiled weakly back at her, refocusing my eyes on the ground in front of me. The world threatened to upend itself, my vision swaying as my anxiety peaked.
"Oh, and you might want to get your shit together, because I have plans for us tonight."
I gaped at her. She couldn't be serious. Apparently, I'd been under the misguided impression that we would be taking my reintroduction to society slowly. Jas had different ideas. Nearly two hours later, Jas, Caleb and I were settled back into the townhome. John ordered in the ultimate "Welcome Home" dinner — practically the entire menu from my favorite restaurant in China town. When it arrived, Jas tossed a single bag to Caleb and John, before stuffing the other three into my arms and steering me away from the door.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked as Jas ushered me all the way up to the third floor. She didn't stop to answer me, instead she pulled me over to the small window seat looking out onto the fire escape and the small community garden area below. Ivy snaked up the side of the house, wrapping gently around the metal of the fire escape.
Caleb had insisted upon decorating every inch of the house, even the outer portions. Multicolored potted flowers decorated the small space, but of course, Jas didn't stop. She pointed up toward the roof.
We'd moved into the townhouse about a month or two after I came to New York. The McKenney's had already planned on upsizing; my arrival had only helped to speed up the process. Of course, Jas and I had found the fire escape within our first few moments inside. We were on the roof the minute John and Caleb had let us out of their sight. When they'd found us, they had been livid. We'd insisted upon coming up here constantly after that point. It was an adventure and we'd enjoyed seeing the small vein in John's forehead throb whenever he got truly angry. We saw that vein a lot.
Eventually, John and Caleb had caved. They'd requested a permit from the city to begin construction on the roof. They'd added a small fence around the perimeter and a small covered siting area of sorts. Sure, we hadn't been able to get in trouble from running up there after that, but it had become our place. It had helped us bond.
