Captivation

20: Intuition

Intuition (noun): a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.

I wake up to the sun shining though the curtains, I am alone, which means that Henry woke up before me, and left me asleep. I roll over and make a noise of irritation. I don't like being the last to wake up, it makes me feel like I might miss something. I sit up and look to the door. I shuffle out of bed and get dressed. I open the door and see Griffin and Peter in the living room.

"Hey Madelyn." Peter says.

"Good morning." I say. I run a hand through my hair and look around.

"He's out back." Griffin tells me.

"Oh," I say, "Thank you."

"You okay?" Griffin asks, easily the more talkative of the two of Henry's youngest brothers.

"Of course I am, why?" I ask.

"You look flustered." Griffin tells me.

"Ah," I nod my head, "No, I'm alright." I give him a smile that I hope is reassuring, and I walk outside.

Henry is with Alina. As much as I know that she's basically part of their family, sometimes I wish she would go away. She makes me feel bad.

Henry turns around when he hears the door open.

"You slept late." He smiles.

"You slept early." I tell him, rubbing my arm and walking toward him. The sun is in my eyes and I lift a hand up to shield my eyes.

Henry puts an arm around me, and I try not to show that this action is unusual for the two of us. The three of us are quiet, and I wonder if Alina feels like she's a third wheel, because that's how I feel, except I'm more of a third wheel to their friendship.

"What are your plans for today?" Alina asks Henry.

"No idea." He responds. "You'll have to ask my mother. She tends to dominate my plans for the two weeks I'm here."

Alina laughs. "That's the truth."

I lean into Henry without really thinking about it, I only realize that I did that because he looks down at me. I rest my head on him anyway. It's all for the act we're keeping up anyway.

Henry keeps talking to Alina, he uses the arm he has around me to rub my arm slowly as he talks.

I turn my head to look over my shoulder when I hear footsteps. It's Jane and she looks happy to see Henry and I so close to each other. I wonder why she isn't pushing for Henry to be in love with Alina.

I realize that Alina would be the perfect candidate for Henry, yet Jane accepted me without question. This makes me wonder why she wasn't shocked that Henry wouldn't be with Alina.

I decide that before these two weeks are up I will have to ask her why.

"You know what you should do Henry?" Jane says.

"What?" He asks, turning himself, and because I'm attached to him, turning me, to face Jane.

"Take Griffin and Peter to the waterfall." Jane says.

"Waterfall?" I look at Henry and then to Jane.

"Alina, another friend, and I found a waterfall deep in the woods when I was fifteen." Henry explains. He looks at Jane. "Do you think it's still there?"

"Only one way to find out." Jane says, and then she pauses, a look of worry on her face, "If you're okay going there."

Henry shakes his head. "I'm fine." And then he looks at Alina, asking her the same question with his eyes.