The Radiant Rangers

Chapter 26

The world was as silent as if it ended in the night. The sun was resolutely below the horizon and was slowing rising up into the new day.

Juliet opened her eyes slowly and snuggled her face into the soft purple pillow that rested underneath of her head. The scent of the pillow smelled like strawberries, for it was Haisley's. Haisley and Cynthia both smelled like strawberries; they were sisters after all. Juliet had almost forgot that she slept in Haisley's room last night.

The coolness of the early morning was deceptive; the sun was barely risen and this altitude was always cooler. Juliet sat up in Haisley's bed and kicked off the sheets. Juliet didn't like making beds and didn't care if the room was messy. Then she remembered what had happened last night.

"Shit..." Juliet mumbled to herself. She remembered kissing Danielle and then running away into Haisley's room. She let herself fall back into the sheets. The thought of Danielle's soft lips against hers gave her a slight sense of pride but discomfort. She wasn't sure how Danielle even reacted to the kiss and she felt ashamed.

Juliet opened Haisley's bedroom door which lead into the hallway and started to walk down the stairs. The stairs were slapped against the wallpaper as if they were an afterthought. They fell too close together and were uncommonly narrow. Juliet's foot stepped over one of the steps and she fell down the stairs. Her body toppled down the stairs and she landed on her arm.

"AAuGHH!" Juliet screamed. Crimson was in the kitchen at the shove. His eyes widened and he looked back over his shoulder at Juliet. Danielle was in the kitchen too, she was sitting at the table. Crimson must have been fixing breakfast.

"Well good morning." said Crimson. Crimson was wearing a short pink dress with ruffled sleeves. He turned back to the shove and flipped over a large pancake. "Would you like some pancakes?"

"I think my arm is broken man!" Juliet cried. Tears and frustration filled her eyes. "I can't move!" Her right arm was swollen and she was still laying on the ground. She rolled over to the side and winced in pain.

Danielle looked at Juliet and smiled softly. Juliet was tough and seeing her weak and on the ground was something new to her. She remembered what Juliet had done last night. The thought of Juliet's kiss made her blush slightly.

"You okay Juliet?" asked Danielle. She got up from the table and walked over towards Juliet. Juliet looked up at her and her heart rate increased dramatically. Juliet's face turned red and she struggled to stand up on her own. She didn't want Danielle to come any closer to her.

"Yeah I'm fine Dani...," said Juliet quickly. "...Thanks," she looked away from Danielle awkwardly and walked over to the table. Her arm was in a lot of pain and it was clearly broken. Danielle watched as Juliet wobbled over to the table. She wondered why Juliet didn't want to make eye contact with her, Juliet was clearly avoiding it.

"How did you two sleep last night?" asked Crimson. His attention was still focused on the pancakes he was making.

Juliet didn't want to look up from the table. She knew Danielle was staring at her but she didn't want to look up. Danielle's stare was as uncomfortable as a chorus-girl corset and had the same effect on Juliet's breathing, which was constricted and shallow. Danielle rested her hand on the side of her chin and sighed.

"Okay then," said Crimson. He turned around with a plate of pancakes. "Don't answer me then." Crimson knew Danielle was quiet, but wasn't sure why Juliet was so quiet. He didn't care either way.

When Juliet slid into the chair she didn't expect to be fed by Crimson, but he tossed a large pancake onto the silver plate which rested in front of her. A large warm, fluffy buttermilk pancake was laying before her eyes. The steam from the pancake smelled amazing and the butter gave it a golden glow. There was an elegant glass of orange juice, even though she much rather would have preferred soda.