FABLE

Chapter Twenty Four

Friday night finally arrives, and with it, summer vacation. I skip my usual set at the Night Owl, because we were planning on going to the movies to celebrate - Zee, Jamie, Grace and me - but Jamie has other plans at the last minute. 

For reasons I can't even begin to fathom, all four of us got invited to a keg party at Aaron Young's house. He's undeniably cool, and a senior, but both Alix and Micah think he's a jerk (and he goes through girlfriends faster than a hot knife through butter).

Still, the lure of popularity points and cute seniors is too much for Jamie. She and Grace end up going to the party, while Zee and I skip it to watch a Frozen rerun at the cinema near my house (for about the fifth time since it came out).

It works out pretty well - Zee will spend the night at my place, then tomorrow we'll go together to band practice at her house in the afternoon.

It's as if none of the stuff with Fable even happened in the first place.

For a few days after they left, I had this weird feeling. It was like Felix, and Alastaire and the others had smashed into my orbit and passed by as quickly as a comet, and now I was floating unanchored watching the light fade away and waiting for my gravity to return.

It did return, little by little, and things are starting to feel normal. Or at least, as normal as things ever get for me.

The boys have moved on, and are on holiday in different spots all over the world, taking a break between the tour and their next album. It's time for me to move on too.

As we walk home after the movie, Zee and I debate for the millionth time whether a relationship between Elsa and Jack Frost would work out. I don't see the problem with movie crossovers, but Zee thinks it's crazy. I turn on my phone to Google some fan art and change her mind. 

Very important stuff. Worrying about OTPs and whether Jelsa has canon potential. Life is well and truly back to normal.

When I turn on my phone, I find two missed calls from home, and three from an unknown number.

The ones from home are obvious - the movie ran a bit longer than I thought it would, and ever since the accident, mom gets extremely freaked out any time I'm back late from anywhere.

And as for the calls from the unknown number, that'll probably be yet another journalist who found my contact details online.

They've been hassling me non-stop since Saturday.

I quicken my pace anyway, and we reach my house in just a few minutes.

As Zee and I walk into my driveway I notice an unfamiliar black Jeep parked next to my mom's Kia.

Mom didn't mention anything about having people over for dinner.

As I walk through the front door a chill runs down my spine. It's gone in a flash, but I get the feeling that something bad is about to happen.

*****

"Darling! Close the door and come on through!" My mom's voice rings out across the house.

As Zee and I step from the hall into the kitchen, we're met with a scene that knocks the air right out of my lungs.

First I take in my mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table with a pile of files and a half empty bottle of red wine.

Nothing out of place about that. It's Friday night, after all.

What is out of place however, is the dark haired boy elbows deep in the kitchen sink, his back to me as he passes dishes to the blonde boy on drying duty next to him.