Small Town Love

Chapter 24

Other things may change us, but we begin and end with the family.

Anthony Brandt

It was early Saturday morning, when Daphne padded down the staircase, already dressed for the day.

Luke hadn't stayed the night and while by now she could sleep without nightmares when she didn't have him near her, she still slept better if he was near her. By now preferably in his human and wrapped around her as tightly as they could manage.

There were the times that she felt like his hold on her was the only thing firmly anchoring her in the present and she was thankful that it was there. She never needed to tell him that she needed it, it was enough to slip herself underneath his arm, pull his hand around her and he adjusted to suit her need to just be held for a little while. He indulged her with that but Daphne knew very well that his wolf was very pleased by it as well.

Walking downstairs, Daphne wondered if Luke was already awake and if she could go over to the Schuyler's to sneak a few minutes with her boyfriend. She loved early morning runs with him by now, the two of them even sneaking out to do it during the school week, just the two of them running through the forest. Something especially lovely when it was still dark outside and there had been new snow during the night.

She was startled to find Caroline sitting at the dining table methodically going through the two plastic bags that Daphne knew held her mother's belongings. She stood frozen in place for a moment her eyes jumping over the clothes, over the few pieces of jewellery that her mother had always hung onto and that had not managed to end up being sold for food or to pay the water bill.

She needed to swallow back against the sudden feelings that welled up inside her, messy and too many to name.

"Daphne...I thought I would take it from the plastic bags and put it in actual boxes. Do you..." Caroline started but she shook her head before her aunt could finish that thought. She couldn't even begin to stomach the idea of going through these boxes herself. Maybe she never would.

"No, it's fine, Caroline. I'll just... Thank you for doing it," she thanked her aunt with a pasted smile.

She looked over the things again, unable not to reach out for the thick blue winter coat from her mother, the wool already thin in places. She remembered that coat from better days when her mother hadn't yet been nothing more than an empty shell of a human being that needed alcohol and drugs to function.

Michelle hadn't always been as bad as near the end.

There was a handful of good memories that Daphne had off her, not more than that but they did exist.

She wondered if it made her a bad person that she didn't want to drag them to the surface.

It made her a bad daughter, that was for sure.

"I am going to go over to Luke's," Daphne said finally. Luke was always good for helping her clear her mind...and she just needed something that wouldn't remind her of this anymore.

"Of course, Honey. Have fun," her aunt told her with a smile and Daphne pulled her thick parka from the hook near the front door as she slipped outside.

She didn't bother writing Luke a text message, knowing that if he was outside running, then she would be unable to reach him regardless of what she did.

He wasn't.

She found him inside of his house/barn, whatever she should call it, doing math homework and Daphne snuck inside to curl up next to him.