DogBird

Chapter 9: Roe

How much time had passed? I could've sworn that it was thirty to forty-five minutes tops, but seeing how the sun was high in the sky behind the canopy overhead and I had left at 9:30 A.M., I must've been gone for two or three hours. I bit my lip as penalty for letting the time slip away from me until I tasted the familiar metallic tang on my tongue.

The vibrant leaves blurred past me as I darted through the trees, hoping to sneak back in and somehow fool Curt into thinking I was here the whole time and he'd just missed me.

Like hell that would work.

I kept my pace high to reach home in record time, panting laboriously when I reached the backyard. From the safety of the trees, I spotted Saundra in the kitchen, washing dishes at the sink. Behind her, I spotted Avery's feet lounged up on one arm of the couch as he watched television in the living room. Memories from this morning came to the front of my mind and a shiver racked my body. I had to avoid Avery.

The next best choice was the garage. Maybe I could pretend that I was looking through some of the moving boxes for my music or some clothes.

Once I latched the back entrance of the garage closed, I looked out the open garage door down the street, where I spotted Curt speaking to Kyrie, Teddy, and River.

Shit.

I moved before my brain could comprehend what my body was doing. Once my brain had managed to catch up with my body, I was already next to Curt, my head bowed in complacency. "I...I'm home," I stuttered weakly.

My shoulders hunched as Curt's hands landed on them, giving them a miserably strong squeeze. A fake laugh pushed its way out of his throat and he brought his hand down on my shoulder again, causing my whole body to sway at the impact. "There you are, Monroe! Do you know how worried I was? I couldn't find you anywhere!" By the end of his act, his voice was seething from between his clenched teeth.

I gulped and risked a glance at him, regretting it the moment I did.

His eyes were alight with a sadistic gleam as his smile seemed to curl inhumanely in anticipation. My breath stuttered in my lungs and my eyes widened in fear. I ducked my head back down, clenching my shaking fists at my sides. "I–I'm sorry. I fell a–asleep," I lied.

"You should know better than to—"

He was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder by none other than Kyrie. My eyes locked a piercing glare on him, hoping to scare him away and save myself the humiliation of having him see me in this pathetic state. Or before he spilled the beans about where I really was.

His gaze met mine and I have to say, I was proud to see a glint of surprise and fear flash through his irises before a friendly twinkle took its place. He turned his easygoing smile to Curt, whose jaw was ticking in irritation at being disrupted. "Is this the son you were looking for?" He looked at me again, his eyes void of recognition.

Wait, he didn't tell Curt about me? Why?

Maybe because they figured it out from the massive bruise decorating your cheek, dipshit, I thought to myself. Of course they did. It was as obvious as the sky was blue.

Another figure appeared while I was lost in my own thoughts, and I was surprised to see it was the Mountain Man Lev. He looked drowsy, as if he'd just woken up, and he ran a hand roughly through his hair as a yawn escaped his lips. His dark eyes landed on me and an eyebrow rose in lazy interest. "What'd happen to your face, malen'kaya belka?" he asked with a deep and rough voice.

I felt my muscles visibly tense at his question, and Curt had done the same. Again, a fake laugh came from him and he smacked my back in a seemingly fatherly way, but I could feel the sharp sting of his hand through the thin clothes. I held back a wince and let the indifferent mask take the reins as Curt laced an arm around my shoulders, pulling me tightly against his side and making it harder to breathe. "This clumsy little shit tripped over some moving boxes yesterday while we were settling in and fell straight into the kitchen counter."