9
Mysti
Dappled sunlight trickledin through my bedroom window, warming my face and pulling me from sleep. I stretched my arms and legs, then reached for my glass of water on my bedside table. Finding nothing but bare wood, I lifted my head and blinked until the sunlight no longer hurt my eyes.
The water glass sat on the far corner of the table, too far away to reach from my position in the middle of the bed. I dropped my head, only for my alarm clock to suddenly blare.
It, too, was in the far corner, next to my glass on the other side of my lamp. Blearily, I wiped sleep from my eyes, then pulled myself forward on my elbows until I could turn it off.
“Whose idea was it to wake up so damn early?” I mumbled before taking a drink from my glass and sweeping my gaze around my room.
“Callie, that’s who,” I responded, as if this was normal, talking to myself. “It’s all her fault.” I eyed my partially open blinds, the floral bushes outside the window and the blue sky beyond. It looked like the start to a beautiful day, but for some reason, I felt off.
After taking a moment to shake off my sleep, I rose and went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and rinsed off the smoky smell left on my skin from curling up next to my fireplace last night. Then I dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt and went to the kitchen to eat.
I’d given myself plenty of time, and yet was tempted to just plop myself down on the couch for the day and enjoy a cup of tea and a book. But Callie had insisted I meet her this morning, and I didn’t want to let her down.
After breakfast, I went to grab my tennis shoes from the deck, running a finger over the mermaid statue where it sat in her planter beside the door. My shoes were still right where I left them just outside, and I let out a quiet breath. That is, until I reached for the handle and found the door unlocked.
A shiver raced through me as I fingered the lock. I glanced behind me, let my gaze rove over the counters of the kitchen, across the small space to where the couch sat in the living room. I’d been distracted last night; thoughts of Trenton running through my head. Still, it was unlike me to be so careless and leave the door unlocked.
Nothing in the two rooms I could see appeared to be missing, nothing looked out of place. Shaking my head, and shaking off my dread, I opened the sliding glass door and grabbed my shoes. I made sure to push the latch all the way down this time, double checking that it was locked before I left.
Callie was waiting for me by the front door of Razer’s Edge, the gym I signed up for a few months ago. She lifted her travel mug to her lips as I exited my car, and took a long sip as she studied me behind her sunglasses.
“Everything okay?” she asked as we pushed in the door.
“Just tired,” I told her. “I was up late last night.”
She raised a brow at me, laughter replacing the concern in her voice. “Umm hmm.”
“Oh, shush.” I gave her shoulder a gentle shove and felt a much-needed lightness settle over me. Still, I found myself studying the list of classes on the bulletin board next to the front desk while we waited to sign in.
“Good morning!” Miller, the owner of the gym, stepped out from the office behind the desk. “How are my two favorite ladies this morning?”
“Hey, Miller.” I grabbed the clipboard from his outstretched hand. “We’re doing good. How about you?”
“No complaints here, especially not with you here now.”
Callie grinned as she took the clipboard from me. “You still trying to recruit her?”
“Of course, I am.” Miller came out from behind the desk and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “She hasn’t completely shot me down yet, so I figure I still have a chance.”
I poked my finger into his side, and he shied away, though only a little. “You know I’m too busy right now.”
“But that might finally be changing,” Callie pointed out.
“Oh, yeah?” Miller tugged me closer. “So I might be able to tempt you to the dark side?”
“Dark side?” Laughter wound through me, and I hooked an arm around his back. “I can’t imagine you or this place has a dark side. Not when it’s so full of light.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.” The front door swung open, and two other members came through. Miller let me pull away from his side so he could take care of them. “We’ll talk after class, okay?”
I rolled my eyes at him, but couldn’t keep the smile off my face. With the strange feeling I’d had running through my veins all morning, I couldn’t help but consider what Miller had to offer.
After depositing our belongings in our lockers, Callie and I rolled out our yoga mats in the classroom and sat down to start stretching.
“So how does it feel to not be the newest new girl anymore?” Callie asked.