Violets and Ash novel Chapter 2

I tossed my backpack on the kitchen table, the numerous pins attached rattled as they bumped into one another. There was always a small pang of disappointment when I made it back home from a hectic night at Jeb’s to find Elijah’s car still missing from the driveway.

Most of the houses in town were styled after cabins, and all had massive fireplaces built for the harsh winters. The cold and I had a love hate relationship, which is why Elijah made sure we were always stocked up on wood and I made sure we had plenty of hot cocoa.

He spent a good portion of his time at the tiny clinic that was always understaffed and overpopulated. I used to tag along when I was a kid, back when he would do house visits. It had taken one particularly nasty family, who refused to have the cursed child step into their home for me to realize how uncomfortable I made people.

Elijah stopped taking house calls that day, and I stopped asking to see more of his job.

He was the only one who didn’t pester me about my past. He gave me time to process this new place I was in, to process the fact that my old world—the memories of where I had been before, they were gone.

I’d been lost in the tune I was humming when I wandered past the kitchen, nearly missing the lavender index card stuck to the fridge.

I snagged the card off the fridge and shouted, “Jackie! You here?”

A headache throbbed at my temples as I stared down at his messy handwriting. He always tried to neaten it up for me by writing slow and steady. I had spent countless hours teasing him and his doctor friends, wondering how they could read a jagged line so easily.

Violet – Code blue at 1am. Come armed.

“Something wrong? I was finishing up Elijah’s laundry. Not that he wears anything other than those button downs and god-awful ties.” Jackie said, appearing from around the corner.

She had worked as a nanny for the previous owners of the house, who had long ago moved out and went elsewhere. Mind you, she wasn’t a very good cook, but she had improved drastically in the two months I’d been teaching her.

Jacki’s primary job was to keep the house clean and to provide me with some much-needed company, not that she would admit to the second part.

“Another family meeting?” She chuckled, her laughter warm and comforting after a long night. “You two and your secret notes.”

Along the countertop sat a bunch of various cookbooks, all themed in some way. At the front was my favorite, the first book Elijah had ever gifted me. The antique looking cookbook, themed after witches and wizards, was what propelled me into my passion for baking.

“Let’s see…” I trailed off, pulling two from the shelf at random. Colorful pictures jumped out at me until I chose one from each book, as I did every night. “…how does bacon jam burgers and a black forest pudding cake sound?”

“Sounds like I need to start paying you instead of the other way around. You keep spoiling me like this, and I might not want to retire.” Jackie teased, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “Next time you make some of them cheesecake bars, I’ll take another pan. Phil went crazy over those things.”

I laughed and promised her as many as her heart desired, even though that familiar ache started in my chest. Jackie’s husband, he was like the rest of the adults in town.

Still, I refused to let them turn me bitter and cold. I’d smother them and shovel my kindness down their throats until they finally realized they were just mean people, hating and isolating a child.

“How was the library?” Jackie asked, pulling out some of the things I’d need for our late-night dinner.

Our towns library was open twenty-four hours, but only because the owner lived in a small apartment in the back. No one else in town felt the need to go past 5pm, which meant it was the perfect cover for my nights working the bar.

“Oh, it was fine. Quiet as always.” I lied effortlessly, having told this one enough times to memorize the soft smile and easy shrug it took to convince Jacki.

Lying wasn’t something I did, which is why neither suspected anything when I stopped frequenting the library at night and started bringing a backpack with a change of clothes inside. A hint of perfume before walking in the door covered the scent of stale beer long enough for me to start cooking or hop in the shower.

Neither one ever looked deeper than that, but often I didn’t mind. I wanted my job at the bar to be secret. Everything from the moment I was found had been seen and heard by everyone in town, and this—this was mine.

“I don’t see why you won’t go earlier in the day, get some face-to-face interaction. You’ve got to get tired of talking to this old bird all day.” She tittered, sounding just like some of the mothers in town.

How could I possibly explain that somewhere along the way my need for control had become so strong that conquering my intolerance for adrenaline and conflict was a necessity?

He’d see the girl who blacked out—who left five other wolves just as scarred and traumatized as me.

“I could never get tired of you, Jacki. You eat everything I cook, and never complain.” I kept my laugh light, even though I felt the familiar tremor in my fingers urging me to check the locks and windows until that itch in my head was satisfied. I couldn’t, though. Jackie would know something was up the moment I reached for the door.

Grabbing the baby pink apron that hung on a hook by the pantry, I wandered over to the stove and flicked the burners on, then searched the pot rack above the island counter for two pans. Using the little step stool Elijah had bought me, I grabbed what I needed and started cooking.

I hummed as I worked, losing myself in the ingredients and scents of the kitchen. The sweet and savory aroma of bacon jam filled the air, followed by the buttered buns I left to toast. While I was relaxed and in my element, the itch beneath my skin was still there, just momentarily forgotten.

Jacki cleaned the kitchen and scrubbed the counters down after we had our fill, as she did every night. I had plenty of time to shower and relax before Elijah would be home for our ‘code blue’ meeting.

Even in my bedroom, I couldn’t stop myself from veering straight to the two windows to check the locks. They sat on either side of my bed, making it even more tedious to dart back and forth.

On the bright side, Elijah had a tinted film put over the glass, blocking my bedroom from prying eyes. More than once I swore I could see eyes watching me from the forest, undoubtedly trying to catch a glimpse at the small town’s spectacle.

I counted under my breath, locking and unlocking, click after click. I’d turn away, confident they were secure only to have to check again.

When my fingers finally stilled and the itch faded, I managed to take a quick shower.

Nearly an hour later, Elijah’s car pulled into the driveway.

“This meeting must be important. You’re on time for a change.” I teased, setting the romance novel I was reading down, albeit a bit reluctantly.

I flipped the book over so Elijah couldn’t see the cringe-worthy couple on the front, locked in a passionate embrace as their hair was blown back from an invisible wind.