I shrugged to myself and turned on the cold water. I cupped my hands beneath it, letting the water fill up the space between my palms. Leaning down, I splashed the water onto my face. I repeated the process and shut the water off, reaching for the hand towel hanging by the light switch. The rough fibers felt scratchy on my skin as I dried my face. I slung the towel back onto its ring and sniffed as I peered back at my reflection. Some of the water had gotten up my nose when I splashed my face, and it felt like runny snot. I sniffed again and turned out the light, trudging across the hall to my bedroom.

Rikku was waiting for me on the bed. As I plugged the charger into my phone, Rikku nuzzled the little dinosaur blanket and dipped her head underneath of it so she could cover herself up. She spun in a circle twice, wrapping the blanket around herself and plopping down at the foot of the bed. The tip of her nose poked out, and she licked her chops once to say goodnight.

I chuckled and kissed the top of her nose before I booped it. “Goodnight, baby. Mommy loves you.” I turned on the oscillating fan at that was positioned at the foot of my bed. Pulling the covers back, I slid in under the blankets and pulled them up to my shoulders, wrapping my arm around them as I rolled onto my right side.

Out of habit, I double checked that my alarm was set for eight o’clock. Yawning, I clicked off the lamp and buried my face into the cool pillow.

My alarm blared the next morning, jerking me out of a restless sleep. I sighed and smacked the snooze button, but Rikku noticed the movement and jumped up on the bed to lick my face. I rolled my eyes and scratched her neck.

“Okay, okay. I’m up.” I mumbled sleepily. She hopped down and he claws clacked on the floor as she tippy tapped impatiently. I sighed and shoved the covers off. My entire body strained as I stretched as fully as I could, letting my hands flop onto my stomach afterwards.

Rikku grumbled and nudged my arm with her snout. I nodded and sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The floor was cold against my bare feet, and I hissed as I lifted them back up. My slippers were on the far side of the room laying by the door.

“Rikku, do Mommy a favor and bring me my slippers.” I said, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

Rikku grumbled in response and walked off. I could hear the retreating sounds of her footsteps as she padded towards the kitchen. My lip curled as I stood and the cold floor seeped into my feet, sending chills running through me. I shook off the cold chill and stepped into my slippers before following after her.

The house was silent, an indication that Mom wasn’t home. There was a note laying by the coffee pot with neat, precise handwriting scrawled a cross it. I picked it up and read it as I unlocked and opened the back door. Rikku brushed my leg as she bounded through the doggy door and down the back steps.

Kara,

Went to Delvin to follow up on a lead for the article. I’ll be home late. Coffee’s ready, just turn it on.

Love, Mom

I scoffed and crumpled the note up, tossing it into the trash, and pressed the power button the coffee pot. It gurgled to life and sputtered as it began brewing the dark columbian elixir of life. I shoved two slices of bread in the toaster and pulled the tab. They sunk down with a faint metallic clank.

Of course Mom would tell me not to go to that apartment complex, but she could. She was probably going to go talk to Jason and was using the article as an excuse. Just perfect. I know that we as a family avoided him, but Mom was way more adamant about me staying away from him after the accident. I didn’t know if she’d blamed him still and assumed he’d hurt me as well, or if there was something more going on behind the curtain that I was on aware of. The later seemed much more plausible.

But what was it?

The time on the stove read 8:20. I had an hour until I had to leave for class, and I still needed to get a shower and caffeinate. I peeked out the screen door to check on Rikku, and the flashbacks of the nightmare rushed to the forefront of my mind. I shook my head and stepped away from the door but couldn’t help but examine it for any signs of cracks. Just in case.

I could see Rikku chasing a squirrel, but there were no visible lines on the glass, or any other sign of damage. I shuddered as I remembered how the ghoulish creature that resembled Aunt Katie had popped and twisted and cracked as it approached me.

Nope. I’m not doing this right now. Or today. Or at all. I shook my head again as if I could clear the thoughts out of my head like an etch-a-sketch. The coffee pot dinged, and I turned away from the door. Opening the cabinet above the sink, I pulled out my favorite dinosaur mug and poured myself some coffee.

I grabbed the gallon of milk from the fridge and groaned. It was practically empty. I rolled my eyes and tossed the jug into the trash. Looks like black coffee today. I grimaced as I sipped from the cup and walked back towards my bedroom. I set the cup down on the corner of my desk and closed my laptop, packing it and my notebook into my backpack. Then I grabbed a change of clothes, my sad cup of coffee, and crossed the hall to the bathroom.

When it was just Rikku and I home, I would leave the bathroom door open. If I didn’t, she would sit outside of it and cry until I let her in. If Mom or Dad were home, however, I would normally shut her in there with me until I got done. She’d just curl up on the bathmat and wait. I think its like what they say about when dogs go poop, how they trust you to watch them and keep them safe when they’re vulnerable. I’m pretty sure that’s why she wants to be in the bathroom with me all the time.

I turned on the hot water, then the cold and adjusted it until the water felt just right on my open palm. When I’d found the right temperature, I stepped back and pulled the curtain closed. Jeff Goldblum stared back at me. He had a pink scarf around his neck and shoulders and there was a gorilla in front of him so that it looked like he was holding it in his lap. Isabelle had gotten me that amazing shower curtain for Christmas last year and it was hands down my favorite gift.

I sipped from my coffee again and set the cup on the bathroom sink while I undressed. The molten water hit my skin, and I hissed. It took a second to adjust to the heat, but the sting felt good. Relaxing. I tilted my head back to wet my hair and scooped it over my shoulder. I closed my eyes and let the water wash over me for a few minutes.

As I started to wash, my mind started to wander back to yesterday when we were in Jason’s apartment. I had never really liked Jason before Aunt Katie’s accident, he was rude and very short tempered with me. I’d assumed it was because he didn’t want some dumb kid hanging around with them, but afterwards he became someone completely different. He was more outwardly aggressive. The family didn’t want him around anymore because of it, even after he was cleared of the murder accusations.

But I knew, even though Mom would be furious with me if she found out that I had talked to him a few years ago, that Jason had been going to anger management counseling. He had said, at the time, that he felt better than he had in a long time. That his rage was a trauma response to what had happened to Aunt Katie, and he had been finally starting to feel some semblance of control.

Yesterday when he’d realized he’d blown up, I watched the pain and sorrow flash in his eyes. But that last outburst, when he’d said all of those horrible things to me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t him. It was too much of a shift in character, even for him. Maybe I should try to talk to him again. Isabelle and Josh would probably tell me how stupid of an idea it was, and Mom—Mom would absolutely lose her shit.

The clacking of claws on the tile floor drew me out of my thoughts and back to reality. The shower curtain rustled, and Rikku’s head appeared. She sniffed at the soap still running down my leg, the angled her head and tried to catch the water spraying past me. I giggled and leaned back, so that the full spray was available to her. Her mouth opened wide, and she shook her head back and forth trying to catch as much as possible.

She decided she’d had enough, and she plopped down on the bathmat and offered up a dramatic sigh. Apparently, I was taking too long. I angled my back to rinse the conditioner from my hair. After making sure I was soap free, I turned the water off and opened the curtain. It slid across the bar with a swish. Snatching the towel off the hook, I quickly dried off and stepped out of the shower.

I dressed, wrapped the towel around my still dripping hair, and followed Rikku back to the kitchen. She lapped at the water in her bowl and then turned to look at me, dribbling an entire mouthful across the kitchen floor. I noticed it at the exact moment that I stepped in it. I closed my eyes to gather myself as the cold water seemed into my socks.

“Thank you so much for that.” I said sarcastically.

Her response, in true pitty fashion, was to lick her dripping chops and go right back to slurping her water like nothing happened at all. I gave her a dry look and set my coffee cup down so that I could take my socks off. I dropped them into the hamper beside the washer and went to put on a fresh pair.

This time, I watched for the water as I gave the dog dish a wide berth and grabbed the mop out of the utility closet to clean it up. Rikku nuzzled my leg as she padded into the living room and leapt onto the couch. She circled three times on the cushion and then curled up, tucking her snout into her hip. Almost instantly, her snores filled the room.

The clock on the stove read 9 o’clock. I’d timed my shower perfectly. I downed the rest of my coffee and rinsed my cup out. I grabbed a scoop of dog food from the container by the back door. The pellets clinked loudly as they tumbled into the metal dog bowl. Tossing the scoop back into the container, I checked the level on the water dispenser. It was still half full, so it would last her throughout the day; I can refill it when I get back home.

I leaned over the back of the couch and scratched Rikku’s side. She snorted, then grumbled and lifted heavy eyelids to look up at me. I smiled and said, “I’m headed to class. Mommy loves you and I’ll be back in a few hours, okay?”

She yawned and nuzzled my hand and was instantly back asleep. I wish I could fall asleep that easily. I slid my phone into my pocket and went to retrieve my backpack from the back of my desk chair. I shouldered it and grabbed my keys off the hook, locking the door on my way out.

I unlocked the driver’s side door of my red Chevy S-10 and tossed my backpack onto the passenger seat. I climbed in, buckled my seatbelt, and turned the key in the ignition. The engine sputtered and roared to life.

“Good boy,” I mumbled as I patted the steering wheel.

I’ve had Tony since I was sixteen. He was a hand-me-down birthday present from my dad. He’s old, but he runs pretty great until it starts getting cold out. I pushed the cassette into the tape deck with my index finger and AC/DC’s “Giving the Dog a Bone” started playing. Yeah, he was that old.

As I pulled out of the driveway, I tuned the knob on the heater. There was a knocking sound behind the dash, and then heat blasted into the cab. There wasn’t much traffic this time of day, but since I lived just outside of town, I didn’t see many other cars until I passed the town square anyways. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel along to the music as I drove.

Coffee Hut was surprisingly crowded when I pulled into the parking lot. I found a space at the far end by the dumpster and put the truck in park. I hadn’t looked for Josh’s jeep when I pulled in, so I had no idea if they were already there or not. I climbed out of the truck, popping the door lock and shutting it. The wind had picked up some since I’d left the house. I raised my shoulders, tucking my ears down to help protect them from the cold.

The little copper bell hanging from the door jamb jingled as I pulled the door open. There were two lines of people leading up to the counter, and one frazzled looking cashier. I slid my hands into my pockets as I crossed the store. The guy standing at the back of the line. was wearing a backwards red WU ball cap and a red flannel. He offered a friendly smile to me as I approached, then went back to scrolling on his phone. I stepped up behind him and pulled my own phone out. I had expected to find a message from Isabelle asking where the hell I was, but I had no notifications.

I dropped it back into my pocket and glanced around the room. There were a five tables lining the windows the faced the parking lot. Each table had three chairs and every single seat was filled. Most of them, like the guy in front of me, were wearing some sort of Wickshire University paraphernalia. Since the Coffee Hut was the closet coffee shop to the campus, it was no surprise that most of its customers were students.

 The barista came running out of the back with an armful of paper cups. His red curls were smashed under his black Coffee Hut hat, and his face speckled face was tinged pink. He fumbled plastic wrapped stacks of cups down on the counter beside the cashier and gaped at the crowd of customers. He offered the cashier, a blonde girl with a messy knot atop her head, an apologetic wince and whirled back to the coffee machine.

She took the next persons order, scribbled it down on the cup along with their name and passed it back to the barista. His arms flew everywhere at once as he began filling order after order. As the line moved forward, I still hadn’t seen Josh or Isabelle. I pulled my phone back out, but there were still no notifications on the screen.