The Aftermath (Book IV) [NaNoWriMo13] (On Hold)

Chapter Three - Proceed with Caution

Chapter Three

Proceed with Caution

Maybe I should have let Jack give me a ride home. I had told him again and again how much I loved walking home at night, and that it wasn't dangerous because it was on a path that was easy to see from the sky. But here I was, with snow beating down on my coat and nipping at my face. I couldn't feel my feet or hands, and my nose had been numb for nearly an hour. It was miserable. To top it off, I had spilled dirty mop water on my jeans, which is icy and nasty against my skin. Nevertheless, I stomped through the bits of snow clustered on the ground. The only thing that distracted me was my breath coming out in white puffs. I've always found it entertaining to puff like a dragon. When I was about ten I used to get sucker sticks and sit outside with my friends, pretending to be smoking. At the time it was all cool and mature. Thinking back on it, I now realized that it's kind of disturbing.

Yet here I was, pretending to be a dragon.

With my mouth wide open, I exhaled with all of my might, causing the white cloud to blow out. Good thing no one as around. I was even going as far as to make dragon growls. It was amazing. I've never lost my inner child.

My house came into view with no lights glowing out the windows. That meant Jack was still working and that the kids were still over at Mary's house. I went up the winding sidewalk and stood before the door identical to mine. Gently, I knocked on the door, a bit startled when I didn't feel anything in my knuckles.

The door flung open, revealing an exhausted-looking Mary. "Samantha, you look like a mess," she stated in surprise.

I gave a half shrug. "Long day. I'm sorry I'm late. Liam and I were convinced we'd get the entire house finished today."

Suddenly Cassie slammed into my numb leg, her cheeks rosy from running. "Daddy brought cookies!" she mumbled, her words coming out in the usual gurgle.

I ran my fingers through her wavy hair, the light brown tangles getting caught in my fingers. Unfortunately, she got the curse of my hair. "Did he?" I looked up at Mary with an exhausted smile. "I'm surprised Zach had time to come by today. They've been cooking up pots upon pots of soup."

"He made time for Cassie. You've got to love him for that."

I smiled down at Cassie, looking into her round violet eyes. "Are you ready for bed?"

She shook her head stubbornly. "Story!"

The thought of reading to her made my eyes droop a bit. I was so exhausted that I knew the moment I sat next to her on her little bed, I'd drift off immediately. "We'll see about it." I looked up nervously at Mary. "Is Daniel awake?"

She stepped aside with a nod. "He's sitting in front of the television."

Mary's house was identical to mine, Zach's, my mom's, and Zoey's house. But her décor was more geared towards her taste. She had a beige couch directly in the middle of her living room, facing the television that had been brought from earth a decade ago. It was bulky and obviously didn't have any channels, but it played DVD's and VHS's that were also brought. Mary was one of few who actually got a television. Since she's babysitting my kids, Penny's, and a few others around the area, she got to have it. It made sense considering there are only so many games you can play with a kid before you get bored and tired.

Daniel was propped against the couch, his eyes glued to whatever was on the screen. I scooped him up into my arms and planted a sloppy kiss on his chubby cheek. "Please tell me you're ready for bed?"