Unmasking the Nightmare

Chapter Nine: Looking for Answers in a Banana Nut Pancake Recipe

Dying rays of sunlight pierced through my closed eyelids as wind whistled in my ears, tangling my hair. I blinked my eyes open and was rewarded with a violent throbbing that pounded behind my eyes. I shuddered and narrowed my eyes to slits, shielding my sensitive eyes. I was leaning against the railing of my balcony, the purple sky and the slinking sun verifying that it was twilight.

Sighing to myself, I inched towards the sliding doors, my scorched hands sending warning jolts of stinging pain through my body as I pressed my left palm against the glass and slid it open, the lights from the dining room sending another searing burst of pain through my aching head.

"How are you feeling?" Fahrenheit looked up from a recipe book he was casually leafing through, looking sympathetic as he trailed his eyes across my blistering burns. His presence startled me since I wasn't expecting him to be in my house and I reeled backwards due to my jumpiness, exhaling slowly when I realized it was just him.

"I'm not dead, so I can't complain." I limped the remainder of the way into the kitchen and clutched the edge of the island as a fit of dizziness accompanied me, forcing myself to take even breaths until the dizziness subsided. "Why are you here?"

Fahrenheit stiffened at my harmless question, his back going rigid. "I talked to your mother right after we selected the three Elites, and she told me she was going out on a short trip. Hero business." Fahrenheit must have seen my surprised, suspicious expression because he added, "She said she'll be back tomorrow though."

A pop-up trip wasn't uncommon, but why did it have to be right after the arena and the selection of the three Elites? That seemed like an odd time to have a trip.

"Oh." I couldn't keep the hurt and disappointment from icing my tone. "Oh."

It had been selfish of me to assume that she would celebrate. It's not like she would take us out to a fancy restaurant. It's not like she would sit down to engage in a family game night. It's not like she would stop living her dream of saving the city to spend time with her family.

Fahrenheit placed a finger in the recipe book to hold his spot as he lowered the book to the egg-splattered countertop. "Maybe later, we'll have a family gaming tournament. Colton keeps bragging about how good he is at that new racing game he got."

I nodded slowly, still trying to wrap my mind around my mother's absence. "So she asked you to watch us while she was gone?"

"Uh-huh," Fahrenheit replied automatically, retrieving the recipe book and hunting down a certain recipe, digging his nose into the book to probably try and mask his disappointment at my melancholic attitude.

I crossed my arms, knitting my brows together. "We don't need a babysitter. Tomorrow is a Sunday, so I don't have school and Colton doesn't have classes at the college. We're just going to hang around the house while I enjoy my last day of freedom before becoming an Elite."

Fahrenheit didn't look my way, but the pages of the recipe book stopped flipping, so I knew I had his attention and continued, "You're a busy guy. You have citizens to save and praise to bask in. Don't bother yourself by checking up on us, because we're used to taking care of ourselves."

Fahrenheit subtlety flinched, and I opened my mouth to correct my tone, not meaning to sound so harsh. Before I could correct myself, Fahrenheit beat me to it.

"You're trying to get rid of me." He exhaled slowly, explaining in a patient tone, "I'm doing this because your mother asked me to. Your mother is not someone who is easily paranoid and she knows your capabilities. If she asked me to watch you, Colton, and Chelsea, maybe you should trust her because she knows something you don't."