Chapter 26

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Penelope was restless

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Penelope was restless. She punched at her pillow and threw herself down on it, trying to relax. She wanted to sleep but she couldn't settle her mind. The first rays of sunlight were already peeking through the blinds in her room, taunting her.

She had only been in bed for a couple of hours, though it felt like much longer. While her father had agreed to stay in Ridgestone with Penelope, it still had taken most of the afternoon, night, and into the very early morning for them to finalize the finer details of their agreement.

Her father had agreed that Penelope could stay and continue her search for the Raven, as long as she was safe. Her father even vowed to purchase a smartphone or tablet—his first-ever—so he could monitor any of her future live streams.

But, Penelope had agreed, if she got into a dangerous situation again then she would tell him and they would leave immediately.

Penelope pulled herself up with an angry huff. It was obvious sleep wasn't going to come for her and she was done trying. If she couldn't get sleep, she could at least get coffee.

She threw off the covers and pulled her usual hoodie over her pajamas before padding out into the kitchen. Her dad was snoring loudly in the loft above, so she tried to move as quietly as possible.

Pulling out the coffee pot, she filled it with water, got a new filter out, and went to the cupboard to get the coffee grounds... But there was only an empty tin. Staring at it, Penelope had a vague memory of yesterday, before they had headed out for the search, when her dad mentioned that they'd need to go into town afterwards and pick up a few things.

Considering how the day had gone, that errand had been forgotten. She cursed under her breath.

Penelope weighed her options with a sigh. Going back to bed wasn't an option. Liam and his family were unlikely to be awake either, so she couldn't ask to borrow any. She could drive into town, but...

Well, why not drive into town? she thought. What else was she going to do?

Leaving her dad to sleep, Penelope took his keys that were hanging on the hook next to the door and headed out. She knew that driving tired was almost as bad as driving drunk, but she wasn't normal-tired. While her body was exhausted her brain was wired, still racing with the nervous energy from the day before. That's why she hadn't slept—she felt like she was stuck in defensive mode, crouched and waiting for something to attack.

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