Lenore almost had everything she wanted.
In just a few short months, she'd graduate early from high school, start an internship at her father's new startup in San Francisco, and then head off to college in the fall on a full scholarship. Everything...
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For now, the sky was clear, but there were clouds on the horizon, ushered in by the harsh, cold wind. Lenore cursed it as she made her way, by foot, up the long drive towards her house. The wind cut through her, despite her thick hoodie and her arms wrapped around herself. It wasn't even officially autumn yet, but she guessed she'd have to get out her winter coat sooner rather than later. At least the wind wasn't fighting against her but at her back, as if it was urging her on.
As she made it to the edge of the yard, she noticed her mother's SUV wasn't parked in its usual spot in the driveway. Lenore found that odd, but maybe she had moved to the garage because of the weather.
But when she got inside the house, it felt suspiciously quiet.
"Mom?" Lenore called out.
There was no answer. But the house was large, and there were many corners where you could hide, unable to hear someone calling.
Lenore debated searching for her until she spotted a small scrap of paper sitting on the narrow table beside the stairs. It was a note scribbled in her mother's distinctive handwriting.
Lenore, it read, I won't be home for dinner. You can order from whatever place you like. Beneath the note was a stack of take-out menus from what looked like every restaurant in Eden.
Lenore released a long, heavy sigh. Her mother couldn't even be bothered to make an excuse for her absence. Something twisted together in her stomach, making her feel slightly sick. She didn't know why she was so bothered by her mother's absence. It wasn't like she wanted to talk to her mother. But it would've been nice to have someone here, even if it was her mom, after the first scary day at school.
Her father had said that her mother was going to 'try'...
This wasn't trying.
She scrunched up the note and tossed it on the floor, dropping her bag beside it. She scooped up the menus and headed off to sort through them.
Dropping down at the kitchen table, she leafed through them like a dealer at a poker table, sorting them out on the table. Unsurprisingly, Eden did not have a wide selection. The town had just gotten a sushi restaurant after all, though she did not see its menu on the table. Not that she trusted small-town sashimi, anyway—
CRACK.
Lenore shot up from her seat.
It sounded like something had fallen hard. But as Lenore looked around, nothing in the room looked like it had been disturbed. She crossed the kitchen and stuck her head into the parlour.
It was back to being an ordinary living room, the couch and TV back in their usual spots, but after her grandmother's funeral, the room still made Lenore uncomfortable. Despite that, nothing seemed out of place.
Lenore wondered if maybe it had been the slam of a car door. Maybe her mom had decided to come home after all—
