Another One (Book 3 of selection fanfics)

Chapter 6

I woke up the next morning to Duke licking my face. I groaned and sat up, one side of my face plastered with straw. Warm light filtered in from the small window and I could hear the other animals voicing their displeasure at being cooped up in the stale barn. I guess I'd fallen asleep in here. I stood and brushed straw from my pants and hair. I didn't know what time it was--it could be dawn or mid-morning.

I patted Duke on the head and made my way out of the barn. It was freezing outside and a new layer of frost coated the dead trees. It must have snowed overnight. I couldn't tell if the lights were on, so I walked to the back door instead of the front. I opened the door slowly, wincing at the quiet squeak, and slipped inside. I bent to throw my shoes off and shrugged my coat onto a peg before looking inside. What I saw caught me by surprise.

Mom was sitting at the kitchen table, sobbing while Dad held her close. His eyes were red, face stiff as he prevented his own tears from falling. Annika paced behind them, hair wild as she ran her hands through it. Kaleb stood by the old home phone, Elisa rubbing his arm comfortingly.

"What's going on?" I asked as I stepped forward. Was it Aidan? Genevieve?

Their heads whipped around to look at me. A high screech erupted from my mother's throat before she was flinging herself at me. She was more than a few inches shorter than me, but her grip was iron-tight.

"Where were you? Oh, my baby, where were you?" Mom wailed as she held me close, shaky hands rubbing my hair.

"I-I fell asleep in the barn," I explained as I looked around at the rest of my family. Both Kaleb and Annika were pale-faced as Dad stood up to embrace both my mother and I.

"You weren't in your room," Annika shook her head before joining the hug. "Kaleb was calling the police."

"Don't you ever, ever scare us like that again," Dad spoke sternly, but his relief was evident.

"I'm sorry. I just fell asleep," I pulled back out of the hug. I understood their fear, but really? None of them had even bothered to check the barn. "I just needed some air so I went to the barn."

"You need to tell us if you're going somewhere, sweetheart." Mom sniffled, her hair falling out of her lopsided bun.

I stared at my parents. "I was in the barn. I didn't disappear, and I don't need your permission to go somewhere. I'm almost eighteen."

"And as long as you live in this house, you live by our rules." Dad crossed his arms over his worn flannel shirt.

"That's ridiculous," I snorted and shook my head, moving to walk up the stairs.

"Erika Grace Carpenter! We are not done speaking." Dad called up to me but I ignored him. By his logic, I'd be following their rules for the rest of my life--as of now, it was highly unlikely I'd ever leave our farm in Kent.
~~~
My stomach growled as I flipped another page in my book. I hadn't eaten breakfast, or lunch, but I didn't plan on showing my face for the rest of the day. Felix, our sheepdog, sat on my legs, licking my bare feet and preventing me from getting out of bed. I'd read this book a thousand times, but I was too lazy to reach for another one.

It was yet another thing I missed about the palace. Once I'd finished a book, there was a whole library for me to choose from. At home, I had the same ten books and I didn't want to grab one from Amber's shelf. My family had a silent agreement not to touch any of her things. Her bed looked the same as it had been when my family left for Angeles.

Nobody had come to check on me in a while. I'd heard the front door slamming, the back one squeaking, and the murmur of quiet conversation as they ate. Mom and Elisa had come to the door, offering food, but I didn't feel like talking to anyone. I knew I was acting stupid but everything had begun to feel so stifling. I couldn't leave my house without their permission. I couldn't go to town. I couldn't even go to the grocery store anymore. I felt like a child in a time-out, even though I was voluntarily staying in my room.