Bolt from the Blue
Tiny beams of sunlight danced on Aspen’s eyelids, and she yawned and stretched languidly. She opened her eyes and pulled the quilt in front of the offending sun. It took a few second for her to remember the events from the previous night, and she felt her arms to see if they were still bruised. Her body was uninjured, so she hopped out of bed.
A soft knock on her door made her turn around to see her mother poke her head around it.
“Ah, are you awake?”
“Hi, Mom. Yeah, I’m awake. How did I get back?”
“Dylan brought you back. He said you were very tired.”
“Oh.” She looked down and noticed she still wore her T-shirt from the previous night, but her jeans were folded over the chair opposite the bed. Her dream catcher was lying on top of the jeans, so her friends must have found it and returned it.
“How did I get into bed?” she asked hesitantly.
“Dylan carried you upstairs and put you to bed. You were exhausted.”
“What about Uncle Leeman?”
“He said he would be home later. They found a prisoner and he’s looking after him. He said you should go to school today.”
“Great. I almost forgot about that. Am I late?” she squealed.
“No, sweetie, I’m taking you there so we’ll make it in time. Have a shower quickly, you smell like smoke. I’ve made something to eat that you can take to school.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Norma smiled and left the room. Aspen rushed through the shower and towel-dried her long hair before slipping into a pair of white shorts and a lilac T-shirt. She grabbed a pair of cork sandals and her dream catcher, and rushed downstairs with her backpack over her shoulder.
After her mom dropped her off at school, she searched for Sandy and Dylan without success. With Miriam being expelled, she didn’t need to worry about being confronted by anyone during classes.
Once the last bell of the day had rung, she picked up her backpack and walked outside.
Norma waited in the Honda outside the school gates, and Aspen opened the passenger door and slumped into the black leather passenger seat.
“Any word?” she asked.
“No. Nothing. How was school?” Her mom smiled brightly. With a bit of makeup and a sleek new hairstyle, she was looking much better. Aspen studied her mother’s face carefully. She was actually a very pretty woman.
“School was okay. I didn’t see Sandy or Dylan, and I’m dying to know what happened last night.”
“Why don’t you use your dream catcher and visit Lanta?”
“I’ll probably do that if they aren’t back soon. I’ve got some homework to do before I can go.” She leaned her head against the headrest as Norma maneuvered into traffic.
They drove through the tree-lined streets for a short while and turned into the driveway of Leeman’s house. The gate was closed, and Aspen jumped out to open it so her mom could park the car.
Once Aspen had settled in her room, she tackled an English essay first and then studied for a physics test. Norma had changed the television to a music channel and hits of the nineties played downstairs. Not too loud to interfere while she studied, but loud enough for her to sing along with as she turned the pages of her books.
Although she was tempted to leave everything and transport to Lanta, she was still embarrassed about the previous night. Dylan had seen her at her weakest, and probably thought she was a poor excuse for a princess. No doubt he agreed with Ruby about Aspen’s Halfling status. Nope, she could wait a while before seeing him again.
She’d just completed her homework when Norma called her downstairs to help with dinner, and she decided to wait until bedtime to cross over.
“Can you set the table, sweetie?” Her mom stirred a meaty stew that smelled delicious.
“Of course. It smells great.” Aspen sniffed the air appreciatively.
“This was your dad’s favorite. He used to sneak downstairs and heat up a bowl of the leftovers in the middle of the night.” Norma placed the spoon back on the counter and stared out the window. “He said the stew tasted better after soaking for a while.” She smiled sadly.
Aspen walked over to her mother and hugged her. “It’s okay, Mom. Things are getting better now.”
Holding her daughter against her chest, Norma whispered, “I know. I just miss your dad sometimes.”
They heard the front door open and people speaking in the living room. With a frown, her mother released her and the two walked to the front of the house to see who’d come to visit.