it. At least for that moment. First she needed to figure out exactly what to say before she began. There was no way she say everything and not have Jane try to get her committed.
Instead, she put away the book she had been reading the night before and made a mental note to explore more of the library later. For right now, she had more of the house to look through and part of her really hoped she might find a TV somewhere, even if it only got basic cable. She loved books, but sometimes she just needed a mental break.
She didn’t find a TV, but the first floor had what she would assume was once called a salon, as well as another bathroom. All of Draven’s furniture was old, but timeless and nothing appeared to have a spot of dust on it. She didn’t know when he had time to clean the place, but it looked perfect.
After her lazy morning exploring, she moved back into the kitchen in hopes of finding some kind of snack or something for lunch. She wasn’t sure what to expect from Draven’s fridge, especially since he said he didn’t have the need to eat, but inside she found more than enough.
There was fresh salad, meats, cheeses, and more for her to select from. Unmarked glass bottles held sauces, condiments, oils, and more and she found herself sniffing things to determine what they were.
In the end, she played it safe with a salad with a little oil and vinegar sprinkled over it. She crumbled up some of the cheese before she moved into the dining room to enjoy the meal she’d made herself.
She was only a few bites in when she heard her phone begin to ring in the other room. She was tempted to ignore it and let it ring, voicemail would take care of it for her, but she forced herself up.
It could be Jane, she said to herself . I shouldn’t make her worry more than she already has .
She cut through the kitchen and jogged across the grand entrance to make it to her phone before the voicemail beat her to it. She was out of breath when she answered, but she tried to sound as cheerful as she could when she said, “Hey, it’s Cadence.”
“Cadence?” Jane’s voice breathed heavy in her ear. “Oh my god, is it you?”
“Of course it is,” Cadence replied. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” Jane answered, her voice quiet and panicky. “Someone’s in the house. I think I hid before he saw me, but, oh my god, I don’t know. He’s weird and I’m really scared.”
“Is he taking anything?” Cadence replied, hoping above hope it was just a burglar.
“No,” Jane said. “Cady, I’m really freaked out. He’s like, some sort of meth head or something. His skin’s all gross and he’s growling. I think he’s looking for something.”
“I’ll be right there,” Cadence said. “Call the cops, I’m coming.”
There was never a moment that Cadence thought against going to Jane’s aid. She didn’t know what she could do, but she raced upstairs and found her clothes laying on the bed she’d slept on. They’d been freshly washed for her and she clumsily ripped off her pajamas and threw on her jeans and sweater.
Before she left, she dialed Draven’s direct office number. She didn’t know if he’d be in a meeting or not, but he picked up on the first ring,
“Cadence?” he said, somehow knowing it was her even though she knew the phone in his office matched the one in his house. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” she said, her voice just as panicked as Jane’s had been. “Something’s wrong at home. Jane said someone broke in. She’s trapped there.”
“Stay put,” Draven ordered her. “I’ll go check it out.”
“I can’t leave her,” Cadence protested.
“They’re not looking for her,” Draven said, but Cadence was already sure of that. “I’ll deal with it, you stay where you are. Understood?”
“Yes,” Cadence relented as she hung up the phone.
She knew she promised Draven that she would stay where she was. She knew that it wasn’t safe outside and her mind warned her it
Instead, she put away the book she had been reading the night before and made a mental note to explore more of the library later. For right now, she had more of the house to look through and part of her really hoped she might find a TV somewhere, even if it only got basic cable. She loved books, but sometimes she just needed a mental break.
She didn’t find a TV, but the first floor had what she would assume was once called a salon, as well as another bathroom. All of Draven’s furniture was old, but timeless and nothing appeared to have a spot of dust on it. She didn’t know when he had time to clean the place, but it looked perfect.
After her lazy morning exploring, she moved back into the kitchen in hopes of finding some kind of snack or something for lunch. She wasn’t sure what to expect from Draven’s fridge, especially since he said he didn’t have the need to eat, but inside she found more than enough.
There was fresh salad, meats, cheeses, and more for her to select from. Unmarked glass bottles held sauces, condiments, oils, and more and she found herself sniffing things to determine what they were.
In the end, she played it safe with a salad with a little oil and vinegar sprinkled over it. She crumbled up some of the cheese before she moved into the dining room to enjoy the meal she’d made herself.
She was only a few bites in when she heard her phone begin to ring in the other room. She was tempted to ignore it and let it ring, voicemail would take care of it for her, but she forced herself up.
It could be Jane, she said to herself . I shouldn’t make her worry more than she already has .
She cut through the kitchen and jogged across the grand entrance to make it to her phone before the voicemail beat her to it. She was out of breath when she answered, but she tried to sound as cheerful as she could when she said, “Hey, it’s Cadence.”
“Cadence?” Jane’s voice breathed heavy in her ear. “Oh my god, is it you?”
“Of course it is,” Cadence replied. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” Jane answered, her voice quiet and panicky. “Someone’s in the house. I think I hid before he saw me, but, oh my god, I don’t know. He’s weird and I’m really scared.”
“Is he taking anything?” Cadence replied, hoping above hope it was just a burglar.
“No,” Jane said. “Cady, I’m really freaked out. He’s like, some sort of meth head or something. His skin’s all gross and he’s growling. I think he’s looking for something.”
“I’ll be right there,” Cadence said. “Call the cops, I’m coming.”
There was never a moment that Cadence thought against going to Jane’s aid. She didn’t know what she could do, but she raced upstairs and found her clothes laying on the bed she’d slept on. They’d been freshly washed for her and she clumsily ripped off her pajamas and threw on her jeans and sweater.
Before she left, she dialed Draven’s direct office number. She didn’t know if he’d be in a meeting or not, but he picked up on the first ring,
“Cadence?” he said, somehow knowing it was her even though she knew the phone in his office matched the one in his house. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” she said, her voice just as panicked as Jane’s had been. “Something’s wrong at home. Jane said someone broke in. She’s trapped there.”
“Stay put,” Draven ordered her. “I’ll go check it out.”
“I can’t leave her,” Cadence protested.
“They’re not looking for her,” Draven said, but Cadence was already sure of that. “I’ll deal with it, you stay where you are. Understood?”
“Yes,” Cadence relented as she hung up the phone.
She knew she promised Draven that she would stay where she was. She knew that it wasn’t safe outside and her mind warned her it
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