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“Woah there, girl. Let’s get through school today first,” Liliana says.
“You already have a job,” Rachelle says as we walk toward the door. “Brea needs the help at Cellie’s Mystics. We just need to get you there to meet her.”
“Oh,” I say as we move into the hallway. “Stairs and I aren’t friends. Maybe I should sleep on the couch for a while?”
“Butt scoot down for now,” Rachelle says immediately. “Can you tell we have toddlers?”
I shrug since it’s not a bad idea, and that’s how I get down the stairs.
“There’s a couple of bedrooms down here,” Liliana continues once we all make it down to the bottom of the stairs without anyone falling. “Take one of those for now. Fuck, why do we have so many stairs in this house?”
“It’s fine,” I giggle as she turns to glare at them. “I’ll take one of the downstairs rooms. It’ll honestly be easier for me.”
“I’ll get your things moved to the extra bedroom downstairs with a bathroom,” Rachelle says easily, moving toward the kitchen. “Calvin might be around.”
“He’s the butler, part time chef, and caretaker of the house,” Liliana explains. “He’s awesome.”
I’m still trying to wrap my head around how I live in a place with a butler as we walk into the kitchen.
“Oh, did anyone find my backpack?” I ask belatedly. “Or my phone?”
“I had all of your things found,” Rachelle says. “The taser was confiscated, but I didn’t mention it was yours.”
“You’re taking your knife and another stun gun to school,” Liliana grumbles. “I’ll go upstairs in a second and grab it if you tell me where to look.”
“Why do we need those things for school?” a man with salt and pepper hair asks.
“Noor, this is Calvin,” Rachelle introduces me as I nod shyly. “We have a bullying issue.”
He watches as I stiffly sit down at the island, frowning as I hiss in pain.
“Noor needs to take her pain meds before she leaves, but I’d like her to have some food in her stomach first,” Liliana explains.
The acetaminophen with codeine isn’t something I want to have in my possession, so I’m fine with my foster parents holding it. The only reason I’m willing to take it at all is because it hurts so much to move.
“Can I make you some scrambled eggs with toast?” he asks. “I’m not sure what you enjoy.”
“That actually sounds wonderful,” I admit. “Can I skip the toast though? Carbs sometimes mess with my system. My heart is racing as it is today.”
“Is it the carbs or the gluten in bread that does that?” he asks. Calvin seems like a really good negotiator.
“Ah, I actually have no idea,” I admit. “My doctors here always told me that carbs can exacerbate my symptoms.”
“I have a theory,” he muses, beginning to pull ingredients from the fridge. “Are you up for experimenting?”
“Okay,” I drawl, wondering what he’s planning as he scrambles eggs on a little stove top on the island. It appears there are multiple stoves and a double oven, and that blows my mind a bit.
“I have some gluten free toast I want you to try. I don’t think it’ll affect you since your body will process it a little differently,” he explains.
“It’s worth a shot,” I decide. “It would be nice to have a sandwich once in a while.”
Liliana sits with me while Rachelle leaves to get my things.
“Is your hair up today so that it’s harder to pull on it?” Liliana asks.
“Yeah,” I sigh. Calvin makes an angry face as he plates my food and places it in front of me with a fork, butter, and a knife.
Picking up my fork, I set myself up with a bite, shrugging at Liliana as I pull it off with my teeth. Chewing slowly, I smile as I realize how hungry I actually am. I haven’t eaten much in the last few days since I’ve been so drowsy, but now my appetite is back.
