Callum comes walking through from the back of the house. He puts his hands up. “I thought for sure the window would be unlocked.”
Zephyr chuckles but I’m too busy taking in the room to respond.
Everything’s the same. Exactly the same.
The blood from Tiger is dried up black on the hardwood floor. The couch is still shoved out of place. The coffee table knockedover. The broken ceramic pieces from whatever she threw at him still scattered near the wall.
Nobody’s been in here since the incident.
“Are you okay?” Zephyr asks Tiger gently.
She nods. Tears well in her eyes but don’t fall. “I’m fine.”
She walks toward the hallway. Zephyr calls after her, “We should pack all of your things.”
I shake my head. “No. She needs rest.”
Tiger turns around. “I’m fine.”
“Because you’re on meds. Once that wears off, you won’t be fine. And I don’t have enough room in my car for all your things anyway. We’ll come back.”
She whips around like she just remembered something and storms into the kitchen.
For a moment, it’s silent.
I step aside so I can see beyond the wall between us.
She’s holding her phone, but the screen is black. It’s dead.
She looks at me. Then walks to her bedroom.
We follow.
Zephyr says, “Put us to work.”
She opens her closet door and points up at a shelf. “I’ll pack a bag for now. We have the rest of the month before...” She doesn’t finish the sentence.
Before what? Before they evict her? Before CPS decides what happens to Zinnia? Before her dad gets out on bail? I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I wish she’d finish the damn sentence.
“You sure about that, Tiger?” Callum asks.
She nods.
Within five minutes, she’s packed a week’s worth of clothes in a duffel bag. She brings her pillows and comforter too. She wraps them in her arms like they’re the only familiar thing left.
When we get back in the car, I half expect her to ask to stay at Callum’s instead. His house is cozier. Nicer. Emptier.
But she doesn’t say anything. Just sits in the back seat, clutching her phone.
We head to my place without objections.
Zephyr and I already set up the guest bedroom for her. We took out the desk and all the random shit we’d been storing in there. Now it’s just a room with a bed, a dresser, and a nightstand.
I pull the generic blanket off the bed and replace it with hers. The smell of her laundry detergent hits me instantly. Floral. Clean. Her.
I place her pillow at the head of the bed while Zephyr brings in her bags.
Callum’s already on the couch with her when we walk back out. He’s talking quietly and being gentle in that way he does when he wants something.
