Page 6

There’s a chill in the air, making me shiver in my tiny work shorts. I’ll have to spring for a small heater for my car at some point so I don’t turn into a popsicle, but that’s a problem for another day. I have class at eight in the morning, which wasn’t my first choice, but freshmen don’t really get to be picky.

“Night,” I say sleepily as I get into my car and search for a safe place to sleep. There are more cops out on the roads than normal and while I would usually find a grocery store to park at, there appears to be too much activity to do so.

Sighing, I drive into a residential area and pray for the best, parking on the street. I don’t see any signs saying that I can’t park here overnight, so I shrug and decide to stay here.

Putting up my privacy screens on all of my windows and locking the doors now that the vehicle is turned off, I change into sleep shorts and a tank top.

Soon, it’ll be a lot colder, and I’m not looking forward to that. Crawling into the back seat, I drop it flat before setting up my comfy floor mattress that will easily roll up in the morning.

I need a podcast to sleep to, so I scroll through Omega Link until I see something having to do with omegas. I know so littleabout my designation, maybe I can learn more through osmosis while I’m staring at the backs of my eyelids. I know that’s not how it works, but it’s too quiet on the street, and I need a little background noise so I can drop off to sleep.

The podcast I end up pulling up is by someone called Emilia Richardson, and she insists that she knows what’s best for omegas. She honestly sounds like someone my mother would be friends with.

Setting my alarm for six, so that I’m gone before everyone else wakes up for the day, I pull my thin blanket over my head to sleep.

To sweet dreams, peace, and not getting mugged.

My cash is rolled up and hidden underneath the now reclined seats so there’s no way anyone can get to it.

“An omega shouldn’t be a bartender, club dancer, or any profession that will have her working late at night. It’s indecent…”

On second thought, I decide as I shut off the podcast, maybe I’m tired enough to sleep without it.

My eyelids get heavier and heavier until I drift off.

Two

Ethan

It’s five in the morning and I’m headed out for my morning run. It’s my preferred time to do this because the rest of the world is sleeping.

Strapping my phone to my bicep to listen to music, I grab my water bottle as well before I walk out of the house. We’re living in a nice neighborhood by the school, though it’s still a townhouse.

Dad and I don’t need a lot of room, so we didn’t see a reason to buy something bigger. Locking the front door behind me, I wrap the stretchy key ring up my tattooed arm. It ensures I won’t lose it, and that’s good enough for me.

There’s an SUV on the street that I don’t recognize, making me frown. Did a neighbor have someone spend the night? I’m struggling not to blow this out of proportion, but there are privacy window clings on all of the windows. It seems like a bit of overkill. What the hell could someone be hiding in their car?

Turning my running music on, I allowEminemto flow through my AirPods. If the vehicle is still here when I get back from my run, then I’ll look into it. This is a reallynice area, and I don’t want to have to worry about the wrong kind of people moving in.

Lip curling at the thought, I jog down the steps, shaking my head at the car that doesn’t belong, before I start my run.

I warmed up inside of the house, so I am pacing well as I time myself. I recently graduated and used to run track, so now I only compete against myself.

The hour flies by, and I find myself back in front of my house. The SUV is gone now. My Mercedes is in the spot in front of where this person parked, and now I’m fixated on finding out who she or he is.

Blowing out a breath, I walk up the stairs slowly, stretching the muscles in each leg carefully with a grunt. Unlocking the front door, I turn off my music as I walk in.

“How was your run, Ethan?” Dad calls out from the kitchen. He told me he finished up his grading, so he was going to sleep in this morning. Midterms are riding him hard, and I know he had to proctor a few exams this week.

“It was good,” I respond, pulling out my AirPods as I close and lock the front door. The sweat slowly dries on my skin as I walk through the house to find him. “I think the neighbors had someone over though. There was a car I didn't know on the street.”

All of our neighbors are elderly and don’t often have late night guests. “That’s odd,” Dad murmurs as he makes toast and eggs for us. “I wonder who it was. It’s possible someone has guests, but there wasn’t anyone parked there when we both got home after grabbing pizza.”

My lips twitch as I remember how late he was meeting me and why. My father’s proclivities just make me laugh and feel better that I’m just as bad.

He hasn’t been the same since his ex-wife divorced him for someone with more money than him, so I no longer bat an eye at anything that he does. He’s very discreet, and even if he wasn’t, he doesn’t need this damn job.

Dad works for the University of Lyons because he loves it.