Page 22

22

HEIDI

I ’m folding laundry on Emmett’s couch when the most foul, gross scent assaults my nose.

I pause, one of Juniper’s shirts in midair, and sniff, immediately gagging.

Rotten eggs, onion? And maybe almost… burnt rubber?

Placing the shirt on the pile of clothes, I get up, circling the couch and heading for the kitchen, sniffing the air as I do like some kind of animal.

Emmett left a couple of hours ago and I set Juniper up at the table with a coloring book and crayons.

We had gone for a run this morning, and in a wonderful turn of events, I’m actually starting to not feel like I’m actively dying whenever we do. But my body is still stiff, and I almost wonder if there’s something going on with my brain that’s causing me to smell something that’s not there.

But when Juniper looks up at me, first confused before her whole face turns red, her eyes widening, I know that something’s up. Something that I’m not going to like.

“What’s going on?” I ask her, hand on my hip.

She shakes her head innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t smell that?”

She shrugs. “Nope.”

On a mission, I rip through each room, smelling as I go. But I can’t place it. It’s one of those smells that don’t really get worse as you get closer, because they’re so overwhelming that they just smell the same the whole way through.

Realizing that it may just be me going crazy, I open all the windows in the house and grab some room spray, setting it off as I walk slowly through the whole house. I shut all the doors to all the rooms so that they can air out, and I hope for the best.

Letting it go, I go back to the dining table and sit with Juniper.

“So,” I say, still a little suspicious but not quite sure how to get the information out of her. “How are the racoon friends?”

She sighs. “They’re doing good. The babies are growing. They’re eating a lot.”

“You’re not still touching them, right?” I raise a brow, and Juniper shoots me a look from the corner of her eye that makes me think that yes, she is still messing with them. “Juniper you could get really hurt,” I tell her.

She shakes her head, sitting her crayon down. “No, I won’t. I’ve read about them, and we’re friends. Did you know that racoons are starting to domesticate themselves?” she asks, a sassy little grin on her face.

“I don’t know if that’s true,” I say, leaning back.

Juniper rolls her eyes. “Well it is true, whether you like it or not. And they’re more friendly than anyone thinks.”

“Okay, well, we’ll see,” I tell her, worry creeping up my spine. I love her adoration for animals, but I really don’t want her to get hurt.

“Besides,” she mutters, her crayon pressing very hard into the paper of her book. “Steve Irwin was allowed to handle wild animals.”

“Steve Irwin was a professional. And yet still, one mistake and something happened to him that can’t be undone.”

Juni purses her lips, eyeing me. With a humph, she goes back to her work without a word.

“What do you usually do on weekends?” I ask instead.

“I don’t know. Dad and I usually go for a walk, or Elara comes over. Or,” she places a finger on her tilted cheek, “We go to the aquarium.”

I check my phone, noticing that the afternoon is going by quickly. “Maybe not the aquarium today, but how about we see if Elara can come over?” I ask.

She nods ecstatically, excited at the prospect, and I send Briar a quick text.