Path of the Vampire forum

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Grey> Grey had went to work that night after kissing Jesse on her way out the door. She had woken to him staring at her which crept a blush upon her cheeks from the the full amount of blood he had infused into her the night before. She had been slacking in her training the past week, taking the time to focus more upon rebuilding an engine at Auto Docs on her recently created third shift and spending time with her lover. Though, they both had been busy, they still took the time to curl up next to each other on the couch in Larch Court and watch movies on television or recount their day to each other.

Grey had felt more and more reluctant to pull on clothes to venture out into the public eye and lace up her boots. Though she was pleased to start growing roots with Jesse and his faction and blood family, Grey still felt out of place. She still felt as if the only one that tied her to this mostly cold city was Jesse. She knew that he had tried to encourage her to make more friends, but in truth it was so hard to crack through her inner walls and out of her shell. He had been the only one that gave a damn. He had been the only one, besides Brock, to want to give her a chance.

Laying upon her back underneath an old Chevy, Grey took a deep breath. She hit the hammer harder against the wheel well than necessary. From her recollection, she hadn't said anything to Jesse that would cause him to ignore her text messages. She had sent him one on her break. She had put the deposit in the bank around 3 o'clock in the morning and checked her phone. There were no messages and no text replies. She knew that Jesse often saw to the needs of those around him. Whether they were friend or family, Jesse did his best to make those he knew and cared for comfortable.

She sent him another text message. 'Love you, Jesse. Headed home to the Tower. I'll be the one naked in the middle of the bed.' Sure, from time to time Grey certainly could be a smart ***. She ran her thumb over the touch screen, replying to the third delivered, but unread text message to his phone. Unable to help herself, she took a deep breath and nodded to the security guard as she crossed over the threshold of Veil Towers. She felt for a need of privacy that night. Though there was never any problem with spending time among the Fforde's, Grey enjoyed her privacy all too much. h

Jeans untouched by Zombie blood and guts were only smeared that night in oil. She wore a t-shirt, but the robin's egg blue was covered by a black hoodie she had stolen from Jesse's closet. she pulled the sparse keys out of her pocket and ignored the nagging feeling at the back of her throat. She burrowed deeper into the hoodie, keeping her head down as people milled about in the Tower's lobby. Not even a breath of relief was attempted as she looked once over her shoulder before the elevator doors closed and she slapped her thumb over the 7. Home. So close to being home. She couldn't wait to wrap herself around her man and breathe in his scent.

Grey wouldn't be able to recognize this woman that she had become. Could a couple months really change someone so much that they were unrecognizable? Tipping her chin up, she watched the lit numbers climb to the floor where she shared an apartment with Jesse.

<Velveteen> Velveteen was experiencing mixed emotions. It had been a long night. She was heavily wounded. Several of their human thralls had landed in hospital and no less than three of their members had ended up in the shadow realm. The job had been done but still she did not experience the usual elation that came with such. There was a certain displeasure at losing some of their own but its not like they were gone for good right. A week...and she could visit them. Even better that they were there together so they weren’t alone. They would also be healed by the time they got back. Blake was going to summon spirits. Aksel had been in to visit. Her and Micah were planning on doing the same. But still she was uneasy. She was not pleased at all that she had allowed any of them to take a trip over such worthless pieces of ****.

Whether it was integration people wanted or to remain hidden in the darkness, it didn’t matter. Alexandrea had killed a cop and there was no reasonable excuse for that. If her friends wanted to go down with her that was their choice she supposed but why would they or should they deserve a fair fight. The odds are no one would care anyway. So why should she? She shook her head and looked out over the godforsaken city she now called home. A city that writhed like a dead carcass full of maggots, feeding on the dead and rotten flesh that housed them. The only difference being that these maggots would never evolve. Never die. And once the fetid carcass that sustained them was little more than bones...then what?

Her musings were pushed aside for now. There was something else she had promised to do and putting it off was not going to make it any easier. She pulled out her phone and frowned at the screen. Nah. This was not something she could do over the phone but she wasn’t especially sure where to actually find the woman either. Jesse had mentioned that she worked at some car repair place but she couldn’t quite remember... The Doctors or something was it? Maybe he would have a business card or something laying around upstairs and she could go straight there. With a decisive nod the raven haired vampire did exactly that.

The door opened with a soft groaning as the wood protested and it felt eerily odd being there knowing that the owner would not be inside. The last time she snuck in like this she had ended up reading his diary. Something that was not only wrong but had turned out to be very helpful in the long run. She spied the book sticking out from under the corner of his mattress and seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking her head and moving to the desk where he spent a lot of time. Her hand moved papers and drawings as she shuffled around in search of a clue as to where to find Grey. It was quiet. So quiet that when Jesse’s phone vibrated and then sounded she jumped a little. The screen flashed signalling that he had been sent a text.

The name she recognised immediately and the picture....was a little more than she ever really wanted to see of the woman though she expected Jesse never intended for another to see it. Somehow reading his text messages seemed wrong but what the ****...she had already read his private thoughts and maybe this would give her some clue as to the woman’s whereabouts. “The Tower.” Her brows furrowed as she searched her memories. “The Tower.” She mumbled again to the empty hut. She vaguely recalled a conversation with Jesse in which Veil was mentioned, possibly during a hunt recently. He had an apartment there. Yes! Not thinking, she stuffed Jesse’s phone in her pocket and headed to the portals to get to Redwood quickly. Once there she could easily track the woman.

<Grey> The 7th floor loomed before her. I was lit up, signaled by a ping of recognition that she had arrived to her requested destination. Grey stepped off the elevator with her shoulders back and the hood of the sweatshirt pulled up to cover her hair. It helped hide her face, but not many neighbors were out in the hallway at 4 o'clock in the morning. She had walked the city streets, letting time dwindle as she was trying to digest the nagging feeling in her stomach that something was wrong.

Her boots barely made a sound on the ground as she jammed the key into the lock at her door. She thought, for a moment, that there certainly was something off. The last time Jesse hadn't replied to her was when his ex-Sire had gouged his eyes out. Pushing herself through the door, Grey turned around to toss the locks behind her.

Grabbing out her phone again, she stood in the entry way frowning at the electronic device. With a deep breath, she dropped the phone into her pocket and busied herself with grabbing up the laundry hoping he'd come home soon. Knowing that he was a perfectly capable man of taking care of himself, Grey figured that he was conducting faction business or making tomes for the new Fforde members to their proverbial safe haven within Larch Court. Trying to keep herself occupied, the woman went from one room in the apartment to another.

<Velveteen> It took her a little longer to get there than usual. Unable to use her powers to assist as her spiritual energies had been drained and the many wounds that she had obtained during the night, the woman was about as fast as your average human. She limped along the sidewalk, hop skipping her way to Veil Towers from Wickbridge station. She hadn’t even stopped to change though luckily at this hour there very few around to see the mess that she was. Here leathers were turn and slashed where the traps had bit into her flesh, or the poison seeped into her flesh. Burned, bleeding and full of shrapnel her strength was dwindling and quick. But a promise was a promise and she could only imagine herself in Grey’s situation, waiting for Micah and not being able to get in touch with him.

Finally the building loomed before her and as soon as she entered the lobby Grey’s aura was strong. She had not long passed through here and Vel could only hope that she was coming in and not going out. She wasn’t sure she had the energy to try and track her down. Unfortunately though she had no idea which floor this apartment was on so once in the elevator she pressed every button in order and began the slow ascent. At every floor she stuck her out and attempted to detect even the slightest aura but got nothing...until she reached the seventh floor. A silent apology was made to any waiting on the elevator that would now stop every floor until it reached to the top floor though she doubted there would be many.

Velveteen walked the hall slowly doing her best to look as human as possible despite knowing that she failed miserably on a good night. Again she could only be thankful that any who would be shocked by the sight were likely tucked away safe in bed. She stopped at a door and placed her fingers against the wood. This had to be it. She knocked softly. There was no way Grey would be asleep and she didn’t want to wake all of the seventh floor. Her hands smoothed over the blood slicked leather after being dragged through her singed and frazzled hair. It was comical in itself that she even tried and given enough time she might have licked her fingers and tried to clean off some of the gun powder that had been infused into the porcelain flesh that covered her cheek bones. She had no idea how Grey was going to react to this nor did she consider herself to be the best messenger but it had to be done. She straightened her shoulders as she waited for the door to open.

<Grey> Sunrise was a few hours away. Grey could tell that it threatened the forwarding hours of the day. There was something within her consciousness that had her looking forward to falling asleep upon the newly turned down bed. She had pulled the deep charcoal gray sheets from their packaging. She smiled as she ran her hand over the soft, new fabric. She knew that soon they would become soiled, but that didn't seem to phase Grey much anymore. There was always a cut, a gouge, a bullet hole, or a wound that seeped out onto pristine fabric. Jesse had once encouraged her to lay back upon the fresh bedding, citing that new sheets were meant to get used and not looked at for just their fresh, crisp lines and unsaturated fibers.

Grey didn't even allow herself a chance to fall into the bed. Though she could feel her eyes becoming heavy and the energy seep from her body at that typical time of the morning, she gathered the linens and headed to the utility room. It was there that Grey continued to function on automatic pilot. She measured out accurate amounts of liquid detergent and fabric softener. She dumped such amounts into the fast gathering water and shut the lid of the appliance. She moved around the apartment, picking up various forgotten about clothing items, shoes, and magazines and books. She straightened the end tables, carefully collected a few of Jesse's sketches, and placed those upon his work area of a desk he had long ago claimed as his.

Where was he? Why wasn't he home? Why didn't he come and join her? Was he hurt? Did he just go to Larch Court expecting her to pick up and go in search of him? She wrapped her arms around her middle, frowning at the black screen of the television. She had dusted, ran the vacuum, and already put away a load of laundry. The knock on the door didn't even startle Grey. In fact, it barely pulled her out of her reverie of staring into the matte finish of the screen at her blurred reflection. It wasn't Jesse. Why would Jesse have knocked?

The frown creased her cheeks, causing dimples to appear that normally wouldn't have ever been visible. It took her less than a dozen steps to approach the door and swing it open. Though her bright blue eyes may have reflected a curious inquiry as to why one of Jesse's pseudo-Sire's was standing at the other side of the door. Grey didn't even have to take a deep breath to smell the blood that wafted from the female. She could see it smeared on her skin and the tacky, slick residue upon the woman's clothes. Grey's fist curled around the door's handle tighter. There was no smile. There was no cordial 'Oh my, what a pleasant surprise!' No, instead Grey just swallowed deeply. There was no invitation inside the apartment. Grey didn't quite move back. She knew it wasn't good manners to leave a guest standing in the hallway. Her feet had become encased in cement. Grey could feel that inner anxiety slam into her chest, shrouding her nerves with shards of painful realization that something awful had happened.

No one should show up on someone's doorstep so long after midnight coated in blood and smelling like open flesh and exposed muscle. Grey did what came natural, though. She greeted her like she would Jesse. She greeted her like she would, at least in a verbal manner, any member of Jesse's family. "Velveteen."

<Velveteen> “Grey.” Was the only response that came to mind as she fell into an awkward silence. This wasn’t anything that she’d had to do before and she wasn’t entirely sure what the protocol for such a thing was or should be. She shifted uncomfortably. The difficulty of her indecision likely written all over her face as she looked at the other, waiting expectantly to know what she was doing there most likely. She could go for the small talk and ask how she was….which at this time morning not only seemed inconsiderate but a complete waste of time. She could just blurt it out and then walk away real quick, knowing she had done her part. Though...she expected that Jesse hoped she would offer his woman a little more than that.

Instead of saying anything just yet. She dug around in her pocket and pulled out the man’s phone to present it to Grey in silence. Perhaps allowing the woman to ask the questions would be the best port of call. He wasn’t dead. He would be back in a week. He wasn’t alone. And knowing Jesse...he was likely just kickin' back chillin' and rolling his eyes at the fact that he was stuck in there with two women. Who knew what he was being subject to. On second thought….perhaps he would have preferred to be alone.

She tilted her head a little and looked at the device that lay in her palm. “I thought I should let you know that he won't be responding to your texts for a little while...You know, so you don’t worry.” She groaned inwardly. Of course Grey was gonna worry. The last time this happened he had his eyes stabbed out and was basically being held prisoner in her and Micah’s hut. Who knew what the hell was running through Grey’s mind right now. “He will be ok though.” She added a little hurriedly. Awkward Vel was certainly awkward.

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--



<Grey> Velveteen looked uncomfortable, Grey thought. The woman looked beyond miserable, and yet she had made the obviously long walk to her front door. Grey should move back, invite her inside, and tend to the wounds not as personally as she may have Jesse's. Still, she could not find it within her person to move back as the woman's hand moved into her pocket to pull something out. There was no grimace, there was no widening of her eyes in anticipation. Whatever it was, it was not going to be good.

There, in Vel's marred palm, lay Jesse's phone. She knew, because she has gotten ahold of it once in an attempt to wrestle those pictures of her asleep from his phone. And of course, there were some not so serene pictures on there either. If Grey had any extra blood in her system, she might have been able to grace Vel with a blush. She knew what was on that phone. She knew that Jesse had conducted his business and guided his family from that phone. Her shriveled heart within her chest gave a brutal kick and she felt the edges of her vision blur and gray.

Velveteen's lips were moving. She didn't know this woman. She showed up here at her doorstep, and Grey couldn't quite process what the woman had meant by Jesse being 'ok.' How could he be okay when he wasn't here? How could he be okay when she was standing here and handing her Jesse's phone? Grey didn't breath. She had a choice to make. She had a decision to wade through. She could either breakdown because the love of her eternal life was gone somewhere for a week, or she could push her own emotions deep and start functioning on autopilot to support the family and friends of Fforde.

Reaching out and lifting Jesse's phone from Velveteen's palm, she curled her fingers around it. She squeezed it tight. She lifted her chin, displacing the flyaway hairs that had fallen around her cheeks and down the nape of her neck from that messy bun at the back of her head. He would be back in a week and she could breakdown when Velveteen left for the night. She could curl up in their bed and hold onto his phone tight, clutching something physical of his when he couldn't be there. "Can I help you? Do you need anything? Can I get you something to drink?"

And, in a jerky movement she stepped back. She opened her front door and didn't bother to look around. She had already tidied up the apartment and upended a blood pack into a tumbler. She was sure Velveteen wouldn't stay long given her injuries, but she would be damned that she didn't invite the woman inside when they had met a time or two before on the street and once more in the sewers. The woman deserved comfort in an obviously difficult evening.

<Velveteen> Velveteen watched Grey closely. She had no idea what to expect at this point. If the woman broke down in tears and sought comfort she had absolutely no idea if she could give. It was selfish of her, she knew this, but as she stood there she silently begged that if there were to be tears, they would happen after she left. Raven coloured strands, in stickly clumped tangles fell about her pallid features as she shook her head. She really wasn’t one to be fussed over but the offer of something to drink was one she couldn’t refuse. With the amount of blood she had lost and the severity of the wounds she was suffering, even holding herself upright was requiring more effort than usual. She was physically and mentally exhausted.

Her head bobbed in grateful acceptance as she stepped into the apartment and looked around. She did her best to wipe her hands clean on the bloodied leather and only succeeded in making them even messier. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to just collapse into a chair and drink her way through about ten or so blood bags. On closer inspection though she remained standing and hovered somewhere near the door. Not wanting to leave a bloody mess on the floor.

“I would very much appreciate a blood bag or two if you can spare them, please?” She smiled then. A tired yet apologetic upward turn of her lips. Though she successfully managed to busy herself with looking around so as to avoid the gaze of the other. She also figured that further explanation was probably in order as well. “We were hunting. There were attacks made against Nisha by Alexandrea and a group of others including Manison.” No she didn’t pronounce it incorrectly. Manison was the name she had given the woman with the five o’clock shadow. It seemed fitting. “We found them At Manison’s place. It was trapped.” She waved her hand up and down to reference her own wounds.

“They wanted to duel. Jesse stepped up to duel Alexander after all the others were sent to the SR. Alexandrea broke the agreement though. The deal was no powers and not only was she shielded but she was also using monsterous and alter ego. Jesse…..” She paused and furrowed her brow as she looked down and watched her fingers twisting together. If she wasn’t so damned exhausted she would be extremely pissed the **** off. “Jesse stuck to the agreements of the duel and fought her, unenhanced by powers and….lost.” She couldn’t help but wonder how differently it would have gone if Alexandrea had stuck to the agreement. She even went so far as to strike Every twice out of turn. It wasn’t already bad enough that her friends were in the fade but she had to go and sully their efforts by being underhanded to the last.

Others had also stepped up to the plate but she refused them. Because she liked them. Because she didn’t know them or in Ariadne’s case because they were sisters...once. Velveteen was certain that Alexandrea requested to duel her because of the extent of her wounds and she also suspected that was much the same reason why she chose Jesse. They had asked for a fair fight and considering how it went down Velveteen was never going to oblige such a request again. She nodded to herself. “Reanna and Zoey Jane are with him. I can...if you have anything you need to let him know I can do that for you. I also told him we would look out for you and the others...which of course he didn’t need to. You guys are family. So….you just let me know. But just know...he will be back and soon and he wanted me to tell you that he loved you.” She smiled a little and canted her head. “But you already know that.”

There. She did it. As best as she possibly could. Such things were a big possibility when you considered what they did on a nightly basis but still she hated losing anyone. That the other side had to play dirty to have it happen though was inexcusable. She almost snorted at the thought. Ironic considering that Ty were considered the dishonest ones. She shrugged and pressed her lips together as she glanced towards the Grey for the first time since she started speaking. “He will be back.” She added once more for reassurance.

<Grey> Instinct took over. That well conditioned fight or flight broke through her reverie as her emotions were pushed deep inside of her. She banned them down to the pit of her stomach, hating the weight upon her chest as she turned to lead Velveteen through the small entryway and into the rarely used kitchen. The countertops were wide, the stove was immaculate. The stainless steel appliances including the fridge had left her cold upon several trysts with Jesse. Everywhere she looked she was reminded of the male that was no longer with them. Grey fought with herself. She wanted to throw something. She wanted to scream and yell and cry all at once.

Velveteen didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve Grey's emotions. She, who was already wounded, didn't deserve Grey's barrage of questions as to when, why, or where. Did it matter? Jesse was gone. Jesse was within the hold of the Shadow Realm. That was a place that Jesse had briefly explained to her as a dark place. The apartment was glazed with light, bright colors of whites and creams. There were bare woods and Grey had added a couple candle holders with the scent of pomegranate and orange. The scent was lightly tropical and it reminded Grey of an open breeze, craving soft white sands that she had never before felt underneath her feet.

It was something that Grey had enjoyed. She loved the freedom that her romance novels provided. One, in fact, sat upon the small kitchen table that she pulled out a wooden chair for Velveteen to collapse upon. It had no cushion, but was fashioned with solid oak arm rests and could take not only a brunt weight but be easily wiped down. Turning to the fridge, Grey pulled out a pitcher of blood. It wasn't a gigantic pitcher. It wasn't one that someone would hold margaritas inside for a backyard barbecue. No, this one wasn't Rubbermaid or Tupperware, but instead glass and had the hint of a Bloody Mary look to it.

Grey had emptied earlier several blood packs together. She couldn't stand the individual plastic reminder that she could no longer eat like a normal human being. This made her feel normal. This made her feel like she was a bit of civility left to her. So, she took down a tall, matching glass and poured the sanguineous liquid into the glass and moved to set it upon the small, oak table. Velveteen started talking. She started to tell Grey what happened. Grey didn't know of Velveteen was supposed to be telling her this. She didn't know if she was supposed to be listening.

See, Jesse never divulged most information. Grey, perhaps, knew better than to ask him. She was so very used to his smile and the shake of his head and the gentle way he would tell her that he couldn't divulge that kind of information. She'd remember his knowing grin, the way he distracted her with soft kisses, the tickle of his stubble and the laughter that would come when he'd nuzzle her on purpose. She didn't know who Reanna and Zoey Jane were. She fairly recalled Nisha from meeting her at one time and upon the Andras Crow that Jesse had asked her to stop posting upon.

Grey tucked Jesse's phone in her pocket. She put it inside that right, front jean's pocket. Her phone went on the left. With the pitcher placed upon the table and Grey having grabbed up her own tumbler for Vel's sake of not drinking alone, a frown fell to her lips. "I have never heard of this Alexandrea or Manison. Jesse never spoke of his business. He didn't tell me of the faction's activities or who was ever involved in anything. He never told me about any issues or trouble makers. He is very tight lipped and I understand that is the way the faction operates."

Basically, Grey was giving her reassurance that Velveteen didn't have to really explain. Grey was adapt at not asking questions. Grey never even took a sip of the blood she had poured earlier as she looked to the other woman. "He knows I love him. I don't need you to risk yourself or exert any energies right now. You need to heal. If you said he is okay, then he is okay." Grey said this out loud, letting Vel's reassurance trying to ingrain itself into her consciousness. It kept the tears at bay for now.

<Velveteen> The woman slumped gratefully into the chair offered and watched with mild curiousity as Grey went about pouring her a ‘drink’. The normality seemed ironic. The apartment was one you would see in any interior decorating magazine. Pristine. Tastefully decorated and rather neutral in the colours and tones that accented. Velveteen felt completely out of place here to put it bluntly. This might have been her life once but that seemed forever ago. Suddenly the idea of sitting by the window on a sunday morning drinking a hot coffee as the sun shone brightly the glass and bathed her in warmth appealed to her. It was the little things she missed when she allowed herself to think about them. Which was why she didn’t.

It didn’t take long at all before her glass was emptied and returned to the wooden surface. It helped...a little and though she wanted so much more it would be enough to hold her over until she got back to the Eyrie, which thankfully, due to her tome, would require almost no effort to achieve. She twirled the empty glass between her fingers absently. The sound of the glass against wood dull and methodical as she listened to Grey and nodded. She had forgotten how protected Jesse had kept Grey and it was true. The sharing of faction business was not something she usually did or encouraged but she felt Grey was due some explanation. A hand came up and pushed back the strands of hair that weren’t stuck to her face.

“Well….Alexandrea and Manison aren’t really anyone important anyway. Just more rodents that need to be exterminated.” She wrinkled her nose a little and winced as she shifted to lean forward. “It is no problem and no real exertion on my part to send him a message Grey. In fact in a night or two when I am healed I plan on going in to check on the three myself.” She brought her silver hues up and set them on the light blue pools that were only just holding it together. She may not have been the most empathic individual but she what it was like to love someone as much as Grey loved Jesse. She couldn’t imagine being away from Micah for that long and it wouldn’t matter the reason. Whether he was in the shadow realm or not. The result was the same and that was the hard part. “He is ok. Hey...it’s Jesse.” She offered as if that was all the explanation needed.

Her head bobbed slowly as she began to feel uncomfortable again. This was not normal and the fact that they could be two women just sharing a drink and a chat in an apartment on the seventh floor besides the fact that the drinks were blood, and that she was cut and shot up to ****, never mind the fact that those were talking about weren’t just on a sunny vacation but taken hostage by a darkness that refuses to let them leave. Besides all that it was all perfectly normal. Velveteen stood suddenly, almost knocking over her chair. “I..have to go. If you need anything just ring or text or….you know how to reach me. I am sorry. I really suck at this ****. But I promised.” While she was talking she was also retrieving her tome and she had no sooner spat out the last few words before vanishing into thin air, leaving Grey to digest and process.

<Grey> She promised. She promised Jesse what? That Velveteen would take the time out of her busy schedule and come to tell Grey that Jesse would be gone for a week's time? That the love of her eternal life, who she couldn't even talk to this time, was beyond her reach? It was almost in a way a cruel joke. It was almost laughable to her that there sat Velveteen, bleeding on the kitchen chair, trying to choke down a pint of blood and the only reason she came to see Grey was because Velveteen promised Jesse that Grey would be told he was gone for a while.

Grey didn't even move. She had jerked her eyes up from staring at Velveteen's bloodied garb to watch her hasty departure. The tome had been out and in her hands so fast that if she were human, Grey wouldn't have been able to catch that hurried motion. The woman was gone in a flurry of motion and Grey couldn't even open her mouth. She wasn't going to tell her that it was okay. It wasn't okay. Even if Jesse was okay, it wasn't okay. He had... Been swallowed by something a little stronger than freedom. Encased in shadows, yes. Grey stared at Velveteen's empty seat.

Death. Destruction. Lies. Cheating. Velveteen had said that amends would be made. No, it had been made. That honor would still be respected. That's what Jesse would have wanted. He would have seen to that. So, instead of throwing the glasses against the wall, Grey rinsed them and left them in the sink. She didn't smash the pitcher of blood on the floor. She returned it to the fridge to keep the contents chilled. She went around, keeping the lights on in the apartment as she had turned them on prior. She threw the deadbolt on the front door, and went to the laundry basket in the room they shared that she had taken to the laundry earlier.

She reached in, pulling out one of Jesse's bloodied tees from the night before. She took the shirt and his phone with her into the closet. No, not the bed. Not the freshly made bed with the turned down covers and the indent that was no longer in the pillow he used because she had changed the sheets ... Bed. She took his shirt and wrapped it in her arms. She clutched the phone in her lap as she went to the farthest wall of that walk in clothes closet and curled up as tightly as she could in a ball in the dark, cool corner.

The tears that started down her cheeks were silent as she kept herself sequestered to that area. Minutes passed and hours crept onward. Her phone beeped updates of e-mails and social media responses. None of that mattered. She stayed curled up with her knees hugging her chest and her face buried in his shirt for so long, her muscles cramped. Somehow, sleep finally claimed her and the darkness fell over her like a steel-cold, heavy blanket.

He wasn't coming home that night.