I Don’t Feel Safe Anymore Part 9

Nadine shut the fridge and walked away with her cheeks stuffed with grapes. As she chewed, she decided to continue her tour through the house. She went to the closed door across Sebastian’s room. It was the only other room she hadn’t been through besides the laundry room and garage. She had seen him go in and out of the place from time to time; especially this morning, as he grabbed his things for work.

The door creaked open, and Nadine scanned the room. Inside was a bookshelf filled to the brim with all sorts of books of different sizes and colors. There was a long work desk with a computer and black metal lamp. A home office.

Unentertained, she turned on her feet and left. As she walked by the kitchen, she reached out and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the island on her way to the garage. The door to the small laundry room was open and gave her a perfect view of the inside. She opened the garage door and flicked the light switch on. There, parked inside, were two cars—a black Ferrari and a burgundy dodge charger—a freezer, and a shelf filled with tool supplies. There was another door by the shelves that led outside to the backyard.

She bit into her apple, and it crunched under her teeth.

She went back into the living room area. Her hand ran along the wall of the small hall toward the kitchen on her way. In the large opening, she stared out the large windows. The view of the towering trees in the distance was like a sirens call to her, leading her to walk over and press her small hand against the glass in a longing manner. The glass burned with fog from the heat of her body.

Her head bent forward, and she pressed her forehead again the chilly surface, staring yearnfully at the lush, evergreen trees. She always loved it outside, especially in the woods. She could stay out there for hours. Just alone with nature.

“Backdoor—open!” The robotic system announced as Nadine stepped outside, her bare feet to the concrete. She padded passed the pool, the refreshing air washing over her face and letting her breathe. She walked across the lawn, the grass cold and dewy, and into the woods behind the house. It felt like ages since she’d been with nature.

The trees were tall and lush. Some were full, and others were gnarled and patchy. Some green and others a deep maroon. They towered overhead like skyscrapers—the tips disappearing into the thick fog that loomed over the town. Fallen leaves scattered across the woodsy floor. Nadine could feel the moss beneath her feet. Inhaling the earthy air, she sighed a sigh of relief. Almost instantly, Nadine could feel her skin breathing. She felt safe and home, the two things she had been searching for nearly her whole life.

Nadine missed going on her usual walks. It was always a time for her to clear her head and relax; a peaceful place; a safe haven. Daniel never seemed to understand that.

Deep into the woods, she stood in an opening of moss and dirt between the sea of trees surrounding. Her head tilted back, and she let the warm peeking sun rays bath her skin. Her eyes slid shut, and she could hear the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze that blew through the woods. She could almost envision the tops of the tall trees swaying in her head. The crisp smell of a passed rainstorm lingered in the air.

Nadine swayed on her bare feet with the breeze. Rolling her head back from side to side with her eyes sealed shut. She was starting to relax—just barely beginning to unwind when suddenly a loud snap jolted her out of her trance. Branches cracked, and leaves shook. Her head turned when something fell to the floor with a loud thud in a rush behind her.

Hesitantly, she stepped closer to get a look at what fell. She leaned in and gazed down. Her head tilted when she saw what it was.

“Front—door—open!”

Sebastian sighed as he dropped his keys in the bowl at the entrance and shrugged his jacket off. When he walked inside he was about to call out to Nadine since all the lights were out—the only light that shined through was from the large windows—but Sebastian stopped when he found her sitting in the living room in front of the fireplace. Her back to him, the shadows behind her being thrown around from the crackling fire. He walked over.

“Nadine?” he called out as he peeked over her slim shoulder. She had something in her hands. When she turned and gazed up at him over her shoulder, he could see through the full view the small black bird that laid in the palms of her hands. Its wing was visibly bent.

“I think it’s wings broken,” Nadine murmured with tear filled eyes. Her small bottom lip bright pink and wobbly.

“Where’d you find him?” Sebastian asked as he bent down next to her and rolled up his sleeves. He held his cupped hands out, and Nadine hesitantly handed him the bird.

She sniffled. “Outside. In the woods.”

“You went in the woods?” Sebastian suddenly asked with furrowed brows as he turned to her. Alone? He wanted to add. She nodded with her lips sucked in. In a small, gentle voice, she murmured, “I like it out there.”

Sebastian stayed silent. He didn’t know how he felt about her going into the woods alone when he wasn’t there. Sebastian knew Sheriff Keller lived nearby, but he himself wasn’t home twenty-four seven to be around if—God forbid—anything were to happen to her. He turned back to the injured bird chirping in his hands. Its little head darted from side to side like a paranoid schizophrenic.

“We should get him wrapped,” Sebastian suggested as he stood, just until they could take it to the vet. Nadine sniffled and quietly followed behind, wiping the tears from her flushed cheeks as her small breath continuously hitched in her throat. Her cry was childlike. Like a kid who just found out an awful, terrible truth about life. Get ready, kiddo, Sebastian thought to himself, because life is full of them.

He used his elbow to flick on the light switch. Nadine bit her lip nervously, the shameful memory of snooping through his room played in the back of her mind. She gingerly followed him into his bathroom. She hadn’t gone through that yet. At the doorway, she peeked at the items littering his counter just underneath the large mirror; shaving creams and aftershave products, even a silver and black razor. The countertop was smooth black marble, a black rug laid on the tiled floor in front of a white freestanding bathtub.

Sebastian handed the bird back to Nadine momentarily as he went into his closet and pulled out a plain white tee. He ripped a strip off the hem and went back.

She perched herself on the closed toilet seat and leaned against the counter as she watched him work with gentle care.