Page 75 of Raw

I woke up early the next morning with the sun shining directly into my face, and I reminded myself that I should’ve put down the blinds since we weren’t covered by big pine trees in this house.

As much as I love being back with Mama for a while, I surely didn’t miss the cars driving past our house, and the neighbor’s dogs barking early in the morning.

I rubbed my eyes as I remembered the dream I had.

I was alone, walking through the forest and watching a fox play in the snow, then it disappeared, leaving me on my own but not feeling lost or lonely.

It’s where I belonged, and I knew that in my dreams as well.

Maybe it was the fact that Fennec and I were sleeping in separate rooms again that he didn’t appear in my dreams, but after last night, before Mama and Papa came back home, we had enough time together to enjoy each other’s company.

The movie was the only thing he shouldn’t have put me through, but I was good at pushing certain thoughts out of my mind.

Those scenes would soon be forgotten.

I looked around my bedroom to take in everything I hung up on the walls.

It all reminded me of the forest, minus the cold.

But as safe as I felt in here, it’s not where I wanted to be.

A knock made me get up from the bed, and when I reached the door and opened it, Mama was standing outside my room.

“You’re awake. I’m making breakfast. Would you like eggs?”

“Sunny-side up?” I requested, and she nodded.

“Of course. How was your night? You and Fen ate quite a lot of snacks, huh?”

I smiled at her. “Yes, we did. How was your night with Papa?”

“It was wonderful. I missed him a lot, but I want to spend time with you and Fennec too. We’ll play board games later, and we can also bake Christmas cookies. How does that sound?”

“Fun! I’ll go take a shower and then help you in the kitchen, okay?”

She smiled back and nodded, and before leaving to head back into the kitchen, she placed a hand on my cheek gently.

“I’m happy all three of you are here for the holiday.”

I knew she was, but there was no doubt she enjoyed time on her own as well.

Mama was a wild child, but that part of her only showed when we were gone.

When I stepped into the bathroom, I already felt my panties weren’t as dry as they usually were, and when I pulled them down, there was a red spot on them.

“How has one month passed already?” I asked myself quietly, then got undressed to get into the shower.

I heard voices coming from the kitchen on the other side of the wall, so I hurried to not miss out on any conversations.

Once I was dressed, I walked out and headed straight to the kitchen to find Fennec standing in his boxers next to Mama, cutting up some cheese and fruit.

Papa was sitting at the table already, and he was the first one to see me.

“Morning, sweetheart. Sleep well?” he asked.

“I did. You? Did you miss the bed?” I teased.

“A little bit. I’m happy with my cabin though.”

---