Page 48 of Midnights
By the time I reach the front porch, I exhale slowly, but the weight in my chest doesn’t fully ease. I check the porch again, hoping my phone will magically appear.Nothing.A frustrated sigh escapes me as I step inside and shut the door behind me.
The house is quiet, with no signs of life. Which means Rachel is still dead to the world.
I drop the bag onto the counter and start retracing my steps, scanning every usual spot. The couch? Nothing. The side table? Empty. The bathroom counter? Nope.Weird.I know I had it this morning, I was literally scrolling through emails.
My heart sinks as I sweep the house again, a nagging discomfort creeping up my spine.Where could it have gone?
Oh well. For now, I'll just focus on the one thing I can control, food. I start unpacking the breakfast, deliberately making as much noise as possible in the hopes of waking Rachel.
Sure enough, there’s a loud groan, followed by a very dramatic, very grumbled, “Please tell me you have coffee and food. In that order.”
I stifle a laugh as I hear what sounds like an elephant tumbling out of bed, followed by sluggish, uneven stomps. A few seconds later, Rachel drags herself into the kitchen, her hair an absolute disaster, looking like she’s been through an exorcism.
Her bloodshot eyes land on the coffee and pastries, and she gasps like I just handed her the cure to every problem in existence. “Oh my God, bless you.Thisis why we’re friends,” she declares, snatching the coffee like a lifeline before immediately tearing into the food.
I giggle as she shoves half a croissant in her mouth like she hasn’t eaten in weeks. “You’re welcome. How are you feeling?”
She mumbles something incoherent around her bite, giving a lazy thumbs-up. She plops into a chair like moving was already too much effort for the day.
I take a sip of my tea before filling her in on my strange morning. The odd conversation with the old man, the unsettling moment at the café, and, most annoyingly, the fact that my phone has somehow vanished. “I still have no idea where it is, which is mildly irritating.”
She's still half asleep, blinking slowly as she processes my words. She's nursing her coffee like it’s the only thing tethering her to reality. When she sets the cup down, she leans forward and gives me a look that’s equal parts curiosity and mischief. “Okay, so let me get this straight,” she pauses for dramatic effect. “I leave you alone for anhour, and in that time, you’ve nearly knocked over a fortune-telling old man, had some kind of haunted café experience,andlost your phone?”
Her lips twitch and she completely loses it. She throws her head back, clutching her stomach as she cackles like this is the funniest thing she’s ever heard.
I roll my eyes, but a reluctant smile tugs at my lips. Trust Rachel to turn my morning into a comedy special. “It’s really not that funny.” I shoot her a flat look.
“Oh, but itis,” she gasps between fits of laughter. “This is literally your life, Raven. Weird shit follows you around like a lost puppy.” She wipes at her eyes dramatically. “Honestly, I don’t know why you’re even surprised anymore.”
I groan, throwing a pastry at her in retaliation. “You’re annoying.”
She grins, taking another sip of coffee. “You love me.”
“Debatable.”
Still chuckling, she waves a hand toward the bedroom. “Just call your phone. Maybe it fell between the couch cushions or something.”
I nod, standing to go get her phone. I hit call and it goes straight to voicemail.
I frown, hitting redial. Same thing.
“That’s weird,” I mutter, more to myself than her. “I was literally just using it this morning, and it definitely wasn’t dead.”
“Are you sure you didn’t drop it on your way in?” She asks, stepping outside without waiting for an answer. A second later, she pops her head back in. “Nope. Not out here.”
I exhale, forcing myself to brush off the unease creeping in. Either way, there’s nothing I can do about it right now.
“Let’s just get ready.” She stretches her arms over her head. “It’ll turn up.”
I nod, sipping my tea in an attempt to shove the growing tension aside.
Getting ready is easy enough since I’m already dressed. I quickly brush my teeth, splash some cold water on my face to rinse off the lingering fog, and I’m good to go. Our plan is to wander Edinburgh without a real destination in mind. We just want to see where the day takes us. But one thing is certain, castles are definitely on the agenda at some point.
While Rachel finishes getting ready, I sit at the edge of the bed, my mind still racing, but I can’t hold it in any longer.
“Okay,” I say, taking a deep breath. “We need to talk about last night. What thefuckhappened?”
Rachel pauses mid-mascara swipe, then shrugs. “Look, Ididn'tplan for last night to go the way it did either.” She says it like she’s already rehearsed this defense in her head more than once. “Those guys just happened to be in the same place at the same time. And they werefun.”
