It was two weeks after the fairy war when I finally gathered the strength to go back to working at Merlotte's. Sam wasn't happy about it, as I knew he would be, but he was happy to see me and after appealing to him to allow me to have some normalcy in my life, he caved in. That didn't stop him watching my every move.
Poor Sookie that car crash must have taken a lot out of her…
I was collecting empty glasses and when I turned to look at him, Hoyt Fortenberry blushed deeply and smiled. Hoyt was almost completely right about me, except he believed that tale that had been floating around that I'd been injured in a serious car accident. I wished it was a car accident that had done this; it would have been so much simpler. At Merlotte's only Sam knew the truth, but I was uncertain how much he knew and I don't think about it anyway.
My shift went on as normal, me forcing that Crazy Sookie smile across my face and trying to drown out the silent chatter of everyone around me. That was the difficult part seeing as most of it was focused on how awful I looked and the circumstances of my 'car crash'. I was so relieved when we eventually got round to closing at 1am that Sam could hardly stop me running out of the door, even though he seemed desperate for a chat. I guessed there was only one topic on his mind and I did not want to discuss it.
I climbed into my rusty, reliable old car and started the short drive back to my house. The house looked dead as I pulled into the drive, which immediately scared me. I didn't expect Amelia to have waited up for me, but she often left the front porch light on when she knew I was coming in late. The porch was pitch black. I told myself she had forgotten and I knew she was in a bad way since Trey had died so it wasn't far from a possibility. Despite this, I walked silently up to the front door and reached into my bag for the keys. After a moment, I realised my keys were not needed as the door was open a crack.
My heart started pounding more quickly as I pushed open the door softly. I immediately thought of Dermot and Felipe de Castro and Victor Madden and all the other people who seemed to be after me, but my thoughts rested on Dermot. I tried unsuccessfully to push them from my mind. The entrance hall was empty, as was the kitchen and the front room. After I shut the door, I flicked on a small light next to it and scanned the room. Everything looked just as it had this morning.
"Amelia!" I was sorry to wake her, but I was freaked out from the open door and I frantically prayed she was ok. There was no response. "Meals?" I opened my mind and scanned the house for thoughts. There was no response there either.
I started to panic as I climbed the stairs up to her room. I hoped to god she was lying asleep in bed. The door to her room was open and I popped my head through the small gap. The room and everything in it was pristine. My eyes wandered to the bed which was empty and as perfect as the rest of the room. Had Amelia just left?
I checked her wardrobe and cupboards which were all empty. I investigated the rest of the upstairs rooms and then threw my body down on the sofa.
How could Amelia leave without telling me? I had looked around the entire house and she hadn't even left a note. I had a feeling she might have wanted to get away from Bon Temps after Trey's funeral but without notice and while I was at work? It didn't sound like Amelia to me. The most disturbing thing was the door, knowing all the trouble I inevitably got myself into, leaving the door open was the last thing either I or Amelia would ever do. As I sat there the house around me, which I have lived in since I was seven years old, suddenly seemed unfamiliar to me. The only time I had ever been truly alone in this house was after gran's death and Bill had been with me almost every night.