The next morning I wasn't sure about what I was going to do. The curiosity of what I'd seen last night was driving me crazy. I wanted the full story of what was going on. I felt like I needed to know. There was an itch in my palms that I couldn't get rid of. It could only be satisfied by knowing exactly what was going on.
So I decided to bake chocolate chip cookies and lemon-poppy seed muffins and see where it got me.
I walked up to the Covington's front door with Mom's wicker basket filled with homemade baked goods. I knew Mrs. Covington would be unable to resist the smell—she loved anything homemade (but lacked the talent to cook). So I stood on their porch, rapping my knuckles against the door.
I heard Mr. Covington trip over something and swear loudly in his rush to get to the door. When the door swung open, there was a bright, juvenile smile on my face that was hard to resist. "Good morning Mr. Covington! How are you?" I asked sincerely. Despite my ulterior motives, I really was curious about how he was. Mr. Covington never swore and he was always presentable. Right now, though… his clothes were wrinkled and his hair was a mess, like he hadn't brushed it yet this morning, although it was nearly twelve o'clock in the afternoon. Might I add that his glasses were askew on his nose, and he didn't even seem to notice.
"Oh, um, hello, Penelope." He said, either ignoring the question or he hadn't heard anything I had said.
With that same smile on my face, I said, "Oh please! Call me Penny, everyone does." I tilted my head to one side and glanced past him. "Is Mrs. Covington here? I really want to talk to her." I bounced on my heels a little to add to my enthusiasm. I may have been overdoing it, but I really didn't care.
"Oh, sorry Penny, but she's not i—"
"Peter? Who's at the door?" Mrs. Covington asked, cutting her husband off.
I grinned, half out of amusement and half out of success. "Mind if I come in?"
Mr. Covington let out a weary sigh and stepped out of the doorway. I hurried in, giving Mrs. Covington that same charming smile. "Good morning!"
Something flickered in Mrs. Covington's eyes when she saw me. Almost abruptly, though, it was replaced with feigned happiness and a meager smile. "Good morning, Penny." She noticed the wicker basket and her curiosity was sparked. "What did you bring?"
"I made some muffins and cookies this morning." I said, stepping over to their dining room table, which was to the right of the front door, and setting the basket on the table. "I hope chocolate chip and lemon-poppy seed are alright."
"Oh yes," Mrs. Covington said, following me over and smiling a bit more genuinely now. "It's fine. And they smell amazing, if I do say so myself."
I grinned again, mostly because of the praise and that I was still trying to come off as naïve. "I'm glad you seem to like them. You might wanna try one first, though."
Mrs. Covington nodded. "Yes, of course."
"Joann," Mr. Covington said, letting out a weary sigh as he walked over. "We really don't have time for visitors."
"Oh, right. Sorry, Penny," Mrs. Covington said, switching her gaze from her husband back to me. "But we don't have time for a visit today. We'll be sure to return the basket ASAP, though."
I frowned a little, trying not to stick out my lower lip too much. I didn't want to come off as a spoiled brat, just a kid who was bored and wanted to spend some time with her closest neighbors. "Oh… okay… I guess I'll just drop by another time then…"
"Yes, thank you, Penny. I'm sure the food will be lovely." Mr. Covington said, ushering me toward the door briskly.
"Are you sure you're alri—" I started, and then broke off when someone stepped into the dining room/foyer. His chin was tilted up slightly, like he was actually smelling the air, which was kind of weird. And although I hadn't gotten a good look of him last night, I knew this was who Mr. Covington had brought into his house so secretively. What he was trying to hide from me.
The boy's gaze turned to me and I felt like it was pinning me to the wall. He studied me with slightly narrowed dark brown eyes. His messy black hair fell into his eyes, shadowing them and making his eyes seem darker. He looked to be a couple of years older than me, about eighteen or nineteen. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just pajama pants that must have been borrowed from Mr. Covington. He had multiple scars, big and small, and newer wounds that must have been the source of all the blood from last night. It took a lot for me to make my gaze move from his body to his eyes—for more than one reason.
I could automatically tell that he was in no way related to the Covingtons. The Covingtons had light colored hair and blue eyes—both of them. Though I knew he didn't have to be an exact copy of them, he looked nothing like them at all. The Covingtons were small and slender, while he was an inch taller than Mr. Covington and had a muscular build that could never pass as "small." He just… had no features in common with the Covingtons whatsoever. Not even a small thing.
I inhaled deeply, wrapping my arms around myself as he continued to watch me. An uneasy feeling finally washed over me and I felt like I was a rabbit and he was a wolf. "I'm, um, Penelope Andrew. Everyone calls me Penny, though…" I trailed off as his stony gaze seemed to harden even more.
Mr. Covington was the one who answered for the boy. "Penny, this is Braden. Joann and I adopted him the other day and we just wanted to wait for a more… formal introduction."
"Oh, okay." I said lightly, my voice almost breaking. I cleared my throat before giving Braden a small smile. "I guess I'll see you around then." I glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Covington before saying, "I'll let my mom and dad know and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."
Mrs. Covington smiled weakly. "Thank you, Penny."
I nodded once before bolting out the door, not meaning to slam it as I left but ending up doing so anyway. I broke into a run as soon as I was at their driveway. For some unknown reason, there was something hostile and feral about Braden. And the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Covington hadn't wanted me to see him… that just made things even weirder.
