Unbound (Unbound, Book 1) ~Formerly Casting Power~

Chapter 11

By the time I scrubbed the grime off my body, the water was cold. It felt good to let go of some of the tension that had been plaguing me. Once I was dressed in clean clothes, most of the anger I'd been feeling towards my mom had dissipated.

Without taking the time to think about it, I pulled a picnic basket and plaid woolen blanket from the linen closet beside my bedroom. Spurred by an urgent desire to spend time with my mom, I rushed down to the kitchen. Thankful that my mother had found time to go grocery shopping, I filled the basket as fast as I could with fruits, veggies, cheese and crackers, and a couple of sodas. I ran outside to find her exactly where she'd been when I'd left her.

"Hey, Mom, I packed a picnic," I said, slightly out of breath as I came to an abrupt stop. My sense of urgency was neurotic and unwarranted—she was fine.

Taking a deep breath, I ventured off the patio and into the cool, sun-kissed grass of our backyard. The basket almost fell as I realized how wrong I'd been. While I'd been inside, my mother had erected a fence around the yard, the far edges hidden within the trees and at least eight feet tall.

"Oh, that's so much better than popcorn!" She waved and jogged over to take the basket from me.

"I thought Zach said they didn't need to be fenced in?" I pointed to the dogs marking their territories, my nose wrinkling with distaste.

"I don't think that they do, but we need it for insurance and whatnot." She waved her hand through the air, looked over her shoulder, and then smiled at me. "It's safer for them, too," she whispered with a faraway expression, then shook her head. "Anyway, it keeps them in and others out."

"What's going on? You look worried or something." Again.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just lost in thought." She forced a smile and patted my hand. When she met my gaze, she couldn't hide her apprehension. "Let's get comfortable and eat that special picnic you packed."

I picked up my pace and Onyx dropped back to walk beside me.

"Why aren't you going with Nancy? Have you two ever spent this holiday apart?" She spread the blanket out and sat, pulling the contents of the picnic out one-by-one. "Did you two have a fight?"

"No, we'll hang out tomorrow."

"Hmm, so what's the plan?"

"She's just going to come over and we'll play with the dogs. No big deal." I shrugged.

"I'm sorry that my decision has caused you problems with Nancy. I know you don't understand right now, but given enough time, you will."

"I'm not mad at you."

"Could you repeat that for me, please?" She laughed, pausing midway during pouring a cup of soda for herself.

"I'm not mad at you." I rolled my eyes upwards and chuckled. "I'm not going to say that I'm not mad about the situation, because it sucks, but I'm not mad at you. I still don't agree."

"That's very mature, Nora. I'm happy to hear that."

"That's what Nancy said. Are you sure that we weren't switched at birth?"

"The thought had crossed my mind a time or two." She smiled and squirmed away when I tried to slap her in the arm while Opal growled, and Onyx moved in front of me. "Nancy could never have been my daughter—she's too blonde."

"Mom!" I was too quick for her to dodge this time, though the effort caused me to lose my balance and fall to my side.

"I meant in the literal sense, Nora." She rubbed her arm. "You look too much like me to be an Aldenburg. Not that there's anything wrong with that."