Shadow's Edge (Shadows Saga bk1)

Chapter 2- Any Evidence?

Mara pulled into the driveway and popped the trunk of her car, grabbing the sopping blanket and her umbrella before making her way to the front door. Looking up at the large, white house, even after two years Mara still felt utter disbelief that she lived in such a large place. She had no idea how her aunt could possibly afford the house, not to mention the practicality of only two people living in one of the largest homes in town.

When Mara had asked Natalie about the place she had only shrugged. Her reasoning was she didn’t know how much space a teenage girl would need. Mara had scoffed at the time, how much room could one person need? Her views really hadn’t shifted much over the past two years. Mara walked through the front door and took her shoes and socks off leaving them on the mat before hanging up her umbrella to dry. She then padded barefoot down the hall to the laundry room, dumping off the towel on her way up the stairs to her room.

“Mara, is that you?” Natalie’s voice carried up the stairs from the kitchen.

“Yeah, it’s me. Be down in a minute.”

Mara’s black cat darted across the room at the sound of her voice and started to walk circles around Mara’s legs, rubbing her soft, velvety face across her skin. The cat purred loudly as she started to make figure eights around her owner’s legs.

Mara crouched down and scratched the cat’s head between her ears. “Hey there Sasha. How was your day?” The cat’s purr grew, her eyes closing and her head tilted back. Mara stood back up and Sasha jumped back onto the bed, curling up into a tiny ball and taking her respective place back.

Mara turned to face the mirror on her dresser and stared at her reflection. Her long, blond hair was a wet and tangled mess, and her makeup was running down her face. The black smears making her blue-green eyes look more exotic than usual. She picked up a cloth and wiped it across her face, clearing off most of the streaks. Mara tried to brush back her hair, but when she accomplished little more than getting the brush stuck, she decided to scrape it back into a ponytail with her hands.

Mara settled for sweatpants and a tank top, discarding her cold, damp clothes from earlier. She changed quickly and ran down the steps back to the kitchen where she saw her aunt busy at the counter making what appeared to be rolls.

Leaning against the doorway, Mara watched Natalie work. For some reason, Mara had felt a strong connection to the woman from the moment they had met and the connection had only grown stronger over the two years. Natalie had been Annabelle’s sister, yet Mara had never met her until the day Natalie had taken her in.

Natalie had a similar build to Mara, not quite tall, but a body that was slender enough to give the appearance of height. Natalie’s shoulder length brown hair had been pulled back into a bun while she pounded the dough and worked the rolls into shape.

Mara smiled at the mess Natalie had already made. She constantly joked with her aunt about her inability to cook without making a mess. Flour had been splashed all over, decorating the room in its powdery white clumps. It had found its way onto the walls and floor as well as Natalie’s hair. Mara shook her head in awe at how she could possibly make such a mess.

“Mara, can you please get down here? I need yo-“ Natalie had begun to turn so her voice would be heard up the stairs. She jumped slightly when she saw Mara already standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Ah, there you are. Can you give me a hand?”

Mara nodded and grabbed the pan Natalie gestured towards, sliding it over to her.

“How was school?”

“School was fine, same as always. I went to see Mom and Dad afterwards…”