“Old Habits”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

The door opens softly as Toby and Hanna tiptoe inside, whispering to each other.

“Ahem,” I cough, turning on the lamp beside me.

“Holy Hetiera!” Toby squeaks, his arm jumping up to shield his and Hanna’s eyes from the light. “Jake, why are you still up?”

“Well,” I say slowly, running my thumb over the wooden pattern of the armrest, “someone has to make sure that you two crazy lovebirds make it home safely. Honestly, guys, you can’t just sneak out like that anymore. The world isn’t safe anymore. Ellie even said that we shouldn’t go outside after dark, remember?”

“Yeah,” Hanna says with a frown, “and guess who we just saw training outside?”

“She said that we shouldn’t go outside after dark,” I retort. “Ellie can do whatever she wants.”

“But she shouldn’t,” Toby says with a frown. He finally moves away from the door and comes to sit on the couch next to me. “How long has she been out there?”

Hanna gestures that she’s going upstairs to bed and I give her a quick wave before turning my attention back to Toby. “Since before dinnertime.”

“So she hasn’t eaten dinner yet either?”

“Dude, I don’t even think she ate lunch.”

Toby scowls. “This has got to stop. She’s not in Typ’vet anymore; she doesn’t have to starve herself or deprive herself of sleep just to train.”

I reach out and put a hand on his arm. His muscles are tense and his breathing is starting to come out unevenly.

“Breathe,” I remind him. “And I know. But it’s hard to break out of old habits, and it must be especially for her now that the entire world feels like Typ’vet.”

Final Comments: I feel like I’m able to get inside my characters’ heads more easily with the more excerpts I write. Funny how that happens isn’t it…?

Overall Rating: 😅