Chapter 39: Enchantment

Back in the treehouse, August was sitting cross-legged on the bed with the new laptop wondering how it was even possible that they had wifi there when Graeme entered after receiving a phone call.

"How is it going?" He asked her, leaning against the door frame.

"This is a way nicer laptop than I had," her eyes lit up. "Just getting it set up," she smiled at him. He noticed how her smile faded as if her mind was taken by something else.

"What's bothering you?" he sprung off the door frame and came to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Oh," she shook her head with brows furrowed, realizing that she had been caught in other thoughts. "I was going to put my mom's number in the phone. Not that I would call her," she said quickly, glancing up at Graeme, "but then I started thinking about my stepdad… I had wondered why he would be so generous as to send me here," she laughed bitterly. "I knew he wanted to get rid of me, but… this is next level even for him."