Unfinished

"Who are you?" The monster's breath was warm against her ear.

Piper spun around, seeing nothing but the walls of the spare room. 

"Hello?"

"Piper!" Her dad's voice sounded panicked, desperate.

She lunged for the door handle, barely noticing as it came off in her hand and dropped to the floor.  The wood blackened after she'd touched it; an eerie orange glow behind her as she flew down the stairs.

Frank was slumped over the table, pale and clammy. 

Piper reached for his shoulder, but hurriedly withdrew her hand when she touched something damp.

Painstakingly slowly, she turned her hand over to see her palm.

Red.

"I've certainly never needed my alarm since you've been here, Peaches," Frank remarked as his daughter dragged herself down the stairs. 

Piper groaned, trying to force the remnants of her nightmare from her mind and instead focusing on the strands of hair twisted in her hands.

"You'd put a rooster to shame with all that screaming," Her father rolled off the sofa and stretched his arms in the air, his shoulders loudly cracking with the effort.

"You should probably get that checked out," Piper said, referring to his joints as she finished tying off her braid.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you," Frank gave her a pointed look. 

Ignoring him, she started to fix herself breakfast in the kitchen.

They'd began to settle into a routine, getting ready separately before eating at roughly the same time. Then she'd leave for work, and Frank about an hour after that in his crumpled shirt and tie.

"Are you ignoring me?" Her father mocked annoyance, already munching on his second pop tart.

"I would never," Piper deadpanned as her toast popped.

"You're just like your mother, you know that?" 

"So I've been told."

And she had, many times. She reckoned every family member had, at least once, told her she acted like her mother.

Maybe it's because she was the one who raised me.

Piper immediately felt guilty, glancing sideways at Frank. It wasn't his fault, she reminded herself.

"Are we going to have any pop tarts left?" She frowned as he started his third.

"Oh come on, I've got a hard day at work today," He said as he waved her away, his voice laced with irritation.

"What's happening at work?"

"Uh, meeting with the boss. Performance review, that kind of thing." Her father rattled off.

"Performance review?"

"Mhm! I might even be up for a promotion!" He laughed, but that was what gave him away.

She did that laugh when she lied too.

Then he was saved by the frenzied banging on the front door.

Piper opened it to find Finn beaming excitedly at her.

"Do you want to go on a hike?"

She blinked at him.

"Like, a long walk," He explained.