Guess Again

Morgan sat in the basement, pinching the brow of her nose. She was missing a couple journal entries and she had already gone through the piles twice. Her brain also didn't seem to be working, so she stood up and adjusted her jeans. She was thirsty.

Max didn't hear Morgan until she came around the corner. Their eyes connected, and hers flicked down the can in his hand. She didn't say anything, but she shrugged, opened the fridge violently and grabbed her own Red Bull. Then she left without another word.

Lenora came around the corner after Morgan left, and she noticed Max's blank face.

"Did something happen?" Lenora asked, her face full of concern.

"Morgan came upstairs and grabbed a Red Bull, but she didn't say anything to me," Max replied quietly.

"Oh, she'll leave you alone if you don't say anything," Lenora replied, drying a plate. "She doesn't like to start conversations."

"Interesting," Max said, looking at the hallway where Morgan had gone.

Lenora had to go to the grocery store for some items, and Max decided he wanted a nap. He laid on the couch in the living room, staring at the ceiling, thinking about Morgan Earling and her mystery. There was an aura around her that was unmistakable, but also a wall that she didn't seem to let anyone through.

Max eventually drifted off, and when he woke up, he could hear talking- no, it was singing. Checking his watch, he realized he had slept for almost three hours. He was a man that didn't require much to work off of, but he had slept good. Sighing, he stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Morgan's back was to Max and she had headphones on, so she couldn't hear. She turned and jumped when she saw him.

"Sorry," Max said, making an apologetic gesture. Morgan made a face, but grabbed two packages of fruit snacks and an apple off the counter, then shot him a nasty glare before vanishing again. She was infuriatingly distant, but something about the way she carried herself—like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders and refused to share it—kept tugging at him.

"Geez," Max said to an empty kitchen. There was nothing for him to do, so he went out and sat on the porch, letting the Texas breeze wash across his face. One of the cats came up to him and rubbed her head against him. Stroking its soft fur, he gazed over the yard. It was a beautiful place, the kind of place he would have wanted to visit as a kid. This place was nice, but it held a tension that combated the peacefulness.

Suddenly, the front door slammed behind him. Max turned, and Morgan was standing there. She was holding a helmet as she stepped off the porch.

"I've got to take something out to my uncle," Morgan said, turning to look at Max, "I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Don't burn the house down."

"I won't," Max replied honestly. Morgan gave a curt nod and walked towards the barn.

A few moments later, Max heard the roar of a four-wheeler engine and watched in surprise as Morgan shot out of the barn, a cloud of dust in her wake.

~~~~~

Mason felt his phone buzz in his back pocket, and he pulled it out to read a text from John. 

 [John] Morgan's bringing me some fencing pliers, and she'll be taking the upper shady bend track. Probably stop your group until she gets past.

Mason sighed, and kicked his horse until he was at the front of the group.

"Okay, everyone, we're just going to stop for a moment," Mason yelled and everyone pulled up on their reins. The air grew still, and then they heard the sound of an engine growing closer.