The morning sun bled through the blinds of Grian's bedroom, casting thin golden stripes across the floor.
With a quiet groan, they reached for their glasses on the bedside table and slipped them on before padding into the hallway.
As usual, the house was empty.
Their parents had already left for work hours ago, and all three of their siblings had spent the night at a friend's house.
It wasn't unusual anymore. In fact, it had become the theme of their summer.
Grian wandered into the kitchen and pulled their favorite mug from the cabinet before filling the kettle with water. Soon, the familiar rumble of it heating filled the otherwise silent house.
Most teenagers would probably find it strange that a seventeen-year-old preferred plain tea over energy drinks or iced coffee.
Grian didn't care.They shoved their hands into the pocket of their oversized hoodie and waited for the water to boil, staring absentmindedly out the kitchen window.
It was always the same routine.
Work on a hobby for an hour or two.
Summer was supposed to be full of late-night hangouts, spontaneous plans, and memories you'd laugh about years later.Instead, Grian had memorized the sound of the kettle boiling.
It's not all bad, though.
They'd gotten a lot done over the summer. Finished projects they'd been putting off for months, organized their room, even picked up a few new hobbies.
Still...There was only so much one person could do before the silence became noticeable.
It wasn't as simple as hanging out with friends.
Even if Grian had a car—which they didn't—they lived nearly thirty minutes away from everyone they knew. It wasn't exactly the kind of distance people wanted to drive just to spend an afternoon together.
Besides, everyone already had plans.
Scar was away at summer camp.
Mumbo was out of town visiting family.
Gem worked most days of the week.
Joel and Timmy...Honestly, who knew what those two were up to?
Most people their age had jobs or spent their summers at sports practices, camps, or vacations.
Grian had tried applying for a few jobs, but every one they were interested in expected employees to have reliable transportation.
Kind of hard to drive to work when you couldn't drive at all.So instead, they stayed home.Another day.
The tea kettle began to wisle and Grian poored the water into the mug.
After Grian drank their tea they thought it was a good idea to play with the dog for a while Grian clipped the leash onto the dog's collar and headed out into the backyard.
"Ready?" they asked with a small smile.
The dog barked once, already wagging its tail.
Grian laughed."Yeah, yeah. I know. You're excited."
They tossed the tennis ball across the yard. The dog sprinted after it, skidding through the grass before proudly trotting back with it.
"Good catch."They froze. Their own voice sounded... strange.
Not different.Just...Unfamiliar.
Grian frowned, rolling the tennis ball between their hands "Have I..."
They tried to remember the last real conversation they'd had.
Mom had left before they woke up.
Dad had worked late every night.
Their siblings had been gone most of the week.
Text messages didn't count.
They looked down at the dog.
"You're the first person I've talked to in..."
"...I don't actually know."
The dog came up to Grian nudgeing their hand to try to get Grian to play with him.
Grian throw the ball, not as hard as they'd like. They played for another five minutes and then went inside. Inside a empty house No voices, no people, just one and that was Grian.
They walked back to their room and sat at their desk, staring at the half-finished project in front of them.
The silence followed them inside.
It settled into the corners of the room, filling the spaces where conversation should have been.
Grian rested their chin in their hand.
Maybe this was just what summer looked like now.
They let out a quiet sigh before reaching for their paintbrush.
There wasn't much else to do.
They smiled to themselves.
"Kinda like Enola Holmes," they thought to themself Alone in a big house, finding ways to pass the time.
The smile faded after a moment.
At least Enola eventually found people.
Maybe they were meant to be alone.
They looked down at the unfinished project on their desk. They wondered if anyone had noticed they'd been gone all summer.
Would anyone notice if they disappeared.
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