All In A Day's Work

Devin has finished cleaning the living room, made breakfast for the family, and is sitting down with them having a plate of eggs and turkey bacon. She watches Cameron humming lightly as she picks at the eggs on her plate.

Devin thinks about the amulet swinging gently around Cameron's neck. She watches as it has a shimmer of green and pink go across the face.

Smiling, she addresses Cameron, "I really like your necklace Cameron. It is beautiful. It looks old also. Is that part of the design, or is it an antique?"

Melanie pauses mid-swipe of her phone, and you catch her glaring at Cameron.

Cameron smiles and replies, "My necklace? Oh, my mom gave it to me for my birthday one year. I really like it, but Momma only lets me wear it for up to one week out of every month. She doesn't want me to lose it, you see."

Cameron smiles at Devin again, and then finishes her eggs. She takes her empty plate to the sink and places it along with her cup for washing.

"I'm going to finish getting ready!" She skips down the hall to the bathroom.

Devin notices that Melanie watched Cameron leave. Melanie then places her phone in her purse and rises. She pushes in her chair, and states, "Well, I need to get the car warmed up." She walks into the living room. Devin hears the front door open and close.

Sarah, having finished her meal and milk, notices the change of atmosphere and gets up from her seat. She quietly places her dishes in the sink, and mumbling about going to her room, trudges off down the hall, her door opening and closing with a loud clang.

Devin wonders why she seems so grumpy. Even in her 'sickly' state, she normally hasn't been like this.

Mike has already moved from his seat at the table as well, his dishes deposited in the sink for Devin's future cleaning. He smiles at Devin, although a bit weakly, and speaks, "I have some errands to run today downtown. I won't be back until late. Please make sure to save a meal for me from dinner. You can keep it either in the oven or microwave to keep it from spoiling on the countertop." He grabs his coat and walks out the door, locking it behind him.

Devin starts clearing the dishes from the table, wondering what's going on with the family. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. She decides to take a walk around the house, just to see if anything seemed out of place.

As she walks around, she notices that the curtains in the living room are slightly askew, and there is a small mark on the wall that she didn't remember seeing before. Devin makes a mental note to straighten the curtains and clean the mark later.

Devin continues her walk and notices that the door to Melanie's study is slightly ajar. She pauses, wondering if she should go in and clean it or leave it be. She decides to peek in and make sure everything is in order.

As she enters the room, Devin notices that the desk is cluttered with papers and books, like someone is frantically searching for something. She starts carefully sifting through them, trying her best to make them not look touched,.She notices a file with a strange symbol on it and decides to take a closer look.

Devin opens the file and reads through it, her eyes widening as she realizes that it contains information about the amulet that Cameron wears around her neck. It's a rare artifact with a history of being passed down through generations of a powerful family.

Hearing a noise from outside the study, and knowing that she isn't supposed to enter without Melanie's permission, Devin quickly hurries back out of the office, leaving the door askew the same way she found it.

Knowing she has a long day ahead of her, Devin gets to work on the rest of the house, or at least the parts she has access to.