Page 37 of Unravel Me

I can feel another wave approaching, though it hasn't reached its full strength yet. I get up and head to the bathroom, turn the faucet, and sink into pleasantly warm water.

As I lie there, my thoughts drift aimlessly until I find myself studying the pipes running through the wall, as I’m still unable to figure out how hot water reaches this place. I'm certain no electric heater kicks on when I turn the tap.

Eventually, my curiosity wins. I pull on yesterday's clothes and circle the cabin, soon discovering a hot spring about a hundred feet away, with freshly disturbed earth marking where the pipes were buried.

Clever! Free, environmentally friendly hot water without a boiler. Whoever built this cabin probably chose the location because of the spring.

But my curiosity isn't satisfied yet. It doesn't take long to discover how the cabin gets its electricity, either. A few dozen yards away, on a small rise, I spot a wind turbine designed to prevent birds from colliding with it.

Wow.

So this place is completely self-sufficient. A battery system must store the excess electricity and power the refrigerator, washing machine, and everything else. Solar panels wouldn't be ideal here during winter, but the turbine can run year-round. Well thought-out.

My little investigation is done, and one question remains at the forefront of my deliberations.

Why would someone build a cabin this isolated, completely disconnecting themselves from both the power grid and the water supply?

This is full-on off-grid living.

The strange part is that the cabin really isn't all that far from the town limits of Rainbow Springs. Maybe four miles at most. It wouldn't have been super difficult to bring electricity out here.

And yet… whoever built it chose not to.

Why?

Was someone hiding out here?

People usually don't hide without a reason. I remember all those quasi-military, quasi-loner clothes… the hunting gear.

Could the owner be some kind of dangerous weirdo?

And the worst part is that I notice something deeply unsettling as I stand by the entrance.

Security cameras.

There's a surveillance system here, subtly hidden inside something that looks like a swallow's nest, aimed at the front door and the corners of the cabin.

Wow… The man who owns this place can see everything that happens here.

I'm genuinely starting to worry about what'll happen if he comes back. Still, for now I can't solve the mystery of this cabin, especially with my mind buried beneath the haze of heat. I'm simply not thinking clearly.

I head back inside and wander into the pantry again.

There's a tall refrigerator inside. When I open it, I find rows of food with long expiration dates, along with cartons of milk. Beside them, on a small counter, sits the container of protein powder used to make the shakes.

I glance at the label.

FULL HEAT. High-Calorie Protein Shake for Omegas During Peak Heat.

I stare at it in disbelief. I'm almost certain that powder wasn't here the first time I walked into this room. Which means the fae must have bought it. Glowing green and naked, wandering around some shop? Unless there's another possibility. Maybe he has someone who does his shopping for him.

For a moment, I rub my temples as my head throbs. I simply can't fit all these pieces together.

So I just pull my clothes off again and lie back on the bed. Enough. No more chasing theories about the cabin and its owner. I’ll simply wait for the fae to return, hoping he won’t leave me here hanging.

Imagine my surprise when, only about fifteen minutes later, I hear movement in the next room, and the fae steps out of the pantry.

The pantry must have some kind of hidden entrance.