[center][color=teal][h2]Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey[/h2][/color][/center]

The house was as Jess remembered it, and yet off somehow. The warm cream colour of the walls, the old-fashioned furniture, those were the same, but the feeling of belonging wasn't there. This was part of a life she'd left behind long ago. Or rather, a life the girl in the wall photo had left behind. A teenaged brunette grinned in the picture, carefree as she leaned against railings by a sunlit sea, her dad smiling beside her. Now, both were gone, the girl replaced with a shell of a person traipsing through a building she'd once called home.

Part of the out of place feeling was doubtlessly coming from Roxy. The anchor trailed behind, barely speaking. On some level, Jess wished she could make her feel more welcome, as her mother was making every effort to do despite her distrust. Even if she could, though, it wouldn't be a good idea. There were good reasons why Roxy distanced herself from others.

[color=aqua]"Would either of you like anything?"[/color] Jess' mom asked. [color=aqua]"Any coffee?"[/color]

Jess weighed the options in her mind. What was it to be, jitters from too much caffeine, or jitters from too many disturbed nights' sleep? Either would get in the way of acting normal. [color=teal]"That'd be great, thanks,"[/color] she replied, knowing that refusing or asking for decaf could hint at the nervousness she tried to conceal.

What she'd really like was a comfortable, relaxing break for all three of them, but that wasn't going to happen.