by Lucy Swing
***
I tossed the covers off and let them fall over the side of the bed. Sleep was eluding me as usual, and I was beginning to get frustrated. The coldness of the room made me shiver. That’s when I saw the window curtains billowing in the breeze.
What the . . .? I stayed in bed while I surveyed the room. I was still alone, but I had not left the window open.
I hurried to the window, closed it, and checked the latch. It was working properly. Outside, a thick fog had crawled over the ground, making the trees look as if they were floating over clouds. The moon above shone brightly.
I pulled on Avan’s T-shirt—glow-in-the-dark Sebastian the ibis, the University of Miami’s football team mascot. I tried to pull it down farther, but it reached only halfway down my thighs. I lay back in bed. Today’s earlier scare, that Avan might be Lilith’s latest victim, still burned in the back of my mind. I had tried his phone a few times to no avail, and Claire and I were heading over to his house when he finally called back. A wave of relief had washed over me with the realization that—for now, anyway—he was alive and safe. But we needed to come up with a plan, because sooner or later, she would go for him.
The darkness in the room felt as if it were somehow haunting me. I felt threatened by it. If I closed my eyes, I might never get the chance to open them again. My throat felt swollen as I sat on the edge of the bed, feet dangling.
Why couldn’t I just fall asleep already? I had been up most of the past four nights, dozing off from time to time but then waking up in a panic. The only time I managed to fall asleep fully, usually on the weekend, was in the early dawn, when the sun started shining in. Even leaving all the lights on in my room didn’t help—there was still a distinct fear in the back of my mind. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was turning into a vampire—if there were such a thing. Something was keeping me up at night, and I had to figure out what it was.
I walked into the bathroom and flicked on the light switch, and the lights flickered shortly before coming on. I stared at myself in the mirror, looking for any trace of what could be keeping me up, my hands holding the sides of the cool white porcelain. I turned the water on and cupped my hands under the stream that splashed over them. The coldness of the water made my hands ache. I wasn’t sure I wanted to splash my face anymore, but it seemed to have a calming effect. I lingered at the door, with my hand on the switch. Something about the darkness made me uneasy, but I couldn’t quite figure it out.
I slowly pulled my hand away and went back to the bed, leaving the light on. Maybe it would help a little and this time I would be able to sleep. I looked at the bedside clock. It was 4:45 a.m. After making sure the alarm was still set for six, I got back in bed.
I lay there staring at the ceiling for some time, watching the shadows of the naked trees outside dance carelessly in the wind.
My thoughts slowly moved on to happier topics, thinking about Avan and how much I wanted to be in his arms right this instant. I smiled at the thought that tomorrow was the last day of school before winter break.
In an attempt to keep Avan away from Lilith, we had decided to plan a little road trip. We were leaving Saturday morning. Avan’s mom was going to Miami for Christmas and was set on taking him with her, but he made it clear that he didn’t like that idea at all. It had taken some convincing, but he had done it: he was allowed to stay in town and spend Christmas with Nate and Claire and me. I was pretty sure Mrs. Blackwell felt a little bad about my staying on my own and must have figured I could use his support right about now. And it was true. I tried to keep it in the back of my mind, to think about it only when necessary, but the holidays were going to be really hard.
We made some plans to go camping—if the weather allowed, of course. Claire had researched places close to town where we could rent a cabin if the cold was too unbearable, although I kind of enjoyed having it as an excuse to cuddle with Avan.
We had seen a cabin that was totally gorgeous. It even had a name: Water’s Edge. The three-bedroom cabin was on a quiet mountain dirt road. It got its name because it sat at the edge of White Oak Creek. I could already imagine the sound of the water rushing by, and that alone was enough to sway my decision—there, I just might get the sleep that seemed to be evading me. The pictures on the Web site did the rest. Not only was the scenery breathtaking, but the inside of the cabin looked like something out of a fancy home decor magazine.
Its cathedral ceilings and oak hardwood floors gave it a homey feel, and the deck with stone fireplace, rocking chairs, and Jacuzzi—which I couldn’t wait to use—was the perfect place to let go and relax. The place also had a pool table, a big kitchen that I couldn’t imagine any of us using, a living room with big leather couches, and a large flat-screen TV hanging on the wall.
I felt myself getting even more excited than before and realized it would be almost impossible for me to fall asleep now. But somehow, at some point, I must have.