Addie pushed my chair into his room and I forced myself to breathe normally. Finn was beyond pale. He was practically invisible against his stark white sheets; only his freckles stood out dark in contrast. He looked like some kind of polka-dot person, and it made my stomach turn. Addie walked out and shut the door behind her.
Finn smiled as I sat forward, and it transformed him. I felt better. He was weak, but still the same old Finn.
“Hey, man. I was going to lie, but I can’t.” I shook my head. “You look terrible.”
“I know.” He nodded with a grin. “I did it on purpose.”
I blinked. “You what?”
“I figured if I looked bad enough to make you feel guilty, then you’d stop excluding me from all the excitement.” He wheezed and clutched his side.
“Mission accomplished. The excitement is all yours.” I smiled, then winced. “Now stop looking like crap so I can go back to ignoring you.”
“Sounds good to me.” He drew a ragged breath. “It’s not worth feeling like this.”
I laughed, and we sat there for a minute.
“So, I hear you pulled some kind of crazy hero crap back there.” He only seemed to be able to keep one eye open at a time, but he was really trying.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, running out of a burning building, pulling two injured people out to safety, with a broken arm and all.” Finn’s chuckle turned into a weird snore/snort thing before he opened both eyes wide and continued. “Promise me something.”
“What?”
He smiled in a totally drug-induced, dreamy way. “Make sure someone totally ripped plays me in the movie.”
I laughed. “Deal. You get out of the hospital and I’ll let you pick the whole cast.”
“Count on it,” Finn mumbled. His eyes fluttered closed and he snored almost immediately. For some reason, his drug-induced narcolepsy made me feel so much better. Finn wouldn’t be Finn if he didn’t snore.
I wasn’t sure what would happen with Addie, but we’d figure it out. And with Mia’s help, I wouldn’t be dying anytime soon. There were so many things I didn’t understand, but I had time now. I would make Jack answer all my questions. I would find out about Dad—why he left, if he was a Watcher too, and every other damn thing I’d been waiting to ask for nearly five years.
“Everything is going to be okay,” I said aloud to the silent room. I wanted the reassurance to convince myself, because even now, I could feel him.
Darkness sat in the stillness of my mind, watching for the perfect moment. The moment when he could voice his warped opinion like an oar dipped in the river of my decisions, awaiting the time when he could use my weakness and the tide to throw me off course.
But I was strong, and he was weak. I knew that now. As long as I kept getting rest by watching Mia’s dreams, my future would be what I wanted it to be.
Acknowledgments
Without the assistance of some incredible people, Insomnia never would have made it from the realm of dreams into reality. First, to my incredible Agent Mafioso, Kathleen Rushall—you always believed in me and this book even when I wasn’t sure anyone should. Thank you, Kat! To Taryn, Danielle, Brandy, and Kalah—thank you for helping the world find me. To my editor, Brian Farrey-Latz, thank you for wanting to help bring this book to life. To you and the rest of the team at Flux, especially Mallory and Sandy, thank you for making every step easier. Special thanks to Heyne Fliegt and Newton Compton for wanting to bring Parker’s story to new places.
A special thank you and I love you to Ande, Cameron, and Parker. Thank you for putting up with my laptop following me around the house. Your hugs and kisses give me the strength to keep going every day. To my mom, Wendy Chipp, and my sister, Krista Poll—thank you for Girls’ Cruises, always being willing to read, and helping me get so much better. To Grandma and Grandpa V—we love and miss you every day. Thank you to all the readers in the world, especially Carrie, Stephanie, Faith, Chantele, Nichole, and Nick. And thanks to Kamakea Kauwe for being the best target audience/neighbor ever!
To some freaking amazing authors: James Dashner, Jennifer Bosworth, Elana Johnson, and Carrie Harris—thank you for taking pity on a lowly debut and sharing your kind words. You guys rock. Lastly, thank you to my amazing friends in the writing community (both in Utah and online) who help me celebrate and identify both my weaknesses and strengths. To my girls: Kasie West, Candice Kennington, Natalie Whipple, Renee Collins, Michelle Argyle, Sara Raasch, and L.T. Elliot—I know I wouldn’t be the writer I am today without you. Thank you!
© Michelle Davidson Argyle
About the Author
J. R. Johansson has two amazing sons and a wonderful husband who keep her busy and happy. In fact, but for the company of her kitten, she’s pretty much drowning in testosterone. They live in a valley between huge mountains and a beautiful lake where the sun shines more than three hundred days per year. She loves writing, playing board games, and sitting in her hot tub. Her dream is that someday she can do all three at the same time.
Visit the author online at www.jrjohansson.com.
Insomnia (The Night Walkers) Page 27