didn’t take him long to figure out that the second he closed his eyes my nightmares would begin, and minutes later screams would echo throughout the loft.
A new semester had begun, and still the dreams came. By Spring Break, Jared grew desperate. Everyday he sought Eli, asked Samuel for help, he’d even taunted Gabriel for an answer, and every time he came home frustrated and empty-handed.
“Coffee?” Jared asked, his voice tired.
“Yes, please.”
Once again, our day began at three-eleven A.M. I worked on a few papers, and studied while the coffee still kept my brain functional. Once the heaviness set in, Jared brewed another pot.
“At some point, this has got to be bad for you,” Jared frowned. “I can’t get anyone to tell me anything. I don’t know how our fathers found where Shax kept the book in the first place. Word gets around. They must know what we’re up to. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had to travel to Hell to get it.”
Weary of the same dialogue, I rubbed my eyes and nodded.
Jared sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m frustrated, and with all the caffeine in your system, it makes me feel a little anxious.”
“Ugh…I forget about that,” I said, setting my mug on the table.
The morning sun cast an amber tone against the walls. Summer was just around the corner. My friends at school were discussing tropical vacations and family reunions, and I was too tired to think about the next hour.
My cell phone rang, and I fished in my purse to answer. “Hey Beth,” I sighed. “What’s up?”
“Kim and I are meeting for coffee. Again. Like we do every morning. And you’re invited. Again. Like every morning. Are you going to flake out? Again? Like you do every morning?”
“Sorry. I’ve already had a pot of coffee this morning. I’ll see you in class.”
Beth paused. I could hear a muffled, irritated voice in the back ground. Beth was obviously covering the phone with her hand. “Er…Kim says…Kim wants you to come.”
“I have a feeling that’s not what she said,” I frowned.
After the sound of a scuffle, Kim spoke into the phone. “We are going to be at the coffee shop in thirty minutes. And you are going to be there, too, or me and the Sentra will come get you, and you will ride all the way there strapped to the roof like a freakin’ Christmas tree, you got me?”
I held the phone away from my ear as she yelled, and then cautiously held it within talking distance. “I got you.”
“Okay, then,” Kim said, satisfied.
“Sorry,” Beth whispered before ending the call.
“Sounds like your friends miss you,” Jared grinned.
“They probably just want to yell at me and ask me questions,” I said, stuffing books into my bag.
“You should tell them the truth. They’ll just think you’re crazy and let it go.”
I laughed. “You have a point. It’s the one time I can be honest with them and not worry about them believing me.”
They wouldn’t believe you, anyway,” Jared said, kissing the top of my head. “I can take you today.”
“I know better than to think you’ve given up.”
“No, I’m still working,” he said, keys in hand.
Beth and Kim sat with me at our usual table. They both watched me, until I began to feel like a zoo animal. An interrogation was immanent. Beth’s expression was unsure, nervous — Kim seemed just the opposite. She was ready to pounce.
Beth looked to Kim before she spoke. “How’s Ryan?”
Her question took me off guard. I had expected more questions about the circles under my eyes, or the gallons of caffeinated drinks I’d consumed during the day.
“He doesn’t write much anymore.”
“You don’t talk about him anymore,” Beth said without pause.
“How’s Jared?” Kim asked.
“He’s…fine. Why?”
Kim crossed her arms. “What does he think about the fact that you’re a zombie these days?”
I shrugged. “He wants to fix it.”
“How’s that?” Kim asked.
Too tired for tough questions, my words were more acerbic than I’d intended. “He’s a guy, Kim. Guys want to fix everything.”
Beth nodded. “If a hammer and nails could solve it all….”
“What’s he doing to fix it?” Kim prodded.
“Research,” I said blinking away the urge to let my eyes close.
Beth frowned in reaction. “Nina, you fell asleep on your desk yesterday. Grant is grilling me about what’s going on with you. I don’t even know what the truth
“You won’t accidentally tell him, I promise,” I grumbled as I sipped from the plastic lid of my coffee cup.
“The truth is that far-fetched?” Kim asked.
My stomach began to complain from both the amount of hot liquid swirling inside it, and the irritating predicament I was in. Being impatient and upset so often due to the lack of sleep took a toll on my appetite, and the over abundance of coffee in my system made me feel ill on a regular basis.
I stood. “We’re going to be late.”
“Are you sick, Nina?” Beth asked.
“No,” I said. My nausea was not what she was referring to.
“Do you have some disease you’re not telling us about?”
“No, Beth.”
“Could Jared be poisoning you?” she blurted out.
I laughed once, shocked. “Is that why you two brought me here?”
“Are you two into something we don’t know about? Voodoo-Witchcraft- Satanist crap?” Kim asked.
“What would even make you say that?”I said, my patience thin.
“Just answer the question,” Kim said flatly.
“No. I’m not being haunted by demons if that’s what you’re getting at, Kim.” A part of me wondered if that’s what she was asking. She always seemed to be right on the edge of the truth, and had the habit of asking all the right questions. Beth being there was just a cover. She knew something.
“I didn’t ask if you were,” Kim said. For the first time since I’d met her, she was uncomfortable. I watched her for a moment before she pulled on her coat and grabbed her keys from the table. “Class starts in ten.”
Beth and Kim watched me with concern as I waved them away and walked to class. It was on the top floor, and the decision to take the stairs was regretful by the second flight. My body felt ten years older. Two or three hours of sleep a night had begun to wear on my muscles, my train of thought, and my patience.
My reflection in a trophy case in the hallway caught my eye, and I stood there, amazed. The purplish circles had deepened under my eyes, and my skin was too tired to stay in place. The corners of my mouth hung lazily, and the light in my eyes was gone.
Class was just a few steps away, but my body felt too drained to make the trip. I leaned against the wall. The professor had already begun class, and I listened as intently as I could from the hallway. His words blurred together as he went over the last week’s test, and then lectured for what seemed like an eternity. The reading assignment was discussed in brief before class let out early.
Even as the other students passed, I let the wall support my weight. The walk to campus from the coffee shop, coupled with the energy I’d exerted taking the stairs, had taken everything out of me. Standing upright was the only thing I was capable of.
After watching the last of my classmates leave for other venues, I focused on the elevator. It was half way down the hall, but would take less effort than taking the stairs. I took a deep breath and pushed myself away from the wall. My feet felt like they had been soaking in cement, and towing fifty-pound blocks with each step. My knees began to wobble, and I could feel beads of sweat form on my forehead. Stopping to rest was not an option. If I paused for even a moment, I would have passed out in the hallway.
