It was after four in the morning when Kaylee trudged up the stairs to the second-floor apartment she shared with Allie, the first friend she’d made Freshman year. Her greatest desire at that moment was to go flop into bed and sleep for about twelve hours straight, but the cute doctor that stitched her up had repeated several times that she needed to take a shower immediately when she got home. And then keep her wound mostly dry for the next seven days until she had the sutures removed. Thankfully she didn’t have to work as a TA or go to class that morning.
After the shower, she stood in front of the small circle she’d wiped clear on the steam-covered mirror, brush in hand. She’d detangled most of her hair—all but the area around the goose-egg and sutures. She gently put the brush to the matted tangles and winced as soon as it tugged. “Gah!” She threw the brush onto the countertop. “Not happening today. Maybe I’ll just get my hair all chopped off,” she whispered.
She opened the door to her bedroom. She slipped inside and felt her way to the raised twin bed on her side of the shared room, hoping Allie was sound asleep. Kaylee fumbled with the mess of sheets and blankets piled on her mattress. Maybe she should start making her bed once in a while. She crawled onto the bed, laying on her side so as not to put pressure on her aching head, and pulled a corner of her blanket over her.
Mission accomplished, no movement from Allie’s side of the room. Kaylee sighed and closed her eyes.
“Don’t think we aren’t going to talk about where you’ve been,” Allie mumbled. “It can wait till sometime after the sun comes up, though.” Covers ruffled as she turned over.
Why did she have to get stuck with a light-sleeper as a roommate and best friend? The fact that she was deaf didn’t seem to make her any heavier of a sleeper. Kaylee swore she could feel the vibrations in the room like a spider can feel its web jerking when prey flies into it. She smiled and kicked her blankets into a better position. It wasn’t like she didn’t plan on telling Allie everything, anyway.
“So, let me get this straight.” Allie stopped tugging at the knots in Kaylee’s hair so she could step in front of her and glare into her bloodshot eyes. “You went down there, at night, all by yourself?”
“Well, yeah, but I was just observing. I didn’t think…” Maybe if I mumble she won’t be able to read my lips, Kaylee thought with a grimace.
“Exactly. You didn’t think.” Allie put a hand on her hip and pointed the hairbrush at Kaylee’s face. “Do you think your professors would approve of your dangerous methods?”
“Maybe they’ll give me extra credit for going above and beyond.” Her friend didn’t smile at her attempt to lighten the mood.
“And, if I’d known that you had a head injury, I wouldn’t have let you sleep so long. Why didn’t you tell me about this when you first got home?”
Kaylee shrugged. “I didn’t want to wake you up or keep you awake. I know how much you hate early mornings. Plus, I just wanted to sleep.” Although, as exhausted as she’d been, it had taken her at least an hour to fall asleep, her brain refusing to let go of the evening’s events.
“Well, hopefully you learned your lesson. No more traipsing around downtown by yourself.” She moved back behind Kaylee to continue with the painful process of untangling her hair. “Maybe you should consider changing your thesis to something a little less life-threatening.”
“Are you crazy?” Kaylee’s eyes met her friend’s in the mirror. “I finally found her! There’s no way I’m backing out of this now.”
“You have no way of knowing where she’ll be when we get back from Christmas break. You’ll have to start the hunt all over again.” She laid the brush on the kitchen table next to the propped-up mirror. “I got most of them. You’ll just have to get to the rest after the stitches are out.”
Christmas break. That would be a problem. Finals started on Monday, tomorrow, and then school would be out for weeks. Her parents expected her to come home during those weeks between semesters. “Thanks.” Kaylee absently ran her hand down the hair at the back of her head. “Maybe I’ll just stay here for the break.”
“Oh, your parents would love that.” Allie’s voice overflowed with sarcasm.
“No, I’m serious.” Kaylee leaned toward her friend. “You and Max will be here most of that time, right? Because Max has rotations he has to complete?”
Allie narrowed her eyes and answered with a drawn out, “Yeah. Why?”
“You’ll be able to keep an eye on me.” Kaylee smiled. “Make sure I don’t do something else stupid.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sheesh. Do you remember when I was the one who needed to be babysat?” Her sophomore year had been a rough one. Too many alcohol-fueled frat parties. Kaylee hadn’t dared let her out of her sight.
Kaylee nodded. “I’m so glad you grew out of that rebellious stage.”
“I blame Max. He’s such a good influence.” She slumped into a chair and looked down at the table. “Seriously, I wouldn’t be graduating from nursing school in May if it wasn’t for him, and for you.”
Kaylee patted her friend’s hand, waiting for her to look up. “You would have pulled out of it, eventually. Now, how do I tell my parents I won’t be coming home for Christmas?”
Allie raised an eyebrow. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”
Nodding, Kaylee answered, “I am. After meeting Mama C last night, I think I’d want to find out more about her even if my thesis didn’t depend on it. There’s something very different with her and her little gang.”
Her
