When I got home, my mom was sitting at the bistro table talking on the phone to another one of her friends. I greeted her with a kiss on her cheek and went straight to my room. I was so tired. If I had slept over at Finn's, why didn't I feel rested. And when did those other people show up? I changed into some pajamas, trying to remember anything else from last night after I stepped off the porch to go find Finn. Nothing. I crawled into bed, and my mom came to stand in the doorway of my room.
"Hey, baby. Are you ok?" she asked me.
"Yeah, I guess I didn't sleep very well last night. I'm gonna take a nap." I told her.
"Ok, that storm might have kept you awake. I'm just glad you're ok. It just came out of nowhere last night. I would have been worried if you drove home in it anyway. That boy's mom is very nice."
"Yeah," I said, laying my head against the pillow and closing my eyes, "she is nice." My words drifted away into a whisper as I fell asleep. I felt my mom push my hair aside and kiss my forehead, but the world fell away as I fell into a deeper sleep.
I dreamed that I was in a dark place. Well, mostly dark. Some light filtered through little holes all around me, but not enough to see anything. I raised myself up to see if I could find a way out, but my face hit a scratchy surface. I stayed poised just beneath it, waiting for my eyes to adjust, but I couldn't see anything. I wasn't blind, but everything was blurry. I curled up and stayed there for a long time. The sides of my body were pressed against another scratchy surface, but there wasn't much room to shift.
Then, the dream changed. I was holding Finnegan's hand, and we sat in the grass under the stars. I had a blanket on my lap. Finn was telling me about the constellations, but I was just looking for shooting stars. Suddenly, I laid down and became smaller. I was no longer holding Finn's hand, and I was completely under the blanket. I was picked up, with the blanket still over me, and my body flipped this way and that until I was twisted around, but safely supported.
I woke up, feeling completely disoriented. I had no idea what those dreams could have meant, but I shook them from my mind. I sat up out of bed and immediately went to brush my teeth. I felt weird, but I couldn't explain it. I felt a chill. Even though I wanted a shower, I really just wanted to go back to my warm blankets.
My mom met me in the kitchen when she heard me come out of the bathroom.
"Hey, sweetie. Are you hungry? You slept all day. I left some dinner for you though. I can heat it up if you like."
"No thanks, Mom." I hugged my arms around me. "I think I'm just gonna go back to bed."
She looked at me with concern. "That boy's mom said you got caught out in the rain. You don't look very good." She came and pressed her hand against my face and my neck. "You don't feel feverish. If anything, you feel a little too cool."
I pushed her hand away. "I do feel a little weird, but if I rest, maybe I'll be alright in the morning."
"Ok, but if you don't feel well in the morning, I'll let you stay home. I can pick up some medicine for you after I get off work."
"No, no. that's ok. I'll be ok." I tried to smile for her. I knew my mom couldn't take off work, and I really didn't want her to worry about me. "Good night, Mom."
"Good night, baby."
I went back to my room and snuggled deep under my covers. Once I got warm again, I found that I wasn't really sleepy anymore. I lay staring at my ceiling for a while before turning to reach for my phone, which was still in my backpack purse on the floor by my bed. It was 9:30. I decided to text Finnegan.
"Hey, I just woke up from my nap. I wasn't feeling very good when I woke up, but now that I'm warm, I'm wide awake."
I didn't know what to expect. If he called, I didn't know what I would say to him. I still couldn't really remember anything. I remember walking into the backyard. Finn's parents told me he would be in his shed, but he wasn't. The shed was dark. So, I went into the forest. There were dim lights and singing. No, not singing. It was chanting. Then, I don't remember anymore.
My phone vibrated.
"Elise, if you don't feel good, maybe you shouldn't come to school tomorrow. I can come over and bring your assignments to you." I would never have the guts to skip a day of school unless it was serious. Besides, I still didn't want Finn to come inside my house. He probably wouldn't care very much, but I did.
"It's not that serious. I'll probably be fine in the morning. Do you want to wake up early and meet in the parking lot again?"
"Ok, but if you feel bad in the morning let me know. Yes, I can meet you early. How does 7:00 sound?"
That might be earlier than I can manage, but I wanted to see him again. I still needed answers. Then it also dawned on me, our projects were going to be due.
"I'll try. Also, don't forget our projects. I'll help you carry them in to the Science room."
"Oh right, ok. Thanks for reminding me. Also, I'm finishing up my note to you, so I can give you the notebook tomorrow, but you might want to read it before the first bell."
That was cryptic, but I have come to realize that Finn has an easier time explaining things in writing. If someone had told me three weeks ago that Finnegan, my distant and mysterious crush, would be my boyfriend who wrote me sweet notes and called me his darling, I would have probably feinted from sheer joy. Now that it was real, I was still happy, but I was becoming mysterious too. I knew about Finn's secret pagan life, and I wanted to learn more about it still. Yet, the more I learned, the less I could tell anyone. It didn't matter much anymore now that Cheyanne wasn't my friend anymore, but I had hoped to go to at least one football game to see her in action. But I couldn't tell her anything. Also, I was going to start working at Subway. And I was almost 17. The holidays were almost here, and my life seemed like it had completely changed overnight.
I texted Finn back, "Ok. I'm going to sleep. Good night, my darling Finn."
"Good night, Mo Cuishle."
I set an alarm on my phone for 6:00 and placed it on my bedside table. Then, I rolled onto my side. curled up in a tight ball, and tried to make myself sleep so I could wake up early.