You get a message while you're brushing your teeth. The sound shakes you out of your trance and you realize you've been moving the toothbrush over the same spot for probably two minutes straight.
This is what happens when you lie in bed pretending like any minute now you'll drift off when in reality you're just staring at the ceiling counting seconds between lightning flashes and thunder.
"Good news," Addy's message reads, and it's followed by a screenshot.
It's one of Ennis's posts. "Today's the day. Moving into my dorm! Wish me luck."
"So she's really gone?" you ask.
"Unless she suddenly changed her mind and is attending one of Arbor Isle's prestigious and nonexistent universities, then yes," Addy says. "Promise me you'll try to relax today and not launch yourself into any big quests. With her gone, a huge chunk of your problems are solved. Your quest for today is to take a damn break."
"Okay," you reply.
"PROMISE ME," they message.
"I promise," you reply, nearly dropping your phone in the toilet. You're in no shape to go on any big knowledge-seeking quests anyway.
Relaxing alone doesn't actually sound all that relaxing right now, not when every time you doze off you find yourself violently flinching awake.
"What's everyone up to?" you ask the group chat.
"Well, school starts next week," Addy messages. "I'm prepping for the first GSA meeting. I want it to be fun so people will talk about it and more people will join."
"I'm working in my darkroom," Anuja says. "Developing photos for my portfolio. It's creeping me out though after developing those photos of the fog."
"Video games," Diego says. "Feeling super productive."
"It's my dad's birthday," Kirill texts. "He doesn't really have any friends here so I'm trying to make him lunch."
"Oh, anything fancy? What kind of lunch?" Anuja asks.
"An edible lunch," Kirill says.
You probably have time to hang out with two different people today.