We Awaken (23 page)

“Please stop.” I knew she deserved an answer but this was a bit much. “It’s okay, I promise. She wasn’t able to come, and I understand.”

“Must’ve been a hell of an excuse,” Ellie grumbled and began walking twice as fast. I ran to catch up.

“It really was.”

Stopping yet again, Ellie looked me straight on for a few moments, assessing whatever she saw there. “This has something to do with you asking me all those crazy questions about what I believe in, doesn’t it? Are you sure you’re all right?”

Returning her gaze with unwavering certainty, I said, “Absolutely. You have to trust me because I’m not positive if there’s any way I’ll ever be able to explain how I came to meet Ashlinn or what she is.”

“
What
she is?” Ellie asked, looking over my shoulder at the girl in question.

“It’s really, really complicated.”

“And I’m not convinced I want to get involved. Look, I’m not even going to pretend like I understand you guys. I don’t get this relationship, and I don’t know why Ashlinn was naked in my room. Hell, I barely know her, but if she makes you happy, I can’t give her all that much crap about it. For the past year, I’ve really wanted you to be happy. I guess since you’ve made your choice I’ll accept that lame-ass story about The Hovercraft.” She directed her stare toward Ashlinn and said, “Just be good to her, okay? Try not to break this one’s heart. Lord knows she deserves that much. And please don’t break into my house again, or I
will
call the cops. I have mace and will be sleeping with it from now on. Knock on the door next time.”

“I’ll do my best. Both with the not scaring you and with treating Victoria well.”

Ellie accepted this grimly. “I can’t ask any more of you. Keep the clothes. I’m going back home. Seems like you two could use some time alone, and I wanna get back before the parentals awaken. And don’t even bother asking me to drive you home. I’m still pissed and deserve some payback.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I assured her.

She gave a weak wave and turned her back to us, stuffing her hands into the tiny pajama pockets. The second she walked out of sight, I all but leapt on top of Ashlinn.

“Welcome to reality. Now care to explain what actually happened?”

She laughed and bent backward to try and balance us so that we wouldn’t fall into the road.

“It appears you didn’t sleep last night so I wasn’t able to sneak into your head and use your dreams to get out. Ellie’s fantasies were floating by, and I figured that was the next best thing. Not really my most intelligent decision, but impulses happen and I wanted to see you. Do you know how excited I am to actually have a life now?”

“Hopefully as excited as I am to share it with you.”

“And it’ll be a great one too,” she said with an uncontrollable smile. “I may have acted on that promise to visit those admissions officers.”

“You are an absolute dream.”

Chisel this moment out of diamonds.

“Not anymore, but I’m ready to have a few of my own. Care to lead the way?”

“I’d love nothing more. I already have an idea of where to head.”

Ashlinn laced her fingers in mine as I led us across the empty street in the direction of the rising sun. “Oh, and which way it that?”

“Toward a supermarket. My intention was to take you to an ice cream shop when you first arrived, but they won’t be open this early. Instead we’re going to act like hungover average teenagers and buy a mountain of Ben and Jerry’s, or at least as much as we can get with the money left, and we’ll eat it on the curb and count the colors of cars. Later I’ll introduce you to Mother, or I can give you a bath, and we can cuddle and talk about how we’ll make this all work out, and everything will be perfect.”

She stared up at the cotton-candy sky. “It already is.”

CALISTA LYNNE
is a perpetual runaway who grew up on the American East Coast and is currently studying theater in London. She is oftentimes seen screeching at Big Ben and pointing out the same landmarks on a daily basis, and is having difficulty adjusting to the lack of Oxford commas across the pond. She writes because it always seemed to make more sense than mathematics, and has superb parents who support more than just her latte addiction. If Calista Lynne could change one thing about her life, it’d probably be her lack of ability to play both of the ukuleles adorning her rainbow bookshelves.

Tumblr: calista-lynne.tumblr.com

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @calistawrites

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HARMONY INK PRESS

5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA

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•
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

We Awaken

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All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or [email protected]

ISBN: 978-1-63476-995-2

Digital ISBN: 978-1-63476-996-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016901422

Published July 2016

v. 1.0

Printed in the United States of America

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