MESSIAH

Soaring

Chapter 9

I wake up suddenly in sweat and tears panting for more air to rush down my lungs. An amount of air I ignore if I could possibly take in at once, because as much as I'm deeply breathing, I still want more.

I blink a couple of times to make sure it was dream. To be assured that Nathan was not on top of me with his gun between my two eyes.

My knowledge towards Nathan's past actions has not affected what I feel for him. He still is one of my best friends, but maybe the way I think about him now has changed. I get dreams of him killing me or the people around me when I know he'd never do it.

I turn around and check the time on my phone that is right by my head on my nightstand. It's 7:03 am. My sister is probably brushing her teeth right now. She goes to school and hour earlier than I do.

There's a knock on my door. I let out a muffled 'yes' in permission, but she understands.

Dear little miss Maisley walks into my room.

"Are you okay, Sam?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You were out of breath. If you forgot my room is right next to yours. I'm pleased to let you know I can hear everything."

Is she just taunting me or is she trying to tell me that she knows something? I decide to stay on the subject of my nightmares.

"Why did you only come ask me this time?"

"Because it's been way too often that I've ignored it."

She approaches my bed to probably lay on my back the way she knows I hate. Instead of throwing her off like I usually do, I wait for her to get very close and I grab her into my arms and suffocate her with my bed covers and love.

She tries to tickle and bite me, a tactic she thinks will force me to let her out of my hold, but nothing works. She reaches her arm towards my knee to rub it when I harshly push her down.

"That was cheap shot, no one is as ticklish anywhere in their body as I am in my knee."

"Then don't let the bad guys know," she says with a smirk and leaves. I throw a pillow at her right when she closes the door which is what the pillow hits.

My phone starts ringing. Jason's name flashes on the screen. I reach for it unsure what to expect.

"Hey Jason."

"Hey Sam! I was wondering when we'll be doing our next mission? If you'd like to call it that," he says in a weird overexcited tone.

I need to think. I have no other fake leads because I already found out what I needed to know.

"Okay well I haven't thought about any new leads honestly, do you have any?"

"Many actually. So you know we saw the hoodie of the person pulling the fire alarm, well we can check out at school, who has one like that. Also, we can check the transactions that pass through the school to make sure Principal Frank hasn't charged anyone already and is just messing with you..."

"That's great we can do that! At the same time, we'll check the security tape again from where the students were coming back in and we'll see who has the same hoodie the 'puller' had."

"Very smart, okay we'll do this when?"

"It has to be a Monday that Frank comes late, so next monday. It'll be the 25th I think."

"25th already? Jesus, time passes by fast. I remember when we first started school like it was a week ago."

"I know. It's scary sometimes. We'll be seniors in a flash and after that we'll be trying to figure our lives out. The stress of decision making and the fear of making wrong ones."