The Normals | ✓

T H I R T E E N

A R D E N

When I wake up the next morning, I think of all the errands I need to do. But then I remember I'm in confinement, which causes me to groan and roll over, pulling the covers back over my face. It's the last day of the work week, and my alarm is going off at the time I would usually get up for work. But not today. This isn't totally bad, I try to convince myself, you get to sleep in. Lounge around the house. Maybe actually read some of those books on the shelf. But my mind strays to the reason for all of this and I regret everything I've ever done.

After rolling around under the blankets proves to be useless in putting me back to sleep, I throw them off my body and change into a plain v-necked top and some sweatpants. It's not like I'm going anywhere, so why bother dressing up? Heading down the hall, I say a brief good morning to my father, who's working away in the office, and come downstairs and find Arthemis at the door with Lyra. They must be going somewhere. Lucky.

Annoyingly, Arthemis just glares at me when I say good morning to her. Maybe I'm wrong, but I kind of got the idea we were past this when we talked in my room yesterday. I don't have time to ask her about it before the two girls leave, Lyra shooting a quick "Hi, bye" over her shoulder.

I spend the morning moving as little as possible after making myself the easiest breakfast I can imagine. Maybe some people would have used this opportunity to fine-tune skills or make a big, extravagant project, but not me. At some point, I give up on reading Mom's boring medical books and go to take a shower, because my body feels tired even though I slept fine last night. Unlike people in the Old Era, we never have a sleepless night unless we purposely try to do so, so I don't know why I feel so exhausted. Letting the hot water wash over me, I try to rinse away the weight of my decisions. It doesn't work, so I just sit down cross-legged on the floor of the shower and try to plan out what I should do next. Maybe properly apologizing to my Instructor would be a good first step. Once I get out of confinement and am actually allowed to see people again, though.

From downstairs, the doorbell rings, followed by a knock on the door that I can barely hear over the sound of the water. "Dad, can you get that?" I yell, hoping he can hear me down the hall.

"I'm working, Arden," he yells back from the office. "Can you do it please?"

Grumbling, I turn off the water and wrap a towel around my waist before running down the stairs, to the door. When I open it I'm met with Gwen, and am painfully aware of her gaze sweeping over my body when she sees me.

"Hey," I say, bristling. "Are you here for my mom or something? She's already gone to work."

"No, I'm here to talk to you, actually."

"Gwen, I'm in confinement. I'm pretty sure that means I'm not allowed to talk to people outside of my house either."

"I'll be quick," she says, pushing past me. I sigh and tell her to wait while I go back upstairs to put on some clothes and dry my hair. Looking in the mirror, I notice it's almost time for a haircut. Maybe I can master the art of haircuts while I'm at home.

Coming back down the stairs, I see she's made herself at home and is searching through the fridge and the cupboards. I sit down on one of the kitchen stools and wait. "So?"

She finally settles on a yogurt thing my mom bought and leans against the counter across from me. "So, after you rudely hung up on me last night, I was thinking. About this girl Arthemis and all that. Lyra wants her to stay here so you can't argue with that really -- oh wow this yogurt is good. I'm always surprised how much it tastes like the food we got to try from the Old Era. Anyways, Arthemis. So first of all -- remind me again why she has to stay here?"