The End of Eden

VIII

I slept for far too long.

In the evening, around dinner time, a soft tap sounded in my door, and before I could tell them to go away, Annabelle rushed in.

"Hey-!" But I paused.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry you're not feeling well," she said, racing into the bedroom where I lay naked, burrowed in the sheets. I showered hours ago, scrubbing extra hard to get rid of the black marks left on my stomach and between my legs, but I didn't feel like getting dressed after, so I slipped into bed, naked and wet.

In her hands she carried a tray, a earthenware bowl, a tea kettle and cup, and hunk of bread on top.

"You missed all of our meals, so I wanted to make sure you ate," she said sheepishly. I sat up, my headache long since eased to a dull ache, and I pulled up the sheet to cover my chest. She set the tray on the bedside table.

"Annabelle, you did not have to do this," I say, shocked. She plucked up the tea kettle and poured a cup, then handed it to me.

"Serra grows and dries the herbs here. Peppermint for an upset stomach, and ginger and lavender for a headache. Also honey."

I smile at her as she hands me the cup and then climbs onto the bed with me, laying on her side to watch me sip the tea. The tea was so warm, and it immediately soothes me. As soon as lower the cup from my lips, she jumps into a line of questioning.

"How was your first full moon worship?"

I arch an eyebrow at her. "Strange. You could have warned me, you know."

She brushes my wrist, and sighs. "It's such a fun surprise, I didn't want to ruin it for you. And you worshipped with Three! That must have been fun! What did you do?"

I blink down at her, unsure of how to answer. "Uhh... we went for a walk."

"Omitting the truth is as bad as lying," Annabelle says, raising up to sit cross legged on the bed. "Please tell me the truth?"

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. "We walked to The Fields of Elation. We chewed on salvia and Sleep appeared to us. And that's it."

At each sentence, Annabelle squeals in excitement until I finish. "That's it?" She asks, disappointed.

I turn away from her and pick up the bowl to find it's vegetable soup inside and drag it to me along with the bread. "Yup. It's why I don't feel good. Too much salvia."

I take a bite of the soup with the spoon from the tray and revel in the deliciousness of it.

"You didn't lay with a vessel?" I nearly choke on my next bite, and hack out a hunk of a carrot back into the bowl.

"What!?"

"Fuck a-"

"I know what to lay with someone means!" I croak, my throat aching and my headache back with a sharpness. "And no. We didn't do that." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, either. I look at her.

"Do you mind if I finish eating alone? My headache is coming back."

Annabelle glares at me, like she's willing me to say never mind, and tell her exactly what else Three and I did. But after a few moments of my staring back at her, she groans and flings herself backward, then rolls off my bed.

"Well, I had a great time with Jonah," she says, and I feel like both laughing and blushing. "We lay together all night."

"Goodbye, Annabelle."

She leaves in a huff, and I wait for the door to click shut before I finish the soup, the bread, and the tea. I'm settling back into bed to doze off again when there is a soft knock on my door.