Dominance

Chapter 21: I Hear Voices

Sara slept comfortably, which was rather odd considering she had curled up on the hard floor to sleep. She felt so snug and warm she could have easily fought off the intention to awaken.

Will you wake up already?

It was dark when Sara's eyes finally fluttered open. The sun had well and truly disappeared and was replaced with a mix of moonlight and soft artificial light from floodlights perceiving through the solitary window. But it was not so dark that Sara did not notice that she had nestled herself against Twister's back.

Her hands had clutched fistfuls of his borrowed band-themed shirt and her face was nuzzled into the back of his blond hair.

She took in his sweet and woody scent, basking in a warm pleasant daze- and then she quickly snapped herself out of it.

Sara carefully and slowly released her hold and squirmed away. She was really not wanting to face that awkwardness should he awaken.

Finally. You sleep like a corpse.

"Who said that?" Sara mumbled and looked around the room while rubbing the sleep crusties from her eyes. It was a male voice. A male voice that she did not recognise.

Shush! I did. I'm speaking to you telepathically.

The room was certainly more crowded than Sara remembered.
Ashlee was curled under a blanket; the only part of her not nestled underneath was her outstretched leg. It was putting a physical distance between herself and Tyson who had cuddled up against her foot like it was a bedtime teddy bear.

"Who-"

Aleron sent me.

Sara's interest suddenly piqued her awake. "He did?"

Will you shh! Stop talking out loud.

Sara's heart lurched in fright as a pair of eyes gleamed in her direction. The light reflecting back like an illusion of glowing cat's eyes. Or like something from a horror movie. It took just a moment for her eyes to recognize the less obvious figure they belonged to.

Sara's shoulders relaxed as Clyde stared at her groggily, but questionably. Alert but dazed. His hair was misshapen, pointing at strange angles like a squirrel having a bad hair day. The voice in her head laughed.

Why are you imagining that?

Clyde had happened to have been sleeping just out of Sara's view, behind Ashlee and Tyson, blending bleakly into the dark room under the blanket the three of them were supposed to be sharing.

"What's wrong?" Clyde croaked in a hushed voice.

"Err-" before she could respond, the mysterious voice was speaking again. And judging by Clyde's expression, he was not also hearing it.

Tell him you have to pee.

"I have to pee?" Sara robotically said out loud.

Excellent. That was not suspicious or awkward at all.

With Clyde mumbling something under his breath and groggily rolling back over to sleep, at the voice's instruction Sara had tiptoed out of the room, down the hallway and straight past the bathroom to entrance of the building.

The building was quiet and seemed devoid of movement, but some closed doors emitted light underneath their frames. With a quick click of the lock, Sara pushed her way out and then very softly pulled the door shut behind her.

Sara rubbed her arms for warmth as she took in a heavy breath of the cool, damp night air. She peered out from the tiny little veranda that sheltered over the entrance-way. There was the odd glimmer of headlights moving through the gaps in the line of trees that sheltered the structure from the road. But aside from that, the night appeared still and eerie.