Timeweaver

I Know You, I Walked with You Once Upon a Dream... Or Was it Last Night?

The light filtering into the tiny room was that of the early morning sun. Where am I? Tabitha thought as she blinked lazily. She saw the ancient, wooden chest under the window, the small blue writing desk in the corner, the dresser standing next to the bed. She looked down at the colorful quilt and remembered: She was at Lyssandra's house.

The events of last night came back to her, too. They were a little hazy. Tabitha recalled the dreams about her family and Catalina, lost somewhere in the woods. Another image came to her as well. A boy, dark hair, blue eyes. Ah yes, Griffin. Was he a dream too? Probably.

Tabitha rested her head on the pillow and looked out the window. The backyard was small. There was a tiny porch leading out to the clearing surrounded by the brightening forest. Almost every square inch was covered by one or another of Lyss's exotic plants and herbs.

Tabitha dragged herself out of bed when she heard Lyssandra's voice in the kitchen. She put her ear to the wooden blue door and listened.

"... think you were doing, coming home so late and making such a racket? I mean, if you're going to sneak in, at least do it quietly. I'm surprised you didn't wake our guest." Lyssandra sounded upset.

A familiar voice answered angrily, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to leave your vials of potions and whatnot right in front of the door. As for the guest, I trust she slept peacefully in my room." Tabitha glanced back around the room and wondered when the last time they had decorated was. The cheery blue theme had faded considerably and was definitely more suited to a nine-year-old boy than a teenager. But at least the events of last night hadn't been a dream.

Trying to sound as if she had only just woken up, she made the bed and swung open the door. Tabitha stumbled out sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Well, good morning," Lyssandra smiled at her cheerily from the fireplace. Tabitha smiled back and glanced at Griffin, who was eating something that resembled oatmeal.

"This is my son, Griffin," Lyss said when she saw where Tabitha was looking. Griffin looked up from his breakfast. "I forgot to tell you about him yesterday. Although I'm surprised you didn't hear him come in last night," Lyss chuckled.

Tabitha laughed nervously and glared at Griffin, questions in her eyes. How did Lyss know about you sneaking in? If you told her, why doesn't she know about me? He just winked at her. Not really knowing what to do, she said to Lyss, "Me too. I didn't hear a thing, though. I guess I was just so exhausted from everything that happened yesterday." Turning to Griffin, she held out her hand and said, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Tabitha." She had a strong feeling of déjà vu, considering they had been through this just last night.

Griffin tried to stand to properly "greet her", but Tabitha could see the pain in his eyes. She had forgotten about his foot, and he obviously hadn't told Lyss. She leaned forward over the table, and he sat back down. "Pleasure's all mine." He shook her hand and mouthed the word "thanks" when Lyss turned around.

A bowl was placed in front of her, along with a small wooden spoon. It did look like oatmeal, but when Tabitha took a bite, she realized two things: First, it was really, really hot, and second, when her scalded tongue cooled down, she could taste that it wasn't sweet at all.

"Don't forget to breathe," Griffin joked when Tabitha began shoveling spoonful after spoonful into her mouth. Lyss laughed too. Tabitha slowed down, but not much. She hadn't realized how hungry she was. The closest thing she had had to food yesterday was the thick, blue liquid Lyssandra had given her.

Tabitha ate two bowls in the time it took Griffin to finish one. She was considering asking for a third when Griffin got up, placed the bowl in the sink, and grabbed two fishing poles off the wall. "I'll be back later," he said, giving Lyss a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm going fishing." After a slight hesitation, he asked Tabitha, "Wanna come?"

She looked at Lyssandra for help; she wasn't sure what she should do. Didn't she need to get home? Did Lyss need help with anything? Tabitha wasn't sure why she was making excuses. She wanted to get out of the house, but she wasn't sure she wanted to be alone with Griffin. He seemed nice to her, but he wasn't that nice to his own mother. And, for your own future reference, that's never a good quality in a man.

"Go on. Out with you two," Lyss said, making the decision for her. She nudged Tabitha towards the door, and before Tabitha could protest, the door slammed shut behind her, and she didn't know what else to do but follow Griffin. "And bring back some lunch!" Lyss called through an open window before closing that too.