Cassie
After the police left, Mom and I boarded up her windows. I asked her if she wanted me to stay with her, or if she wanted to come to my apartment, but she’d waved me off. “Go get some sleep, mija. I’m fine.”
I clutched the steering wheel. My fingertips were tingling. I didn’t want to wake Toby again, so I turned toward my place, stifling a yawn. The roads were empty, the traffic lights flashing yellow. My vision blurred, and a cold sweat began to work its way through my body.
Shit, I was tired. It was three thirty a.m., but it was more than that. Food. That thing I was supposed to eat. I’d forgotten my phone at home, which meant my alarms hadn’t gone off. Luckily I was only ten minutes from home. I’d be fine. To distract myself, I went over the set list for tomorrow night.
Start off with “Merlin,” because it’s funky as hell.
“Be Still,” for the romance vibes.
Straight from the harpy part of “Be Still” into Nora’s drony song, “Bear Creek.”
My brain buzzed and the car listed slightly to the right. I shook my head and forced myself to focus. Okay, where was I?
“Too Much.”
Then slow it down with “Frankie.”
“Vibes.”
Crowd favorite, “Lucy.”
End with “Green Heron.” The song for Mom.
By the time I parked in front of Rita’s, my fingers had gone numb. My forehead was cold. I needed to get inside and sit down and eat the granola bar I kept in my purse for emergencies. But just a second here, rest on the steering wheel.
Okay. I took a deep breath. Up the stairs we go. Here we go. This is us going.
By the time I made it through the door, I was digging in my purse for the granola bar, my knees shaking.
Luke was still up.
“Are you okay?”
I flopped on the couch next to him, still digging. “Fucking purse,” I muttered. “It’s a health hazard.”
The shivers were getting bigger. Black started to rim my vision. I’ve been so good at keeping it level, I told my gut. Come on.
“Goddammit.” I hadn’t realized my hands had stopped digging. They were just hanging limp in the purse, cold.
“Cassie?”
My head was getting too heavy. It dropped forward. I picked it up. It dropped backward. I picked it up.
Luke got up. I heard him digging in the bathroom.
Then I didn’t hear anything.
Blackness.
I felt a glucose pack on my lips.
“There you go,” Luke was saying. “It’s on your tongue. Move your tongue, Cass. There you go.”
I felt the cool gel fall into my throat. I swallowed, involuntarily. The ceiling came into view.
“That’s it,” he said. “Stay with me.”
