Between Worlds

Chapter 11: First Impressions

The dreams came in ruffled pieces, never knowing what they conveyed. I shoved the pestering thoughts aside and sat up, wincing at the dryness scratching at my throat. A long ass day ahead of me.

Sitting up in bed, I pelted the covers off me. The room was swallowed in an acrimonious darkness, pulling a lulling sigh from deep within. Maybe all this dimness around me was seeping into my mind. Goosebumps scattered across my arms from the faint chill. For a moment, I half hoped it was Kennedy, hovering like she used to, but reality struck as my eyes landed on the open window. Of course, it was just the wind. She was gone. Again.

It had been over a day, and I was growing tired of her disappearing acts. I mumbled half to myself, "We really need to have a civil talk about those," and dragged myself out of bed.

I staggered toward the closet when my mother barged in, typing away on her phone.

"Wake up or you'll be la—" she paused mid-sentence, eyes flicking up from the screen with an expression I couldn't quite read. Surprise? Confusion? "—and you're already up?" she finished. I shot her a pointed look. I never wake up this early, I don't blame her for acting like she just saw a ghost. The decrepit clock on my bedside table read six in the morning.

"Oh wow, do I get a reward for being alive?" I spat out before I realized how derisive it sounded. Her face twisted, a grimace taking over. I could see the pain in her eyes but couldn't find it in myself to care. I hated this—this shitty attitude. I was pushing them away. All day yesterday, I'd avoided them. But now, after what I'd found in Dad's office, I could barely look them in the eye.

"Get ready and come down," she muttered, her voice flat, and slammed the door behind her.

I lingered in the silence that followed. My fingers fumbled for the light switch, and the dull, tepid light flooded the room. It reminded me of just how much I hated this place. The piles of mess, the reminders of things that felt like they didn't belong to me anymore. I shoved open my closet, not in the mood to even think about what to wear. I just needed something, anything.

My eyes landed on the oversized brown overalls hanging on the edge of a hook—just there, like they'd been waiting for me. I grabbed them and pulled them on, feeling their weight against my skin. Paired with a grey hoodie that had the words "Carpe Diem" scrawled across the front, it was perfect for the mood I was in: detached, closed off. I glanced in the full-length mirror, running my fingers through my hair before tossing on a brown beanie. The whole look was unintentional, but it felt like a silent middle finger to everything going on in my life right now. I slipped into a pair of worn sneakers, barely caring how they looked.

In the bathroom, I brushed my teeth lazily, laughing bitterly at myself. "Not today, Satan," I muttered, the phrase feeling more ironic with every word.

When I got downstairs, voices floated in from the kitchen, my parents whispering heatedly. I paused on the last step, listening.

"She's acting so... unorthodox. I don't think it's just mood swings anymore," my mom's voice strained.

My dad sighed. "Even if she did know, how could she have found out?"

I felt the irritation bubble in my gut. I couldn't stand the tension any longer, so I made my entrance, casually leaning on the kitchen counter.

"So... what's the topic of discussion?" I said, feigning nonchalance as I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.

They tensed up, exchanging glances that couldn't have been more obvious. I rolled my eyes dramatically and bit into the apple, the crunch breaking the silence. Their stares felt like knives on my back, but I didn't care. I was over it.