The Sleeping Girl

Chapter Ten

"Keela?" Someone is knocking on my door. Firm and insistent. Annoying. Can they not see that I just want to be alone? After what happened with the sprites and Mike, coupled with the fact that I am more confined and restricted than ever, I'm fully ready to lash out at anyone who comes within a meter of me.

"What?" I snap back. I know that they don't deserve my anger, but I cannot help it.

"We're having a council meeting," the person says. I now identify his voice as Jackson, one of the council members. "Amanda wants you to come. You deserve to have a say in what we do next."

I stand up and push open the door. I am actually a little happy, flattered. Even five hundred years ago, I wasn't permitted to council meetings. That is just not the Sleeping Girl's job. And I am happy that Amanda, and everyone, is making more of an effort to help me adjust, make me welcome, take me seriously.

"Fine," I say, irritably. Just because I'm glad that I can go to this, does not mean that I'm happy. "Whatever."

Jackson smiles faintly. "You're starting to sound like a twenty first century teenager, Keela," he says. "When you first showed up a couple days ago, you sounded all old timey. Now, you talk practically the same way as Carmela."

"I am old timey," I retort. "I'm more than four hundred years older than you, Jackson." I stalk out of the room, feeling him following behind me. That's another thing that bothers me. When the adults treat me like I'm a child, immature, when in reality, I'm the old one. Although for most of my time I've been asleep, I still am technically five hundred and sixteen years old.

To my slight humiliation, although I'm too proud to admit it, after Jackson follows me as I aimlessly wander around the house for a couple minutes, I have to admit that I don't know where I'm going and let him lead me to the conference room. I was told that it was originally intended to be a bedroom, but it is now used to hold council meetings.

Inside, there are two couches, an armchair, and on the wall, a large, black, flat, thingie.

I literally have no idea what it is. It appears similar to a gigantic computer screen. I eye it, like maybe it'll suddenly reveal itself for what it is to me, but my mind comes up blank. I have no idea.

I sigh. Maybe I should give up trying to figure out this world. I know that everyone will eventually tell me everything and this guessing game is slightly tiring.

When Jackson and I walk in, Amanda, Dan, and Aaron are already in the room. Amanda and Dan are on one sofa, and Jackson sits down next to Aaron on the other one. I take the armchair, perching on the edge, slightly warily.

"Keela," says Amanda. "Thank you for joining us. I know you're not part of the council, but I feel like it's your right as the Sleeping Girl to be here."

"You're right on that," I grumble. "It is my right. Don't you dare hold any important meetings without me." I know that they can hold meeting without me, it's how it's always been done, but now I swear, I will bite someone's head off if I'm left out of anything. If the leader can be female, I can be here.

Amanda rolls her eyes. "We don't intend to," she intones.

"Wonderful," I reply, dryly. "So can we get started now?"

"Alright, fine," says Dan, interrupting before Amanda can give me another sarcastic remark. Amanda and I have had a love-hate relationship in these past two days, it seems. I daresay that this will prove to be a source of irritation, as I am to be living with her for at least the next two years, but I suppose I'll adapt. And since her house is headquarters, it's not like her family and I will be alone here often.