Not Quite Dead

Chapter Four - Not Quite Rachael

Artemis

"Dawn, please get off my bed."

She was really starting to get on my nerves. I'd gotten used to the whole "I'm the only one who can see you" deal, but now it was just plain stupid.

I felt really weird sitting on a place she had just sat on; it was always strangly cool after she got off. Temperature wise, I mean. Oh, and did I mention she crosses her legs all the time? Rachael did that sometimes, but she was never too proper to the point of being just being that stuck-up, Jesus-freak, snob.

Not that being a "Jesus freak" was really a bad thing. I'm Catholic, I swear.

I just wanted to get some sleep. I had spent the whole day at my new high school, checking it out before I actually started. Then when I got home, I had to take care of Helena and the twins while Mom and Dad took the girls to their middle school for early orientation. Darien kept stealing my clothes, while Damien kept messing around with my not-so-highly dangerous chemicals. Needless to say, I was exhausted.

I just wanted some sleep! Five minutes at the most. It wasn't as if I could just push Dawn off the bed. To heck with politeness and the fact that she is - I mean, was - a girl. I'd tried that nights before; my hand went straight through her.

Dawn stuck her tongue out at me, and crossed her arms. Her whole expression and body language said, "Shut up. Don't talk to me. I'm not moving. Shut up, Artemis."

Spirit jerk.

I sighed, exasperated. "Please," I begged. "I'll give you my phone, my laptop, or even let you take over my body for awhile." I wasn't sure how I would feel about that, but, hey, anything to catch some stolen shut eye. "Just please let me sleep."

The glowing girl shook her head, although she did scoot over, leaving enough room for me to get underneath my covers.

"You're really annoying, you know that?" I whispered. I didn't want any of my family to wake up and hear me talking to someone that isn't all here.

I flopped on my back. "Sometimes, I wonder what would happen if you could talk, like that other girl," I continued. I saw a look cross her face, as if she was agreeing with me, as if she had thought about that too. "Maybe then, I could understand you. We probably wouldn't be friends initially, but it would be a start. Within a few years, we could have probably been close to becoming friends."  

I turned on my side to face Dawn, propping my head up with my arm, and found that she was laying just like I was. We were mirrored.

"You're an interesting scientific discovery, Dawn. I just wish I knew more about your kind to study it. I would definitely win a Nobel prize or something for that."

I laughed softly. I'd always wanted to win a major prize like that. Science fairs were "oh, whatever" to me. But something major would definitely change my life. 

"I really don't like you, Dawn, and it's really obvious that the feeling is mutual.  I know why I don't like you, but I don't know the reasons for the reasons of why I don't like you."  She raised an eyebrow, and I gave a soft chuckle.  "Confusing, am I?"  Rachael had always said I was. 

True, I didn't like Dawn because she reminded me of Rachael, but that was just the outside.  Rachael was bright and bubbly, while Dawn looked like she hated the world.  Dawn and Rachael may have similarities on the outside, but they were completely different on the inside. 

Wow.  That was deep. 

My phone buzzed, and both our heads turned.  I got up from my bed, and went over to my dresser, where my phone was sitting, plugged into the outlet nearby.