The Book of the Watchers

Chapter Two

That night I dreamt of Danny.

I dreamt that we were in class, with Mr Fitzgerald babbling on in the background.

“Do you want to hear a secret?” Danny whispered in my ear. For some reason, he was in Piper’s seat, and Piper was nowhere in sight. His breath tickled my neck and stiffened my spine at the same time.

“Depends on what it is,” I whispered back, gazing up into his troublesome dark eyes.

“Oh, you’ll like it.” There was something suggestive in his voice that made me blush. He leaned closer, and just as his lips parted to breathe the words, I woke with a start. There was weight on the bed beside me. I sat up so quickly that my head swam, and my headache worsened.

“Careful, don’t wanna hurt yourself again,” Danny was lying on the bed beside me, his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the ceiling.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed, reaching for the two Tylenol Piper had left on my bedside table.

“Two every six hours,” Danny reminded me, catching my hand and forcing me to drop the pills.

I groaned. “No one ever follows those rules anyway. Plus my head is killing me.” I rubbed the sore spot on the back of my skull.

“I could make you feel better.”

The suggestive tone in his voice made me widen my eyes. “I could scream.”

“You will scream,”

“For the cops.” I finished, crossing my arms. “How did you get in here anyway? Piper always triple checks the locks.”

“I move in mysterious ways.” He grinned, popping his head up on his elbow and looking up at me.

“God moves in mysterious ways. You move like a cat burglar.” I huffed. “Why are you here? This is the second time today I’ve woken up to you.”

“Actually, it’s two am, so technically it’s the second time in two days you’ve woken up to me.” He grinned like a pirate. “And what a wonderful face to wake up to. I envy you.”

“Were you born a narcissist or did it come with the tight t-shirt?” Actually, the t-shirt he wore now was slightly looser; however from the way he was laying, I could plainly see an athletic torso outlined beneath it. Very athletic. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

“Are you always so grumpy in the morning?” He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, brushing the side of my face with his knuckles. I struggled not to shiver.

“It’s two am! This hardly classifies as morning!”

“I take that as a yes.”

I groaned again. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

“Do you want to hear a secret?” He asked in the exact same way he’d asked that exact same line in my dream. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. His grin widened.

“I’m not particularly fond of secrets.” I snapped, but my voice shook slightly, ruining the effect.

“Another time, then.” His eyes were mocking, as if he knew something that I didn’t. He was fiddling with a bottle of bright red nail polish that he’d snatched off my bedside table. “Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire,” His eyes scorched as they gazed into mine. “I hold with those who favour fire.”

I must have fallen back asleep, because when I woke, the sun was streaming in the window and Danny was gone. I couldn’t be sure whether his visit had actually happened, or if it was just a side effect of the Tylenol. Whatever had happened, my head felt markedly better and I deemed myself fit for school. That didn’t stop Piper glaring daggers at me from the kitchen as I walked downstairs in my James Cross shirt, pink skinny jeans and a flimsy metallic gold vest. I was feeling bold.