XODUS (The Astralis Series, Book 1)

2. Paranoia

Waking up the next morning was torture. I dragged myself to the bathroom feeling like I'd been thrown against a brick wall. Repeatedly. By the Hulk.

One glance in the mirror told me I looked like it, too. My usually bright crystal-gray eyes seemed dull and droopy, the purple half-moons beneath them like weights dragging down my entire face. The tangled mess of black hair on my head looked like an animal had nested among the blue lowlights. Even my lips were pale and shriveled.

Good grief. A few hours of missed sleep and I could make small children cry with just a look. But it wasn't like I could drift back into peaceful dreams last night with all the horrible images from my nightmare still seared into my mind. I'd been too freaked out to even think about closing my eyes. It didn't help that Gottfried had spent almost half an hour sniffing along my door before settling down.

Even the dog knows it wasn't a dream. The thought showed up uninvited. In the light of the morning, it should've been easier to relax and forget the whole thing. It wasn't real—it couldn't have been. So why wouldn't the nagging feeling go away?

My younger sister Oxanna bounded into the bathroom, pulling me out of my speculation. I recoiled at the sight of her shimmery pink blouse and matching tiara-shaped earrings. All the glitter was painful to look at so early in the morning.

She took her place in front of the right-hand sink and checked her reflection before casting her gaze at mine. "Happy birth..." Her voice trailed off as we made eye contact through the mirror. She quirked a nostril. "Dang, Lali. Rough night?"

I shot her a dirty look. She had no idea.

"Just saying." She readjusted the bobby pins holding her dark wavy hair away from her face and started applying more unnecessary powder to her nose.

We were only a year and a half apart, but we looked much more alike when she wasn't wearing so much makeup. Both of us had raven hair, slender frames, our father's deep olive skin, and our mother's crystal gray eyes—all features we shared with our other three siblings. Oxanna and I were both tall, and we had heart-shaped faces, though my nose was bigger and more pronounced than her dainty one. Mom always joked that I'd have an easier time sniffing out the truth. After last night, I kind of wished that were true.

Oxanna snapped her makeup compact shut, and I chewed the inside of my lip. I was tempted to ask her if I could borrow it, just to avoid more harsh reactions to my haggard appearance. But I'd never used foundation before, and I was too tired to figure out how to apply it now. Everyone would just have to deal with zombie-Lali today, compliments of The Nightmare from Hell.

It was more than a nightmare.

My jaw tensed. What was wrong with me? I couldn't let myself get carried away with this crazy idea. Quickly turning on the faucet, I splashed my face with cold water. The shock of the icy liquid made me gasp and snapped me back to reality.

That was more like it.

I silently scolded myself as I finished washing my face. This silly hang-up over last night had to stop. I pulled a towel off the rack and exhaled my frustration into the plush fabric.

"Happy birthday, Lali!"

I peeked around the towel. Salaxia stood in the doorway, beaming. Our baby sister always looked like a kid in a candy store at any mention of birthdays. Her pint-sized body and Dora the Explorer haircut made her look like she belonged in the second grade instead of the fourth. The oversized hand-me-down blouse she wore wasn't helping her case.

"Thanks, Sal." I forced a smile.

"Are you guys almost done?" she asked.

"Almost." I hung up the towel and reached for my plastic cup of eyeliner pencils—the only makeup I bothered with. I chose my favorite aqua liner and traced along my lashes in thick strokes.