The Starriest Summer (The Cycle of the Six Moons, #1)

Chapter Six: Trek to the Kingdom of Magic

Insomnia must run in my family—or weird sleep habits, anyway. My dad manages to fall asleep when he's doing the most mundane things, like watching TV or reading a book. He even fell asleep at a company dinner during the CEO's speech—I still cringe when I think about it. It doesn't matter what time of the day, he starts snoring somehow, yet he can stay awake until six in the morning, making one urgent phone call after another.

My mom hasn't displayed any strange behaviors, but Aaron and I always had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. We never could doze off when our parents said it was time for bed, and I know that in his dark bedroom, he was building the Death Star out of LEGOs, and I was catching Pokémon.

My friends tell me I probably can't sleep since I have so much pent up energy, but I know that if I don't get enough sleep then I'm going to be sleep deprived and lethargic the next day.

It doesn't help that the lantern beetles keep flicking over my head. I would get rid of them, but Gediyon told me they keep away other bugs, and I don't want to wake up half-eaten by exotic mosquitoes.

It's also incredibly uncomfortable to sleep in denim shorts.

I roll onto my side and stare at the woven mat beside the cot I'm supposed to sleep on. I can see its geometric design in the beetles' light.

I don't know that if I do fall asleep, I'll wake up in our garage. How did Aaron do it? It's not that I miss home—I mean, I'm having a lot of fun here and it's basically a free vacation, but just having the option of leaving when I want to will make me feel better.

If I'm not home when I wake up—if I do fall asleep at all—then I'll have to follow Gediyon to this Arriscyal of his. I hope he can give me a piggyback ride the whole way.

I blow hair out of my face and sit up. The lantern beetles flicker brighter with my sudden movement. My scraped arm throbs for a second, but the pain goes away quickly. Gediyon gave me an ointment that healed my skin within minutes, but it's still numb.

The village has no clocks, but I think it's about three in the morning. In the next few minutes, I stand over the ladder into the hut below and debate whether or not I should go down. Eventually I do, surrounding myself with the deep breathing and light snores of the Arriscyleans.

Gediyon sleeps on the lower bunk beneath an older man, who mutters in his dreams. I feel a bit like a creep, standing over Gediyon and watching him sleep, but I can't help but notice how peaceful he looks, as if he hadn't had any trouble falling asleep.

I lower myself to my knees and put my hands on his arm, then shake him slightly. I whisper his name several times until he lifts his head and looks at me. In the dark, I can't tell that his eyes are red.

"Is something the matter?" he says in a sleepy voice.

"Sorry for waking you. I can't sleep. Do you have anything...?" I don't know what I'm asking for, but I don't want drugs.

He closes his eyes and smiles. "I know just the thing. One moment."

I stand back and wait for him to fully awaken. He sits up and tosses his loose braid over his shoulder, then reaches for a bag beside his bed. He pulls out a small tin and shows it to me.

"Claren tea, my own special blend. Let's go downstairs."

He leads me down the first ladder, and we cross a walkway along the tree trunk until we reach the ladder to the main hut. It's dark in here, but Gediyon lights a torch and brings me into the kitchen. From one of the shelves, he pulls down a shell teapot and two cups. Gosh, they're beautiful—they look as if they were imported from an undersea kingdom.