Delphic Song

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

My eyes snapped open.

I lay still for a second, letting my eyes adjust to darkness that was just as black as if my eyes were closed. After a few moments, the fuzzy outlines of my night stand and bookshelf came into view, shapes blurred in the dimness.

I lifted my head off my pillow slowly, aware of every little sound. The air seemed to buzz with noise, so loud I was conscious of every movement, every creak. The hum of the dish washer even reached my ears.

The heavy press of the blankets resting on top of me was making me sweat. I craned my neck against my pillow, catching a glimpse of the alarm clock on the bookshelf beside me. It was after midnight; the clock blinked 12:37am in faint, glowing green numbers. I yawned, grabbing a pillow that had fallen on the floor beside me and covering my head with it. My eyelashes rasped against the material when I blinked them open again. I forced my eyes closed again, thinking sleep over and over again in my mind, trying to fall back into my slumber.

But it just wasn’t working.

I kicked off my blankets and tried again.

What seemed like at least an hour more of sleeplessness; I opened my eyes and peered at the alarm clock. 12:53am. It had only been sixteen minutes! I gave an exasperated sigh and stretched, yawning. If I was remembering correctly, there was some NyQuil in the medicine cabinet above the sink in the bathroom. Maybe that would help me sleep.

Or knock me out like a rock, I reasoned. But at least I’d be asleep.

My body was exhausted from today’s – or, rather, yesterday’s – work in the orchard, and I could practically feel a bruise forming on my shin from when Liam and I had gotten into that water fight. I needed sleep, and even though my mind wasn’t tired, my muscles were. Groaning, I rolled over in bed so that I was hanging over the edge, not wanting to get out from under the warm covers, but not wanting to stay under them any longer if it meant being awake. I pushed myself out of bed, stumbling to my door. My eyes were only half-adjusted to the dimness, so I didn’t see the stack of books on my floor until I’d stubbed my toes on them.

“Shit!” I whispered, gripping my toe in my hands and hopping the rest of the way to my door on one foot. My toe was throbbing like someone had taken a baseball bat to it.

I peeked around my door frame. All the bedroom doors were shut, but I could see the faint glow of the nightlight peeping out from under Joshua’s door, and I let it guide me to the bathroom.

I switched on the light and flinched immediately, closing my eyes against the intense brightness. I cracked my eyes open slowly, leaving them as slits as I rummaged through the medicine cabinet. Cough medicine, tampons, toothpaste, Arnica… I peered around everything, but there was no Nyquil.

“Dammit,” I said under my breath, shutting off the light as I made my way back to my bedroom. I was just opening the door when I paused.

“On second thought…” I turned and made my way into my parent’s private bathroom. Dad was snoring loudly, and Liz had her arm flung over his face. I smiled. They were so cute.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find any Nyquil in their cabinet either, so I left the room, closing their door behind me with a soft click.

I was fully awake now, and if I didn’t get some sleeping drugs into my system I would never fall asleep. And I had to work tomorrow – er, today – so I needed all the shut eye I could get. I leaned against the wall across from my bedroom door, thinking. I could always watch Netflix. But I had already seen all the good shows on there, so that was pointless. I could call Payson, but she would literally murder me if I woke her up before ten. Payson Singer was my best friend – well, best girlfriend, since I had Liam. We had met in elementary school when she had moved to Maine from Florida, and we’d been super close ever since. She was like my other half; we balanced each other out. I was pretty down to earth, and she was more… out there. And when I say ‘out there’, I mean it in a good way. Well, at least I think so. Sometimes, I think she gets a little bit too wrapped up in her image. She drags me to practically every social event or party at school, including the ones held off campus that have too much beer and crappy music. I think she’s seen too many movies.