❝Leave out all the rest❞

16.

❝So if you're asking me, I want you to know❞

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The pill could have gone smoothly down my throat, but then it wouldn't have been my life. Things couldn't just be easy, now, could they?

I downed a glass of water to try and calm my sore throat and laid my throbbing head on the pillow. For the past few weeks I haven't been sleeping well, too many nightmares. I hoped the pill would help me sleep better on that night, seeing I had a test in the morning.

Okay, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, I'm gonna have a good night's sleep and wake up rested and ready for the test. The pillow under my head seemed to disagree.

Tsc tsc, you should be ashamed. Having to take pills to sleep properly must be the result of a heavy conscience. It's so heavy I'm not sure I can take the weigh, you hardhead, it told me.

Shut up, I thought to the pillow, my conscience is clean.

But as fictional as the conversation was, there was some truth to it. I didn't wanna force Isaac to do anything he didn't wanna do, but the thing is... It was so hard telling Isaac and the Wolf apart. Sometimes I talking to the boy. Others, to the beast.

The pill started to work its magic and my mind got fuzzier and fuzzier until I fell into a restless sleep. Not even medicine could make the nightmares go away.

▬ ☪ ▬

"Lucy"

I raised my head and rubbed my eyes.

"What? Oh, sorry. I fell asleep again, didn't I?"

Julie nodded with the most serious look I had ever seen on her face.

"You've been so weird, lately..." She turned back to her lunch. I stared at mine, not feeling like eating at all. "Are you hungover?"

"Boy, I wish"

That would mean I had some fun last night, instead of the fictional conversation I had with my pillow before falling asleep to the sound of my soul's internal screaming.

Or maybe I was feeling like shit because I knew I had just failed the test that morning.

"Lucy, I would never tell you this if I didn't think it would be best for you at the given time, but I think you should skip the next class and go home. Get some rest"

I ended up agreeing with her. God, I hated what I had become... School used to come first.

On the way to the train station I vowed to get the old me back, the nerd who studied a lot and felt good about herself most of the time, even if sometimes life felt a bit boring. Boring was so much better than troubled.

"Luce?" I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to find the tall tanned boy I came to know so well for the past year. The situation was so similar to the first time we had met, only I was feeling much less tired and he was holding a bottle of my mom's favorite wine.

"Hey, you" I smiled at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was gonna ask you the same question. Weren't you supposed to be in class?", he smirked.

"I'm working on that." I'd get back on my feet in no time. I just needed sleep.

"Listen, about next week..."

He paused and bit his lip.

"What about it?" I frowned.

Next week was Full Moon. The day we would try the cure I'd found.

"Are you having second thoughts? Third thoughts, fourth thoughts, you've backed out a thousand times already, I lost count." I rubbed my face to try and make the tiredness go away.

"No, I'm not having second thoughts. So, if you're asking me, I want you to know that I'm gathering the stuff we need to make the serum." His voice was hard and I felt like crying a bit. I hated when my face betrayed me like that, I hated feeling weak. He lowered his voice after seeing my reaction. "And I know I've been trying your patience, but I promise you I'm not doing this on purpose. Just don't snap on me"

"I'm not sna- I'm just really tired" I laughed dryly.

"I know. Come on, let me walk with you to the train station"

We walked as I told Isaac about my last nightmare. I kept the wolves and beasts out of the conversation, so he wouldn't feel bad. If I had told him I was having nightmares about next week, he would back out again for sure. So I just told some neutral stuff.

"I think it's my conscience telling me that I'm forcing you to do something you don't want to do."

"I do want to do it. You're right. This is hurting me, and I have to get rid of it."

"I'm glad you understand that."

We arrived at the station at the same time the train did. I boarded it and kissed Isaac through the window just before the train left the platform.