Run (On Hold)

Chapter 4 - Nightmare

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Author's Intervention:

- Hello! This would be my second update, and I'm sorry if it took long for me to do so. Midterm week, you know. But the more votes/comments I get, the more inclined I am to continue this. Well, just sayin' :D Thanks for reading, enjoy!

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4. Nightmare

When I woke up, I was still on my room, I guess, but it was so dark. Oh, yeah, I forgot to turn the lights on before sleeping.

I checked the bedside clock, good thing it was glow-in-the-dark thing.

Eight-twenty.

It seemed that the rain had stopped, and well, that explained why I was sweating bullets. It had gone so hot for someone wrapped on a quilt.

I knew Mom was already at the house, because I can hear the television on - it was the only sound in the house - and I'm glad she didn't wake me up. Really, I'd never felt more glad to have a nice long nap. The last nice sleep I had was way back seven days ago, if I got it right, and it seemed like forever. But the problem was, I'd slept so long that I didn't know if I still can make it tonight before the dawn crack. It was bothering me because I weren't allowed to be late tomorrow, you see. There's an exam on trig, and God knows that even the whole class hour was never sufficient for me to answer those horrifyingly-difficult problems Mr. Walker was giving, so let alone being late. They're like the problems only Einstein or Pythagoras can answer - and they still have to whack they're brains to do so.

But even that so, I still didn't even feel the slightest urge to review. I never did, actually, except for the times Lyka forced me to, the times I knew wouldn't come again.

I got up, stretched some joints, and hurried into the CR, then to the dining room. It was then that I realized I'd never felt hungrier, too. From the stairs, it only took me four steps to get into the living room, and there I stopped to greet Therese who's watching the local news. She's wearing a simple shirt and shorts, but still she's beautiful. Radiant.

"Hello, Mom," I greeted in low sad voice I didn't expect. I expected my voice to be thick from sleeping, that it'll be able to conceal to my lack of enthusiasm about everything.

She didn't turn, so I guess she didn't hear it. I should've known; I barely heard it myself.

"Hello, Mom," I repeated, but now I made my voice louder and more normal, more unzombie-ish.

She turned and when she saw me, her lips curled to a smile, showing some laughlines on her rosy cheek. "Hey, sleepy-head. You look better."

It took some serious amount of effort to smile back. "Yeah, I'm feeling better."

Her smile vanished. "I mean, in one way," she said in concerned tone again. "in other way, though, I guess your worse."

She really knew everything about me. Whoah.

I raised a hand. "Really, Ma, I'm good. Maybe the other way you're saying is the path leading to my stomach," I faked a grin again. "It had been growling on my sleep, I tell you. Growling like you wouldn't believe. It's the one that woke me, as a matter of fact."

She laughed. It's really not that hard to make her laugh, really. She's a strong, cheerful woman. Even the corniest of my jokes dont fail to do their job.