Separian - Book 1

Chapter 19

"And that's how she left the room. After that my family came rushing through the door to check on me. You know the rest from there." I took another bite of my sandwich, washing it down with a mouthful of juice. "It's not quite as dramatic as some breakups, but to be honest, I'm not sure you could really call it a breakup, seeing as how we never actually agreed to a relationship in person. Still," I finished what was left in my bottle, "it would have been nice to know what I did that upset her so much. I was as if I my voice made the entire situation unbearable for her."

"From what you said, it doesn't sound like you did anything. I think something must have happened while she was overseas."

Amy's back was to mine. We'd found it difficult to formulate complete and coherent thoughts after she'd... well, after we'd...

That aside, she now knew all I had to tell her about Sarah. Right down to the color of her eyes, length of her hair and the piercing through her left eyebrow. I'd made sure to share every possible detail I could come up with for fear of leaving something important out. Perfect recall was an amazing ability. I wished I'd had it before all of this began. Maybe then passing school would have been less of a hassle, like it was for my sister, Natalie.

Amy offered me another sandwich, having already put together half a dozen by the time we started eating. I'd already eaten four of them. A fifth seemed glutinous, but I was still hungry.

I refused the sandwich in the end and allowed her to eat it without a word. All the while, I thought of what I could ask her to take the attention from me. I'd been talking nonstop for the past half hour and had no desire to listen to my own voice any longer. That, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to fight the dry rasp growing in my throat. I wasn't used to saying so much at one time. My vocal chords were straining around fifteen minutes into the discussion but I went on still, refusing to stop short.

So far, only two cars had pass along the main road. And as I'd anticipated, neither one had noticed me. All they could see at that distance was a red blanket and two spots sitting on top. We were as close to alone as we could really get in this city without having to worry. Even more so than we were after hours in Amy's house. I felt safe there, don't misunderstand, but Bill, Becky's friends, the entire police force of the surrounding community, and of course Simon, all made it difficult to sleep some nights.

I woke up at least three times last night. Sometimes from a nightmare, others from a fear of being caught while I slept. At least once a night, after I woke, a knock sounded on the outside of my door, making sure I was okay. One night after she'd come in to check on me, I'd asked Amy if I talked in my sleep. She told me she didn't know. But with our rooms being just across the hall from one another, she said when I woke up like that, I shook the bed quite a bit. I'd had to apologize to Myra for damaging the wall behind the headboard last night. She'd brushed it off but I made it clear I had no intention of leaving it that way and that I would replace it before I left. Just one more thing attaching me to this house.

"Do you think we should get back?" I asked over my shoulder.

"It's barely three o'clock. Curfew isn't for another five hours." She leaned away from my back. "But if you want to get away from me, I understand."

"I was beginning to feel a little restrained," I teased. "But I don't mind being tied down."

"... Can you see clearly from here?" My head snapped left in the direction of a new and strange voice. It didn't belong to Amy... or Samuel.

"Noah, what is it?" She was in front of me before I could tell her not to move, trying to understand the expression on my face. I held my finger over my lips and lowered my head slightly, listening further.