Awakened (Unbound, Book 3)

Chapter Nine

Tuesday morning, it was hard to get out of bed. The foam in the discolored sea in my dream formed a purple outline of my mother's face. Everywhere I looked reflected her image. Closing my eyes to block it out only made it clearer, and when I dragged myself down to the kitchen, I was still yawning.

"Just one slice of toast, please," I said to Mrs. Renaldi's back and sat at the small table, dropping my bag to the floor beside my chair. "I need to go to Celestial Java."

"What—" Mrs. Renaldi turned from the stove to face me, and her eyes widened, looking me over from head-to-toe. "Oh, dear."

I snorted. "Thanks. Now I feel confident to be seen in public."

"Oh dear."

"You said that already." A small smile lifted my mouth, mellow but amused.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Bad dreams. Even if I slept all night, it would knock me on my a—butt." Shaking my head, I took a sip of orange juice and set it down, smacking my lips. "But no, not so much by way of sleeping last night."

Mrs. Renaldi grabbed some bread and turned to put it in the toaster, saying over her shoulder, "You should talk to that head lady you see about getting something to help. You won't be able to keep functioning with no sleep."

"Dr. Stanzo?"

Mrs. Renaldi nodded.

She was right, but not as she assumed. I did have to talk with Dr. Stanzo, but only so I could explain she was no longer required. When she'd said she'd been helping me out of friendship with my mom, seeing Dr. Stanzo wasn't so bad. Now that she'd ratted my absence out to Devland? I couldn't open up to anyone I didn't trust.

"She's not a doctor-doctor, Mrs. Renaldi. I don't think she can prescribe meds." I probably wouldn't trust it if she could. I twirled the glass of juice in circles with my finger at its base, looked at Mrs. Renaldi, and then darted my eyes back to the glass. Taking a deep breath, I asked, "What did you mean yesterday morning about Calin? How... neither of us wants him to stop coming around?"

Mrs. Renaldi paused and looked up, her mouth pinched at the corners. Then, as though she startled herself, she jumped. Turning back to the toaster, she pasted a too-bright smile on her face and said, "Not sure what you mean. I just think you two deserve to give it a go as more than friends, no matter what's going on in your life."

"Hey," Calin said, entering the kitchen before I could ask Mrs. Renaldi any follow-up questions. He stopped when he saw me and grimaced. "Ooh. Bad night?"

"Nah." I waved my hand through the air and grinned. "This is just how my body reacts to you. Did you forget how to use the doorbell?"

"Gerard was on his way out to get the car," Calin said. He looked to Mrs. Renaldi and narrowed his eyes, and then back to me.

Mrs. Renaldi laughed. "She needs coffee to be pleasant today."

"Ah." Calin sat down beside me and pulled himself closer to the table. He slammed his palms against the top and grinned over his shoulder to Mrs. Renaldi. "I finally talked my mom into letting me forgo breakfast. What's cooking, Mrs. R?"

She set down two slices of toast in front of me and stepped back, looking as though she'd been struck while her eyes darted around the room. "I... didn't make anything."

"Here." I grabbed a napkin from the holder on the table and wrapped my toast to go. Standing, I lifted my bag over my shoulder and pulled on Calin's arm with my free hand. "I need to go to Celestial Java for coffee and we can split my toast since I asked for one slice."