Sleeping Nightmare

Chapter 7: the pain of words | Sarah

For a quick, fleeting second, the garnet-eyed girl regarded me coolly, with a hint of - was that accusation? - in her gaze. However, when I blinked, the girl was wearing a diametrically differing expression; a friendly smile was plastered on her face.

She crossed the remaining distance between us, inclining her head towards my family in respect before refocusing her attention on me. "Hey, Sarah, right? Jendilya's siren representative?"

I smiled back, internally wondering how she was aware of such a fact. "Yes, uh..." I trailed off, frowning a little. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

The girl's jubilant expression wavered slightly. "I'm Kye-Ann, the leader of Delmitii. It's a pleasure to meet you at last. I've heard many stories." Her voice was honeyed, and my eyes narrowed a little. Was she trying to use siren magic on me? Me?

Or perhaps her voice was just naturally sweet.

Sarah, you're becoming a victim of severe paranoia. You literally just met this girl.

"Doesn't Delmitii have no existing leadership?" I questioned, confused by her statement.

"Unofficial leader," she corrected, with a close-lipped smile. "Someone needs to maintain order, don't they? You can't have a land without a leader. Without me, the Narmians could have taken advantage of our trade agreement. Think about it," she continued, noting my skepticism, "if there was nobody qualified to negotiate with them, wouldn't they have easy access to what they want?"

My first instinct was to argue, for in my lifetime I hadn't had the best experience with leaders - two out of three Jendilyan monarchs had been raving murderers, mind you - but I had to acknowledge that Kye-Ann made a relevant point. Although I'd met Queen Arya in person, I could not assume that she was entirely as sweet as she seemed. However, I was inclined to trust her, since Kameron did.

Kye-Ann was still smiling at me kindly, but the words that had poured from her lips filled me with apprehension. "I'm glad you prioritise Delmitii and its people. I would expect nothing less," I said, and she lifted her chin, satisfied with my response.

The garnet-eyed siren may have said something more, but a mop of tawny brown hair caught my eye, pulling my gaze away from the girl and to the boy standing a few paces behind her. He spotted me the instant I saw him, and his eyes widened.

It was the boy from the pier.

"I figure I'm keeping you from your dinner," Kye-Ann noted, and my attention snapped back to her, "so I'll be taking my leave. I hope I'll be seeing you around, Sarah."

"Me too," I replied, albeit distractedly. Kye-Ann, who hadn't noticed, gave me a parting smile before walking away.

The boy was still staring at me.

I raised an eyebrow.

He took a hesitant step forward.

Ignoring the questionable looks from my family that were burning into my back, I squared my shoulders and strode over to the boy. Simply looking at each other wasn't going to get us anywhere, was it?

I stopped a few paces away from the boy, scrutinizing him a little. He wore jeans and a navy blue parka that almost seemed as if it were too big for his lean frame. With his shy expression and his windswept hair, I had to admit that he wasn't exactly hideous in terms of appearance. Quite the opposite, really.

Oh my god, Sarah, shut UP.

I held out a hand. "I'm Sarah."

He reached out and grasped my hand. His fingertips were as cold as ice. "I'm Tyler."