Dreamer

Secrets and Invitations

Anne

 Anne thought mornings were glorious. Well, at least, the idea of mornings were glorious. What could be better than a sky painted in pastels and rimmed with gold hanging over a world drenched with dew? An entire day stretching before you with no mistakes?

Burrowing beneath her comforter, she listened to the birdsong outside her window. Such a cheerful little fellow with a sweet voice. A voice that would sound far sweeter after another hour's sleep.

Because that was the one terrible thing about mornings. They came after night, and if there was a time of day that spoke to Anne's heart more than any other, it was the midnight hour. Vain creature that she knew she was, it was very rare she found anything beautiful about herself, but she loved the way her skin looked in moonlight. Soft and glowing alabaster, it rivaled the stars above. Even her hair was less objectionable with a pearly glimmer.

The window in her bedroom was the perfect place for dreaming during twilight hours. She'd carry a blanket to the bay seat and curl up, her face pressed against the cold glass pane. There, she would spin the webs of her favorite imaginings. Some nights she was a Faerie Queen, mad with grief and locked away in a tower. Other nights, she was the lady of Shalott tempted by visions of Lancelot and Camelot. And on evenings when the wind howled, driving the leafless branches of the cherry tree against the house, she would indulge in tales of ghosts and murder.

Mary had argued that most people spend that time dreaming actual dreams the first time she caught Anne asleep at the window, but she'd not commanded her new child to sleep in her bed. And for that, Anne was grateful.

But last night her normal fancies didn't take flight. No matter how she tried to shape them, the threads tangled until they formed into the same thoughts over and over again. Gavin. It was his face her white knight possessed. His voice she heard whispered through darkness. And his touch along her arm.

"My, my, my," Mary said when Anne finally shuffled down the stairs. "Don't you look well rested?"

Not one to readily grasp sarcasm, there was no missing the mark here. She'd spied her wan expression in the mirror, and no amount of product or brushing could tame the volume of her hair today.

"I did not sleep well."

Mary poured coffee into a mug and blew on it before speaking again. "I would imagine not. No one could sleep well on that bay window. Starting to think we could have saved money on buying you that nice bed."

"Oh, no. I sleep very well most nights. Both the bed and window are comfortable."

"What was the problem last night?"

Mary asked as if she already knew the answer, but Anne didn't want to admit how much Gavin vexed her. Especially after she'd been warned away from the boy. Well, Mary didn't have to worry. There were no plans to seek him out today or ever, and she quite hoped that her chilly reception last night would deter him from speaking to her.

"I've ordered your phone. It should be in tomorrow," Mary said when Anne remained silent. "I know we were going to wait until the weekend, but after last night, I figured it would be best if your friends had a way to get in touch with you."

Excitement coursed through her, though not for the reasons other teenagers would identify with. She had no desire to scroll through Facebook or post selfies on Instagram. And the filters on Snapchat couldn't compete with her imagination. No, she was excited because she actually had a friend to call. Di Baker would be the first contact she entered- aside from Mary and Matt, of course.

"Oh, thank you," she exclaimed.

"Now, off to school. And Anne?"

Anne skidded to a stop in front of the door. "Yes?"