Ear to the Serpent | ONC 2020 WINNER ✓ [ PUBLISHED ]

chapter 5

I WOKE UP to the sight of Dr. Lorenne Dench in a short towel; her skin practically glowing and her blonde hair freshly brushed and fluffed.

Fighting the sudden flush that warmed my skin, I slowly sat up and squinted. "What time is it?" I murmured, shielding my face from the sunlight that pierced through the gap in the curtains.

"Quarter past eleven," Lorenne quipped.

I was a morning person. I was usually up by eight o'clock at the latest —not because I had things to get done, but because I could not keep my international online teammates waiting.

Eleven was an all new low for me. Rather, a new late.

"What? Why didn't you wake me up?" I groaned, flopping back down onto the mattress. "I can survive on four and a half hours of sleep, I promise."

"You looked so peaceful," Lorenne sighed, "And I didn't have the heart to wake you."

I bit back a smile and smothered my face with a pillow.

"You deserved that extra bit of sleep anyway," she added. "Four and a half hours is appalling."

"Well...what about you? Don't you deserve it too?" I pouted as I threw the pillow aside. "God knows what would have happened if we didn't go to the convenience store when we did."

Lorenne met my gaze, the green and blue in her eyes more vibrant in the sun. The look she gave me bordered on disappointment and annoyance. But her pretty eyes were soft, warm, and non judging.