Awake

Sleep so I can wake

Adrianna yawned.

Again.

"I don't get it." Zack said, "You go to sleep at 6:30 pm and wake up at 7:45am, take a freezing cold shower and yet you're still sleepy?"

"Pretty much." she answered. Or at least she tried to because a yawn came out at the same time she started to speak. Not that she cared. Zoe would translate. Zoe always translated.

"She said, 'No shit, Sherlock.'" Zoe said rolling her eyes. 

Okay... So sometimes she didn't translate it exactly cause she thought her version was better. 'And sometimes it was,' Adrianna thought as she laughed to herself. Not that it mattered. Zoe pretty much translated the gist of it.

Zack shook his head. "You make no sense. What's wrong? Some type of chronic sleeping disorder?"

Adrianna yawned before answering. "Not in the least. Doc says I'm perfectly healthy. Not a thing out of place."

"I know!" Zack exclaimed. "You're a sleep walker. Or runner. Something that makes you tried."

"Nope." Another one. "Was montinered for weeks. I don't move an inch. But I do mumble which is weird because I don't dream."

Zack's jaw dropped, his clear blue eyes doing thier best to pop out of his head. "You don't dream?"

"Nope. Not since I can remember anyway. Stop making that face. It's not uncommon for people not to dream."

"It is when they sleep as much as you." He retorted as she yawned yet again.

"Fine!" Adrianna half shouted her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, "Then I don't remember. Happy?"

"A little. Though I'd be much more satisfied if I could figure out your other problem." Adrianna yawned but this time it sounded different. Kinda... Forced.

"HEY!" Zack exclaimed as Zoe leaned over and whispered, "Good one Bedhead." Adrianna smiled her eyes drooping low making it look like a leer.

"Look Zachary," Zoe said putting the emphasis on Zachary, make Zack grimace. His name wasn't Zachary. According to him his parents didn't hate him that much. He would get downright angry when someone 'had the audacity' to assume his name was Zachary, and if there was one thing Zoe loved to do, it was to push buttons Hard.

"I've got a nice simple theory. She closes her eyes but she doesn't go to sleep. Simple, see?"

"Simple how?" Zack asked Zoe.

"Its like her body shuts down but her mind doesn't realize what it's supposed to do so it continues to work itself silly." Zoe said with a duh expression on her face.

"So..." Adrianna said eyebrow raised,"Your theory is... I'm retarded?"

"Yeah. Pretty much." Zoe answered. So blunt...

If Adrianna thought about it, Zoe's theory made sense. Kinda... If you tilted your head and squinted reaaaaally hard. I mean everytime she woke up she was exhausted, so she had to have been doing something right? And this morning, she had felt excited and anxious. Like she had something to do. Something really important. Finally! Adrianna shook her head. She just confused herself.

"Just confused yourself?" Zoe asked with a knowing look. Adrianna simply nodded, not in the least disturbed by Zoe's rather accurate analaysis of one movement. The two girls had been bestfriends since the days of preschool when Zoe still went by Maryian Louis. It wasn't that Zoe didn't like her legal name. She was actually rather fond of it. She said the name carried some sort of regal sophistication to it and that if she stood straight, held her head up and behaved 'properly' she cold actually pull it off. But that was too much work. Besides Zoe thouhgt that the name suited her more, and Adrianna had to agree, with Zoe's lean carmel body, Cali accent, black hair that was always in a side pony and her love of mischief.

Adrianna yawned again. She wrinkled her nose. The yawns were getting closer. Where the hell was her coffee? They were here for 20 minutes already and lunch only lasted 45 minutes.

"Yo! Slow-Moes!" Zoe yelled. "We gotta go! Where's our Expresso?"

"Shut up." A male with black hair and clear blue eyes said walking up from the back. "Handing Adrianna her coffee, he looked at Zack. "Get your girlfriend to use her inside voice, Zack."

Both Zoe and Zack grimaced. "Bro, give me a break. As if." Zack said.

"Delusions run in the family don't they?" Zoe asked Adrianna - who was much to lost in her Expresso to notice. No other form of caffeine kept her up quite like her black-no-sugar-double-shot-Expresso did. Not that she minded. She loved it.

"Possibly," Adrianna muttered. "Steven still thinks he's 'Da man' doesnt he?"

Zoe and Zack laughed while Zack's older brother stuck his tounge out. It wasn't hard to tell they were related. Same eyes, same hair, same freakishly pale skin-that oddly enough never got tanned or sun burned. The only thing that helped you differentiate the Zack from Steven and his three other brothers was the age on their faces.

"Shouldn't you three be at school anyway?" Steven asked.

"And since when are you an advocate for following the rules?" Zack asked with an eyebrow raised.

Steven rolled his eyes. "Just tell me you guys sneak out the right way."

"Under the first floor stairway, behind the shed, through the hole in the fence that hasn't been fixed since the beginning of time, and stay behind that mile long hedge until you hit the freeway. Don't worry. You and Derik taught us well. I actually think I saw John at the arcade on the way over here." Zack replied crossing his arms.

Steven smiled. "Alright. Then scram."

They left the coffe shop and headed back to the school. "I tell you," Zack said shaking his head, "They're all gonna die in jail. Mark was caught stealing from his teachers desk yesterday. My last hope. Gone!"

Zack was the middle child and the odd ball. The only one of his brothers not trying to be as delinquent as possible. The only reason he was even here with them was because he had an undying loyalty to his friends.... And Adrianna and Zoe could never remember the entire way.

And Adrianna needed her coffee.

"Cheer up." Zoe said. "In order for that to happen they'd have to get caught. And I kinda doubt the possibly of that. They are the best at what they do."

"Yeah. Thanks. You really know how to brighten my day."

LATER

Adrianna dropped on her bed. Her homework was done. And she never did stay up long enough for dinner anyway. Her parents had stopped trying years ago. At first they thought she was starving herself. Then they realized their daughter was just lazy. Meh. They were probably going to some fancy restaurant anyway.

Adrianna closed her eyes frowning.

'if I don't get some real sleep, I'm never going to wake.'

The thought filled Adrianna with such a sense of dread her eyes snapped back open.

'That a stupid idea.' she thought,'Of course I'll wake. I have to wake. Calm down. I'll wake.'

She closed her eyes again falling a sleep instantly as always.

And then, for the first time in her life...

Adrianna dreamed.

She was in class. English. Zack was on her left and Zoe was on her right. The door opened and a silhouette stood in the doorway.

Zoe, the one closer to the door, smiled. "Hello!" she jumped up and welcomed him. She walked up and small talked with the silhouette. Adrianna frowned.

"Who...?" she started to ask Zack, only to notice he was frowning at the whole scene, dislike obvious in his clear blue eyes.

Adrianna bent over the top off her desk trying to get a better look at whoever it was.

She really wanted to know.

Zack grimaced and turned the other way. He muttered, 'Stupid jerk. He's not taking her way. Over my dead body he'll take her away.

Adrianna raised a brow.

Now she really wanted to know.