Getting Addie to meet my eyes was a bigger feat than I would've expected. When Finn and I got to his house, she was in her room and didn't come out until dinner. At the table, she stared down at her food, fuming. I could practically see the steam rising from her forehead. Mr. and Mrs. Patrick knew something was going on but didn't seem to have the details. They kept asking Addie questions and exchanging concerned looks when she mumbled the answer without glancing up.
After the fifth question, she sighed and asked if she could be excused.
"Are you sure you've eaten enough?" Mrs. Patrick asked while eyeing Addie's barely touched spaghetti.
"Yep. I'm full." Addie pushed away from the table and walked out the door into the backyard.
"Don't worry, I'll clean up." Finn grabbed her plate and pushed the spaghetti and sauce onto his with a grin. His parents laughed. Finn elbowed me in the stomach while I tried to swallow my last bite.
I coughed. "Thanks for dinner. I'd better head home."
"You're welcome, Parker," Mrs. Patrick said with a smile.
"Anytime." Mr. Patrick waved.
Finn nodded and kept eating as I walked out the back door.
Addie sat on the porch swing. She glanced up and I finally caught her eye before she groaned and turned away.
I'd gotten what I needed, but it didn't seem like enough.
"I know you don't want to hear it," I said softly. "But somehow I'm going to make this better." I started down the steps, but she cleared her throat and I turned back to face her.
"It's not that I don't want to hear it." The disappointment trickling from Addie's voice hurt more than I wanted to admit. "I just wish I could believe it."
* * *
The first night, most of Addie's dreams took place in the music store at the mall. Random bands kept showing up and playing mini-concerts. Great when it was Neon Trees or Daughtry—not so great when it was one of those bands from the Disney channel. Still, at least it wasn't boring. From her emotions, she seemed to enjoy most of the same music I did. Not surprising, but it racked her up some additional points on the coolness scale. Not that Addie needed any.
On the second day, I ran into her, literally, on her way out of the grocery store. She huffed a little, but when I helped her pick up the bread and lettuce I'd knocked out of her hands and said I was sorry four times, she calmed down.
In her dream that night, Addie was walking through the park alone. The moonlight made everything shimmer. Her pale skin glowed. She was beautiful. I did my best to pretend she still looked like a skinny ten-year-old, but she didn't . . . the way her hair curled over her shoulders, the small waist that curved out to her hips. On top of her ridiculous hotness, Addie was one of the funniest girls I knew, and by far the most awesome. It was almost a punishment to know her so well and not be able to do anything about it.
We walked through the park in silence. There was apparently no destination or reason to be here. The cool wind kicked some mist off the creek and it obscured the path before us. It was peaceful. The other layers of the dream were distant and quiet. I almost wondered if I could sleep here, but the slight humming of the layers in the background kept me from even trying.
Addie crouched and turned as a sound echoed behind us. It was low and foreign, like a growl mixed with the sound of grinding metal. I couldn't see a source and after a moment it was quiet again. Addie bit her lower lip, her eyes scanning the dark shapes around us. She felt fear, but also a confidence that surprised me. Whatever had made that sound, she was prepared to handle it.
YOU ARE READING
Insomnia
Mystery / Thriller"It's been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me." Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp spends each night trapped in the dream of the last person he's made eye contact with. Every night he is crushed by other people's fear and pain...
