What The Hell, Universe!?

Chapter 10: Rise And Shine, Pinocchio!

"Can you not?"

Hope had scrambled out of Josie's bed and was now standing in the middle of the twins' room, arms clamped tightly around herself, resisting the urge to scream and wake the entire floor. She had to hold her arms down or she would start flailing her hands again and freaking out. Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!

Lizzie turned over in bed, facing away from her. "If you're going to have sex dreams about Landon, can you do it in your own room?" She flounced her pillow and tried to go back to sleep.

It wasn't about Landon, she wanted to yell at her, but how could she? She didn't want anyone to ever know about that dream, especially the one person who actually knew about it.

IT MEANT NOTHING! she screamed at him in her mind. People have dreams all the time that make no sense! I once had a dream that I was a gummy bear. That doesn't mean I have a secret desire to be a gummy bear, just like I don't have some secret desire to be with YOU! I could NEVER want to be with YOU!

She had to breathe. She needed to calm down. She felt like she was a heartbeat away from hyperventilating. This was the kind of dream that on a normal night would make her laugh because it was so ridiculous. She would shake it off and go back to sleep. But how could she do that when he was there? When he witnessed it? When he was most definitely making assumptions—the wrong ones—about her feelings about him? She saw that look on his face. Did that mean that he...oh my God.

We're FRIENDS, she thought loudly, directing her thoughts to him again as if he couldn't already read them all. That's all we will ever be. I don't have any other feelings for you, you've been in my mind long enough to know that. It's only ever been Landon for me, and that's all it's ever going to be.

She breathed. There. He couldn't refute any of that. She knew what was in her mind. And he knew it too. She wasn't lying.

But there was no way in hell she was going back to sleep.

She needed to get him out of her head, and she needed to do it now.

* * *

Lizzie sighed.

It was no use; she couldn't get back to sleep. That she could sleep to begin with had been a feat of epic proportions. She was too worried about Josie.

Her sister was imprisoned in some creepy cemetery waiting for the cavalry to arrive and save her. Though, knowing her sister, she was trying everything she could to break free. She didn't understand why the dark magic in Josie hadn't risen up and broken her out already. Surely her darker half didn't appreciate being imprisoned.

There was something they didn't know. She bet that human, Chad, knew something he wasn't saying.

It should be easy to get a human to talk. Honestly, her father could've been a bit more persuasive. They were a school of supernaturals, for crying out loud. Scare him a little!

You know what, she thought. What Daddy doesn't know won't hurt him.

She pushed the rest of her sleepiness away along with her covers and sat up.

"Hope...what...are you doing?"

Hope was still standing in the middle of the room, looking incredibly confused about life.

"I'm... standing here," she said.

"Right..." Lizzie shook her head. "Let's go interrogate the prisoner."