The Psychic Next Door

Chapter 18: Awaken

My eyes snapped open. The room was barely illuminated by the weak sun; it must've been early still. I tried to roll over and return to my comfortable dreams, but my body refused. My stomach chastised me with a growl. After a few more minutes of attempting to ignore it, I sighed and lurched up, feeling around as my eyes adjusted to the dim light.

Maybe if I have a snack, I thought, my stomach will shut up and let me have a few more hours of sleep.

Staggering to my feet, I pulled aside the divider curtain and headed towards the kitchen. A weak beam of sunlight snuck past me and fell across Polly's face. She didn't stir, not that I expected her to.

"Morning, Polly," I whispered anyway, as I passed her.

The light caught on the two purple stones that hung around her neck, next to the gold chain of her key. They glittered, and my fingers twitched. I wanted to wake her, to snap the amulets off right this instant, but I couldn't work up the courage to. I wasn't sure what was wrong with her, and I was afraid to disturb her in case it was something severe.

Though I wasn't on friendly terms with Luc, I at least trusted his judgement. After all, I had seen him healing her with my own eyes.

Now that I knew what Luc used the amulets for, I realized he must have had his reasons for keeping them—both of them—on. But the fact that he had used two amulets was exactly what worried me. What condition was Polly in that he didn't want to risk her waking up at all? My hand clenched into a fist, resisting the urge once again.

I wished I could just ask him ... but he had been avoiding me. It had been a week since I had watched him from behind the curtain, and I hadn't seen him since. He'd been cooped up in his room and seemed to only leave when he was sure I would be asleep. My few attempts to stay up and catch him in the act hadn't been successful.

My stomach grumbled to remind me of its need. I turned away from Polly and continued on to the kitchen, but I stopped suddenly, realizing something was wrong.

The counter was bare. Today's supplies hadn't arrived.

The only reason I knew Luc had been leaving his room was the daily arrival of supplies on the kitchen counter. Every morning, a bag—just a simple, flimsy grocery bag—would be left for us, filled with basic necessities for the day: cheap food and cheaper clothes. I didn't know how he was getting them, but that was just another question on the pile.

Without a bag, there was no food. My stomach moaned with disappointment. I thought for a moment of digging through the cupboards, but my breath caught as I suddenly realized what this actually meant. If the supplies hadn't been delivered, Luc hadn't done the delivering. But he would. And soon.

I might finally get a chance to talk to him.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, a light knock came at the door. I nearly toppled over from the shock of it; our situation often made me forget that other people still existed. Trapped in this apartment, separated from everything, we might as well have been the last people on Earth.

I froze, not sure what I should do. Did I answer the door or call for Luc? I knew we couldn't leave the apartment, but could other people come in? I didn't get to wonder for long; the door to Luc's bedroom opened only seconds after the knocks stopped.

Luc looked dishevelled. There was a dark shadow of prickly stubble cast over his face, and heavy purple bags hung under his eyes like he hadn't slept in days. It was the worst I had ever seen him; being trapped inside with no sun had begun to turn his golden skin pale and, paired with this scruffy look, made him look kind of, well, dead... Yet, somehow, he still looked impossibly attractive. The vampish look worked for him.