With Fear or Without

35- Late Night Wisdom

Thursday night was the worst. Cleo's nerves were through the roof. There was no way she was sleeping. After a week with the Goldari, she only felt slightly less reckless and unprepared to go into Cenilorn the next evening.

She thought of everything that could go wrong- which was a lot since they still didn't know what they were really going into. Cleo and her friends were supposed to get a briefing of sorts on Friday, change into something appropriate for a ball, and be sent on their way on a dangerous mission.

There was no way she was sleeping tonight.

Just as she had a week prior, Cleo pushed back her covers and crept out of her room. She turned the corner and slipped through the door of her sister's room.

"Terra?" she whispered into the darkness. "You awake?"

Nothing. She crept closer.

"Terra?"

From under a cocoon of blankets, Cleo heard Terra mumbled something she assumed was, "No. Go away."

"C'mon Terra, scoot over."

Terra let out a groan, slowly rising from a growl to an exasperated ugh. Then she flopped her body sideways like a fish, clearly too comfy and tired to sit up and move. Cleo reached out and helped Terra slide over a couple more inches before perching on the edge of the bed, one leg up and the other still on the floor.

"Seriously, you've gotta stop doing this," Terra complained. "I've got a peppy morning person reputation to keep."

"Yeah whatever, weirdo," Cleo responded with a hint of a grin. But she got right to the point. "I'm really nervous about tomorrow."

"You're going to a fancy party, how bad can it be?"

Cleo clicked her tongue. "I'm serious."

"So am I," Terra insisted, twisting and squinting up at Cleo. "I don't know much about these people, but it is the perfect cover."

"What makes you say that?"

"There won't be any problems while you're actually there. People don't usually like to ruin their own parties. Especially rich people."

"And when we leave the party?"

"Just look like you know what you're doing." Terra fluffed her pillow and flopped back onto it, her hair falling over her face. "People won't question you as much if you don't question yourself."

"I should wake you up more often. You're really wise in the middle of the night."

"Don't you dare," Terra warned.

Cleo lingered long after her sister had fallen asleep, staring into the darkness and hearing the soft breaths of the sleeping form beside her. She gathered her courage and crept back into her empty room and back into her bed. She felt better than before, but still... the comfort of her bed felt dim and far away. Shifting this way and that, Cleo finally drifted into a defensive sleep.

She dreamt of a dizzying ledge, threatening to pull her down and down. Moments of panic filled her before she calmed herself as Remie made her way into her mind. If she could do it, so could Cleo.

So she breathed in the air and jumped.