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“Whatever. We’re leaving.”I don’t give him a chance to argue with me as I pull myself back out the window and into the backyard.

“You have to admit, you had a tiny bit of fun doing that,”Calix prods.

“I did not.”

“Just a smidge of fun?”

“No.”

When I finally make it back into our bedroom, Calix finally calms down enough for us to lay down. I’m just about to fall asleep when…

“Calix, why do you think we are drawn to her?”

“You haven’t figured it out yet?”

“Figured out what yet?”

“For someone so smart, you really are missing the point. I guess you’ll know soon enough.”He moves all the way to the back of our shared mind space. Leaving me with more questions than answers.

Chapter 6

Selene

Wednesday June 18th - Is it early bonding signs?

My alarm rings startling me awake after another restless night of sleep. My eyes blink open as I stare at my ceiling. Maybe I should ask my mom for a stronger sleep tonic because if I keep going at this rate, I’m going to fall asleep in the middle of class. Those crystalline blue eyes chased me through the woods again, haunting my every step. The woods felt familiar, almost like the ones that I walk through to my secret valley.

My phone vibrates with an incoming text. Flipping it over, Odessa’s name pops up letting me know she’ll be here in twenty minutes to walk with me to school. Throwing my comforterback, I slide my feet into my slippers. My English assignment is still sitting on my laptop where I left it. Maybe the stress of that assignment is why I’m feeling so unsettled.

My arms stretch over my head as I shift from side to side. The muscles in my legs are tight this morning, almost like I ran a marathon last night instead of sleeping. I grab my lotion and massage it into my calves hoping for a little relief. After a few minutes of massaging the tight muscles, I can finally move them around without feeling like a rubber band about to snap.

Checking the time on my phone, I realize I’ve got less than ten minutes before Odessa will be howling on my front porch about how long it’s taking me. Literally! She will stand outside yelling about how she is always waiting on a woman. She can be a real drama queen sometimes. As if I haven’t sat in her bedroom waiting an hour for her to finish her hair.

With no time to waste, I rush around my room throwing on the first outfit I find and running a brush through my long straight hair. I have to say one benefit is it’s almost always ready to go for the day. A quick brushing and I’m able to go out. A few swipes of mascara to darken my eyelashes, a touch of lip gloss, a spritz of perfume and bam, I’m ready for school.

Pulling the strap of my bag over my head, I open the flap to throw in the three rolls of film that I need to develop, my homework from yesterday along with the English assignment, and my favorite pen. I’ve just cracked my bedroom door open when I hear the first yell of Odessa from the front door. Shaking my head, I pull my bedroom door closed behind me. This girl.

Outside, I can hear her beginning to sing the lyrics of the Brad Paisley song, “Waiting on a Woman.”

“I hope she takes her time, ‘cause I don’t mind. Waitin’ on a woman”

She’s completely unhinged and off-key.

I’m rushing past the kitchen where I find Mom and Dad laughing as they sip their morning coffees.

“Better hurry before she gets to the high-pitched part of that song,” my mom jokes as I grab an apple and my juice. I smile and shake my head, remembering the time I was still asleep when Odessa showed up and she ended up singing the whole song. I’m pretty sure the entire neighborhood was ready to drag me out of bed in hopes she would stop singing.

“Oh, hey before I leave for school. Mom, can you bring home something stronger to help with sleep? I’m feeling majorly wiped.”

She nods her head. “Of course sweetie. Are your nerves about graduation getting to you?”

“Yeah, sounds about right.”

Odessa has moved on to the next part of the song and my eyes bulge. I gotta go, we are getting closer to the high-pitched part.

“He said the weddin’ took a year to plan,” she sings from the front porch.

I wave to both of my parents before dashing to the door. With her only living three cabins down from me, we usually walk to school together. It’s going to be weird after graduation when that’s not part of my morning routine anymore. As my soul match, Odessa and I’ve done practically everything together since we were young pups.