Reality(1 in series) ~Completed~

Chapter Nine

My mind was fuzzy when I woke up, and my mouth was so dry it felt as though I had been walking around in a desert for weeks without water. It didn’t make sense. 

I yawned, stretching my body, before sitting up in my bed, the room looking less inviting than I remember it being. The light streaming through the window seemed to be so muted, and the colors of my room felt so… messy. I sighed, swinging my feet over the bed I gasped when they touched the coolness of the floor. 

Something felt wrong. A frown pinched my forehead together, as I tried to think of what it was…

Oh, the fire wasn’t lit! I flicked my forehead, as if to tell my brain, duh silly!

The fire place had always been my favorite part of waking up because Artoul didn’t really have a cold season, but sometimes in the morning it was chilly.

“Jaylee?” I heard a voice call out, and looked up to see Zadra standing in the open doorway of my room.

I smiled, “Hey,” my voice felt and sounded unused, like I had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 40 years.

She frowned and hurried over to the fireplace, “I’m sorry your fire wasn’t lit, I completely forgot about it.”

My smiled wavered a bit, “It’s fine, it does feel like I haven’t seen you in a while though.” And that was true, I had this nagging feeling that I hadn’t even been on Artoul for days. 

But that was ridiculous.

Zadra’s frown deepened, “You know, I kind of feel the same way.”

I shrugged and hopped off of my bed, “Do you want to go into town with me today?”

Looking shocked, Zadra replied, “Are you feeling okay?”

It was my turn to frown, “I feel fine, why?”

“Jaylee,” her voice full of warning, “you know your father doesn’t allow unplanned visits to anyplace. Especially town.” She looked at me as though I had grown two heads.

My forehead crinkled as I brought my eyebrows together in thought, “Oh, right. How could I forget I am a prisoner in my own home.”

She nodded, and looked as though she was going to reply, but I cut her off, “Good thing I just planned it though, right?” My smile was probably pure evil as I added a wink.

Shaking her head, Zadra smiled, “Well, I guess I will call for him in a little bit, get dressed for now!”

Smiling and nodding like a dummy, I all but ran to the bathroom. I was extremely excited for this shower, and I couldn’t put a finger as to why. I really don’t think I had ever been this excited to take a plain old shower before in my life. 

That excitement, however, was short lived as I reached my destination. My shower looked as uninviting as my bed had felt and room had looked. I wouldn’t be able to explain to you why if you asked me too, but it just looked so… well, plain. I sighed deeply before undressing and stepping into the shower and under the warm water.

My shower was uneventful, and actually pretty boring. I washed my hair and body, lingering at certain parts longer than usual.

Something I’d never done before.

So maybe my shower wasn’t completely uneventful.

I got out quickly and dried off, wrapping a towel around my still wet hair, a habit I had brought with me from Earth. I remember watching my mom do it every morning after she showered.

I also remember my father making fun of her, but taking her in his arms and dancing around the room. I smiled, those were the good times, before he had left. We had been a family and I had loved him.