The Psychic Within

Chapter 5: Hunch

A shrill scream jolted me from my sleep. My half-asleep brain struggled with panic for a moment, before realizing that it wasn't a scream at all—just my phone beside my head, its sharp hysteric tone blending with the last remnants of my nightmare. 

Rolling over onto my back and I reached for the still-shrieking phone. I held it overhead—keeping a good grip on it, so it didn't land on my face—and squinted at the Caller ID through my bleary, sleep-clogged eyes still slightly swollen from crying the night before. I rubbed at them to clear them, then lunged forward in bed.

A familiar name blazed across the screen: Polly. Polly was calling.

I fumbled with the phone in my hurry to answer it. "Hello?" I gasped, my voice raspy. I cleared my throat. "Polly? Is that really you?"

"Who else would it be?" came that familiar husky voice. "It's not like I changed my number."

"I know, but it's been, like, forever since you called..."

"Oh, come on now, it's only been... It's been..." There was a pause, and I pictured Polly staring up at the sky, tallying up the days—weeks—in her head. "Okay, yeah, it's been a while. Sorry, I've just been really busy."

"It's okay, I understand," I insisted, stifling a sudden yawn. "How is your search going?"

"It's fine."

"Fine?" I said, raising an eyebrow that she couldn't see. "Just fine? What've you been doing?"

"It's a long story... Actually, Rachel, I'm more interested in how you're doing."

"How I'm doing?" I echoed back. "Why—wait..." My brain was still in the process waking up, so it took a moment before something clicked. "Luc called you, didn't he?"

There was another pause before Polly answered, "Yeah, he did."

"Goddammit," I muttered under my breath. For some reason, I felt like a child who had been tattled on.

"He was worried about you, Rach. And it's not like you called to tell me or anything..."

"Only because you've already got more than enough to worry about." Usually I waited for Polly to text or cal first, because I knew how busy she was. I was already enough of a burden...

Polly gave a half-laugh. "You're already on my list of things to worry about."

Throwing off the covers, I swung my legs out of bed, and headed for the ensuite bathroom. "Gee, thanks."

"I don't mean it like that," Polly said. "I meant that you are my friend and I care about you. Ugh, I can't believe you made me say that. I hate getting touchy-feely."

"Well, thank you for braving the daunting valley of emotion for me," I said as stopped in front of the sink. I poured myself a drink of water and quickly chugged it back to wash away the sour taste of morning breath. I wanted to brush my teeth, but I'd have to wait until I was off the phone. "And I know you and Luc mean well," I said, after I was done. "It's just... It's just that I wish you guys didn't have to worry about me. Not like this, at least."

"Rachel," she began, drawing out each syllable of my name. "It's okay to ask for help if you need it. And I am more than happy to help. You know that, right?"

My eyes prickled with tears. I blinked them back and cleared my throat again to fight off the lump that was forming. "I know," I said, my voice still shaking slightly.

"Good," Polly replied, and her voice seemed a little thicker too. "Now, have you considered maybe talking to a... specialist?"

I cringed. What Polly meant was therapy. Despite Polly's best intentions, it didn't stop a flare of anger from rising in me. Luc had suggested the same thing last night, but... "There's no way I can afford talking to a professional right now."