Just a dream (I can feel you staring at me)

Chapter ten: lies and feeling like a little kid

Gwen's eyes started to water.
"Finney, I'm worried. Something's wrong and you just won't tell me what's going on! First you've been absolutely weird for a few days, for no apparent reason. Sometimes you seem like you're not even here, your mind completely where different. Then all of a sudden you have a group of boys following you everywhere from people you have never had anything to do with before. And then you have a nightmare that made you so upset and scared that you yelled for someone." she counted, her voice getting stronger and more confused at the same time.
Finney just stared at his sister.
Sure, the whole thing had happened incredibly quickly. But still, he had thought it wouldn't be that noticeable. Correction, he had hoped it wouldn't be too noticeable.
His throat felt dry, and then it came back. The burning look on his neck.
He was tense, all over, and yet he took his hand out of his sister's, instead placing both hands on Gwen's shoulders and sighing.

"You really don't have to worry, Gwen. I'm fine." he tried to calm her down, but he knew it was difficult with a stubborn one like his sister.
"But what if you have dreams like mine?"
"Gwen.. I promise I don't have any such dreams. I'm fine." Lie number how much again in less than ten minutes? Although, could it really be called a lie? He had no dreams.

But he wasn't okay.

He flashed a smile, one that hopefully his sister could fool.
And Gwen was silent, looking down before she met her brother's brown eyes with a serious look.
"Promise to tell me right away if you have any dreams." She said.
Finney smiled wider, wanting to make her feel safe.
"Of course. But don't you dare tell me that I'd be a copycat then."
Gwen smiled, couldn't quite hold the serious look anymore.
"You're an idiot.. but I make no promises.
Finney felt a little relief.
Gwen would probably try to probe Robin or Griffin if they knew anything or why they had mutated into such a group now of all times, but he just hoped they wouldn't say anything.
After all, the two would then have bigger problems than planning the murder.
Okay, that was definitely an overstatement, but Finney definitely wanted to protect Gwen and keep her out of it.

"PB didn't happen to mention a time when he left?" he took the subject in a completely different direction, making Gwen shake her head.
"You promised to help him without making out a time to start? Are you stupid?"

“You really are charming.” he knew it was stupid, but hey, she didn’t need to address it like this.

Gwen just shook her head.
“He said something around 4.30 to 5, and we have around 4. We wont walk to school together then I guess?” she looked at a clock, and Finney nodded.

“Sorry about not walking you to school, but I think Robin and Griffin got this covered for me. I’ll go with PB then.”

Gwen looked offended.
“I can walk alone, you know.”

Something about letting his sister walk alone, made him feel uneasy. He knew, she wasn’t on the Grabbers radar, and that that monster couldn't even know who she was, but still. He didn’t want her to be alone.

“I know, but it’s safer this way.” he didn’t want it to come out this way.
“I mean- look. I just want you to be safe, alright?” he sighed.

She looked at him. He knew she wanted to ask, if he lied to her, if he had a dream about something happening to her or to him. But she stayed quiet.

“I’m going to make you breakfast. What do you think about scrambled eggs?” she suggested after a few moments, and Finney shook his head.
Nope.
He wasn’t keen on eating them believing it was just a dream, but now knowing that it was more than that, he would never even look at them.

“Just some cereals, please. And I don’t think that Robin or Griffin would like something like that either.” he smiled at her, but only earned a grunt.