Companion

Chapter 22: You Ready?

"Hunter, wake up."

Another day starts with Edge waking me up. But this time is very, very different. And not because it's a Sunday and not because it's still dark outside. I groan.

"I forfeit," I croak. Edge half-smiles.

"Drink this," he says, handing me a glass. My eyes are too groggy to see much of anything. I must look scared and confused because he explains, "It's water. It'll help wake you up. It doesn't feel awesome, but just drink."

I take the glass and drink the water. He's right. It feels pretty awful. There's nothing left in my stomach so the water feels like it just rushes to the bottom, waiting to come back up. But I drink anyway. Whatever helps.

The following ten minutes is all a blur, but it also grags by, if that makes any sense. It was a whirlwind of preparation, but I was so drowsy my body hardly wanted to move. The rain beginning to pound at the window didn't help.

They measure us quickly for our uniforms. They've got this down to such a science that the first uniform they choose fit me perfectly. I go back into my room and tug it on, realizing that I don't even know what happens to my stuff if I leave. But there's no time to worry about that now.

I carelessly throw my hair up into a ponytail, then remember the entire population is going to be watching me and then quickly go back and make a bit more of an effort to smooth out the bumps. No makeup, though. I don't care that much. Plus everyone is already waiting on me. Or so I think.

I run down the stairs expecting to leave right away when the tall woman who had measured me for my uniform asks abruptly for Edge. I rush back up the stairs and burst into his room hoping that he's successfully changed in the time it's taken me to get fully ready.

"You ready?" I ask. His back is to me but I see him quickly wipe at his his eyes. He nods and clears his throat.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm coming."

"Edge, it's just me. I don't care if you cry. We're in the same boat here."

Edge turns around and his face is all red and splotchy. I give him the most reassuring smile I can muster. It's kind of successful because Edge smiles at my pathetic effort. He gently pushes me out the door and we meet the team at the bottom of the stairs where they load us into the back of a van by ourselves.

We sit across from each other, but we don't look at each other. We don't look at anything, really. There are no windows. The inside is pitch black plastic with artificial lights on the ceiling so we could actually see each other if we really wanted to.

I try to lean back and close my eyes to sleep. I'm so tired, I know I could sleep anywhere. I think back to the first time I met Edge when i fell asleep facedown on the hardwood floor. But I don't have that much luck this time.

I try to scoot forward on my seat to get a more comfortable rest on the back of my head. I try to rest the side of my head against the wall but it hurts my ear. I try placing my shoulder underneath myself to take the pressure off my ear, but then shoulder hurts. All of a sudden, it feels like my shirt is choking me and my hair is wrapping around my throat. I tug at the neck of my shirt and gather my hair back behind myself.

"Goodness gracious, just come here," Edge says. I don't see him but I can hear the irritated eye roll in his voice.

"Like..." I begin, unsure of what exactly he wants me to do. This only adds to his frustration, of course.

"Like come here. Sit next to me."

I carefully get up in the moving van and practically jump across to Edge's side as the car roughly tosses me. He pulls my shoulders down so that my head rests in his lap, and I pull my legs up onto the bench so that I'm laying down. My clothes suddenly stop choking me, and Edge pulls my ponytail off of my neck.