Dark One- The Khiara Banning Series Book 1

Thirteen

I shrug. She punches my arm, hard. “You could have told me you were sick. I’d have postponed this for another day. It’s not like the dress would have gone anywhere, nobody our age really comes to this mall to buy their stuff anyway– they all go to freaking Portland.”

 “I did mention that I have a cold…”

Her face scrunches up even more, concern palpable. “Yeah, but a cold is a cold. This kind of fever doesn’t usually indicate a simple cold, babe.” I keep forgetting that Cara wants to go into nursing.

“Well I feel like crap. I just want to go home and rest, I mean I’ll probably feel better after I take some pain meds and a nap.” 

Her frown deepens even more. “I’m coming over to make sure you actually get to bed.” I think of the first day I met Cael and smile, remembering that I did the same thing.

“Okay, you’re going loopy,” says Cara, “What’s with the idiotic smile?” She feels my forehead again and shakes her head.

“Nothing. Just remembering something.”

“Riiight,” she says, taking my things from me. “Let’s just get you home.”

~*~

I wake up to Cara’s voice. “Get up. You’ve slept long enough, babe.”

I open my eyes to see that it’s light outside, and I glance at my alarm clock and realize how much I’ve slept. It’s six in the morning. My heart jumps into my throat. “Holy shit Cara. Why did you let me sleep for so long?”

From her perch at the foot of my bed she shrugs. “You clearly needed it. I tried to wake you up to get you to eat, but you just drank some water and went back to sleep. How do you feel? I figured I’d wake you up early so you could shower and stuff, but if you still feel sick…”

“No,” I sit up immediately. “I feel better. Thanks.”

Cara beams at me, obviously proud of herself. “Good. Your parents were worried but I told them not to worry too much. They both left for work not long ago. I stayed the night; hope you don’t mind.”

I shake my head, “No, no it’s fine. Really. I appreciate it actually.” I stretch my arms above my head and reflexively yawn. “I guess I need to take that shower. I must smell like a homeless person.”

She laughs and tells me that I do, but only then do I realize that she’s acting too chipper for somebody who was up taking care of their friend all night when I know for a fact that she’s usually rather grumpy when she’s tired. Something’s off. “Cara,” I say, “have you slept at all?”

She stands up, “I should probably make breakfast. Do bacon sandwiches sound good to you?”

“Cara.”

“Is that a no?”

“Is there something wrong, Cara?” I ask, my heart starting to beat too hard.

Her face falls. She toys with a lock of red curly hair and she looks at the floor. Cara mumbles something, but I don’t understand.

“What?” I ask. She repeats herself, a little louder, but I still can’t hear her. I ask a third time and of course she yells at me.

“There was someone at your window last night!”

I wish I had the power to stop time to properly think about what she just said, but I don’t, so all I can do now is freak out.

Standing up, I walk over to her, ever aware of our height difference because i have to look up at her. “There was a person in my window last night? How could you not wake me up to tell me that there was a fucking person in my window last night which, by the way, you need to get to by climbing a God damned tree?”

Cara’s voice warbles when she says, “It was a guy...and he...”

“He what, Cara,” I say, realizing that she seems genuinely upset.

She shrugs. “He looked a lot like your least favourite person. And he looked angry. When I got to the window he’d probably jumped down and run away. I stayed in your living room last night, your parents helped me get all set up, and I’d come in to check in on you every once in a while, and one of those times…yeah. I didn’t tell you because maybe I’d hoped it didn’t actually happen.” She’s crying now, and when I hug her she crumples into my arms like a child.

“I’m sorry I didn’t wake you, but you were so sick. I don’t know why Damien would be at your window, but I was so scared Khiara. He looked about ready to kill you.”

“I think,” I say, “that it was a bad dream. You must have fallen asleep and not realized it. Damien has no reason to be creeping on me when I sleep. He might be a little strange, and I may not like him or even trust him but I don’t think he’d do that.” She nods and hiccups back her tears.

“Go take your shower,” she says, still clearly shaken. “I’ll get on those bacon sandwiches.”