All I Ask of You

Chapter Eight

Days came and went, passing Annie by to the point that she could hardly comprehend that it was already Thursday. Somehow, the minutes had turned into hours which melted into days, and she hadn't been aware of it. With how slowly she seemed to do things while she was out living the somewhat normal portion of her life, it felt like it should have been Monday. At least, if she could get herself to feel anything.

Ever since she found out just how she had been made, Annie felt like someone had thrown her into a lake with a brick tied to her ankle. No matter how hard she tried to get to the surface, it was always just a bit out of reach. It wasn't noticeable to anyone else except herself. She couldn't truly get to anything, as though nothing were real or everything was just out of her reach. Though, she kept on as she always had, but it was impossible to hide just how off she was after almost a week.

"I don't think she's turned a page this whole time," Peter commented as Annie looked up.

Her eyes looked up from the John Green book she had been trying to read, "I'm just a bit tired, not deaf."

"Yeah, but you've been tired all week, how're you gonna stay awake for the movie tonight if you can't even get through lunch?" Ned pointed out.

Blaming the sluggishness on being tired was simple enough. The only person who had any idea of the truth was Tina, and that was only because Annie was positive the experiments gave her the powers she had. She hadn't mentioned it to Harper just yet. Mainly because Annie wasn't ready to think about the questions that swirled about in her mind on the subject.

"Okay, what's your point? Also, I can totally watch Star Wars tonight," Annie responded, stealing a couple chips from the family sized bag in the middle of their lunch table.

Ned gave a small laugh, "Well, we were actually talking about tonight. And Christmas."

"Oh, shit! I need to get you both things, don't I?" she said, running a hand through her thick, long hair.

Ned shook his head, "Nah, don't worry, we have no clue what to get you."

"Oh, I kinda just want a cat... not that I expect you guys to get me one," Annie told them, closing her book.

Peter blinked, "Really, that's it?"

"Yeah, it'd be nice, but if I don't get one that's cool too, like a stuffed cat would work... anyways, one day at a time. What's the deal with tonight?" she asked, changing the subject.

"How about the bakery for some food and coffee?" Ned suggested.

Annie nodded, "I like the way you think, we can talk and theorize and stuff."

"Okay, sounds great, except coffee's disgusting," Peter quipped, looking at the other two.

Ned smirked, "Then you can get your flowery green tea lattes or whatever it is you're into these days."

The bell rang, causing the trio to leave for their classes. Annie coasted through her theater class, hiding out in a practice room. Everyone in the class was required to audition for the musical as a grade, so that was what the students were supposed to be working on. In reality, half of them were claiming to be working together in the hall when they gossiped about everything going on in the school. Though, Annie had normally been driven to work on her audition with the teacher while also asking for private practice.

However, this class was different from the others because she was taking a nap on the tackily-patterned carpet next to the piano. She could barely get herself to sleep during the night. The audition was less than a week away, and looking at her sheet music caused her stomach to tie into knots.