FULL ECLIPSE (Book #2)

𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓

Carmen and I thought it'd be best to get a least some minutes of snooze. We head back to where the rest are sleeping. Bray's full knocked out, snoozing like it ain't an apocalypse. I still gotta tell him about the two dimensions thing, I just don't know how or when. Delicate throbs from a headache softly pound on my forehead. Smiling, I take comfort in the headaches. Usually, they hurt, but now it's a slight tingle to let me know I'm about to jump and catch a break – if we leave out the Ella drama that is.

❖

"As if you're sleeping till noon!"

I open my eyelids. I'm back in my room, back in my bed. I lift myself from my bed to Mum scurrying around in my room and picking up the dirty laundry that I had been tossing on the floor during the week. Didn't know it got that messy. I mean, I kept staring at the ceiling with ponder every chance I got to even realise the ground. Mum slides my drapes open with one hand and holds the laundry basket under the other arm. I get up and give her one big hug.

"Dean..." she gets caught off guard a bit, then, "Dean!" back to her normal tone. "I've got laundry to do, then the dishwasher... I cook, I clean, I work-"

"Soz."

She's so stressed, you can tell. Dad's been doing overtime lately because something serious at work is happening which has left her with everything. He's not telling us what it is, just that he comes home tired and goes to work tired but never misses a phone call to Mum or misses a phone call from Mum, so whatever it is, it's definitely work-related and important. Either way, Mum needs to,

"Take a break, Mum."

"If I take a break, Zinedine, who's gonna take care of the meals, the bills, the house, hm?"

I hug her again and she kinda melts into it this time like as if she needed that hug and she'd been holding her breath in for too long.

"I suppose you're right," she says after a few seconds in my embrace, then sniffs. "Good lord, Dean. Get showered, you reek. Then come down and have brekkie. No rest for me."

❖

I sit down at the round coffee table next to the kitchen's white marble countertop, only 'cause those red bar stools at the countertop are so uncomfortable. Amber comes in from the sliding doors next to the lounge and walks into the kitchen. She's holding her phone and has a weird expression directed right at me. Ugh, now what? Can I at least have one normal day with no drama and no zombies? Is that so much to ask for?

"What, shithead?" I shake my head at her. "Don't you have anything better to do than to stare at me?"

"What the hell did you say to Ella?" she asks.

Of course, how could I forget, they're besties after all.

"What did she say to you?" I roll my eyes, picking up a toast to chew on.

"What did you say to her? And this isn't funny. She's, like, really freaked."

"I just told her how I felt, is that a crime?"

"Um, yeah, it is, when it involves zombies and her falling to her inevitable death."

I choke on my toast.

"And that you were so deeply in love with her. Yeah, all that sounds really creepy, dude. You know, I get bullied for no reason at school already. I don't want my stalkerish brother to be another reason for them to bully me."

"First off, all that bullying stuff, just come to me, I'll handle it. And that other stuff Ella said to you is so outta context so drop it."

"You 'handling it' means detention and suspension and Dad having hella tension."

"True," I purse my lips, she makes a good point.

"Stop being creepy, 'kay?"

I look at her, getting irritated at the whole misunderstanding. She's still watching me eat, waiting for an explanation and reassurance that'll satisfy her enough to let it go.

"What are you two bickering about?" Mum walks into the kitchen.

"Oh, just that Dean is one cree-"

"Nothing, Mum!" I glare at Amber. "Amber's just being annoying as usual."

"Am not!" she frowns. "Dean is telling his crazy dream-"

"Shut up, Amber!"

"You shut up!"

"Hey, hey!" Mum silences us both. "'Nough, Amber," Mum gives her the look.

"Ugh," she rolls her eyes and stomps away.

❖

Weekend goes by. School's tomorrow. Technically, school's already over. But they're having a few catch-up classes for anyone who wants to put in that extra effort in subjects they need help in before the exams which are soon. And if I knew any better, Ella is going to those because I remember her telling me how strict her parents are on grades.

Here's what I got: the virus and blackouts with headaches are connected. If my father doesn't want me telling anyone in the apocalyptic world, do the same rules apply here? I think not. What if I locate the same people with the same ability as mine and we work out what the hell this is together? But where do I even start with that? First, with that misunderstanding.

❖

I arrive at school.