Gravitating : Book 1 (The Defying Series)

Chapter Three

Mia completely believed that she'd pass out if she attended the last class of chemistry. Her nights had been troubled recently, she was losing sleep even when she was tired. A mild paranoia was accompanying her to bed every night. Some nights, she simply wanted to take her car and drive to the Wilson's but she resisted the temptation. It was her house after all and she needed to get adjusted to it.

Nick had stopped trying to force her, and the calls from Suzanne, Nick's mother had ceased to a limit too. Though Mia was worried that if she continued to look like a zombie, Sebastian Wilson, Nick's father, will personally come to collect her and she won't be able to refuse him. She was glad that Sebastian had sided with her when she said she wanted to be independent and live in her own house, she was eighteen after all but if she kept falling asleep in her classes... things would change.

Lucas had the seat beside him saved up for Mia, this was the only class they got to spend together apart from lunch. Lucas wasn't as close a friend as Nick was to Mia but he was a part of their tiny little group and they were as united and differed as the fingers in ones hand.

"You look like crap" He said once Mia dropped her bag on the desk.

Keeping her poker face intact she settled down the seat and rested her head against the desk. "Was that supposed to be your greeting for me?" She yawned out the last part.

"Jeez, you don't have the energy to be sassy. What are you up to? Some secret mission?"

"Having an affair with the devil" Mia snorted.

Lucas winced. "Seriously Mia, how many days have you been up?"

"Just last night and the night before. Had too much coffee-" she yawned. "Now all I can think about is sleeping"

"Sleep, I'd wake you if Mrs Jalal starts asking questions"

Mia didn't need to be told twice. Lucas woke her up before the class the over, she wasn't in some deep sleep just a dizzy trance. She straightened up and rubbed the sleep of her eyes. "Can you drive me home? I don't want to go with Nick. He might end up taking me to his place and I plan on sleeping on the car ride"

"Mia you should not force yourself-"

"Will you drive me or not?"

Lucas refused to argue after that. Muttering stubborn woman under his breath within irregular intervals he drove her to her place and left after making sure there were no secret doors from where any intruder could step in. He was fairly guessing that Mia would be sleeping soundly and he didn't want anyone to take advantage of that. Though she lived in an huge compound with good enough families as her neighbours.

Mia changed in to her comfortwear before gulping a sleeping pill down with water. Sleep was instantaneous.

A sudden wave of chillness woke her up, she didn't want to wake up or leave the comfort of her bed but she was getting uneasy again. The weird feeling that was keeping her up at nights was catching up again.

Mia sat up, trying to ignore the hairs standing at the back of her neck. She didn't look around because she knew it was futile, there was no one watching her like her brain seemed to believe. She had looked around thousand times, checked all the corners of her house and re-checked all the locks of her house in the week that she had spent sleepless. Even her windows were closed along with the curtains.

She thought she'd be out for hours with the sleeping pills but it had only been seven hours. Her empty stomach growled and she finally got up to prepare something to eat before she passed out.

The best thing about living alone was the chance of eating anything, at anytime. As she gathered the ingredients for a delicious meal of steak and mashed potatoes, she wondered how it would have been if her parents would have been there. Not that it'd have made much difference, maybe she'd still be living in the mansion and it'd be a chef preparing her meal. But having her parents around, no matter how late they turned up at night or never had the time to accompany her at the meals, it had made her feel secure. She knew she was protected.

She refrained herself from thinking about the Wilson's. They already did too much, and she didn't want them getting their hopes up about adopting her again.

The late night dinner turned out really good. Since the preparation of food took her undivided attention. She already had the tv on for the background noise but she changed the channel before getting comfortable on the sofa with her plate of food.

Halfway through Real Steel, Mia found it hard to keep her eyes open but sleep didn't grace her. This was the exact torture she's been going through since the last eight days. Even when her body rejected the idea of staying awake, her brain seemed to go on an alert mode as if she was in an life threatening situation.

Gritting her teeth in frustration she decided that it'd be the best if she went to the Wilson's and explained the problem to Sebastian. She'd tell him not to tell Suzanne or Nick. They'd throw a nasty fit over it but she did really needed to escape. Her eyes burned and her vision seemed blurry when she took up er phone to call Sebastian. He worked late, and he always slept with his phone close.

He picked up on the third ring and spoke three words only. 'Hello' and 'I'm coming'. Mia packed a few things, mostly her books. She already had extra clothes and toiletries over there. Once she was done packing, she collected her jacket and wore it. It was always cold at Silver Lake, and she had grown to love it. She had never felt the attraction to beaches or the summer activities. Nick was the same, although he hated the Sun more than she did.

The only drawback was that it rained a lot, so much that the streets and roofs of the houses were always wet and the weather made you gloomy.

Mia listened to the pitter patter of rain while Sebastian told her that she did not look healthy, and also that Suzanne would have had a heart attack if she saw her this way but the topic swayed quickly, at first to how long Sebastian could keep her under Suzanne's watch to what should they do tomorrow since it was a Sunday.

Mia noticed that the clouds had covered the sky in a black curtain, and it had made the night darker. Even when she stepped in the Wilson household, her mind wasn't as clam as she expected it to be but she could sleep, for tonight and also for the next days.