Awakening - The Last Science #1

Interlude I - A Year in the Life of Hailey Winscombe - VI

  A faint breeze brushed Hailey's face, sending a few strands of hair fluttering.

  Hailey shivered. "Jess, you gotta stop doing that. I'm cold enough as is."

  "Mm," she answered, slightly muffled.

  Hailey set the notebook aside and turned to face her. "I wonder if you'd want to go back to school. If you could, I mean," she added. She felt embarrassed asking such a question, when she knew that Jessica couldn't answer.

  She didn't understand a word Hailey was saying.

  Jessica was sitting cross-legged on Hailey's bed, wrapped in a blanket and looking around the room inquisitively. Presently she was sending little licks of firelight dancing around the room like tiny floating candles, spinning out an intricate pattern. Hailey was impressed Jessica maintained the dance even while tickling her with the current of air, two very different spells.

  "You know, that's supposed to be my affinity. How do you do all that at once so easy?" Hailey asked. Jessica cocked her head to the side, not understanding, and Hailey did her best to hide her exasperation. It wasn't Jess' fault. She was doing the best she could.

  Hailey brought her hands to her mouth, miming a knife and fork. Jessica nodded, 'hmm'ing excitedly. She leapt off the bed and headed back downstairs, Hailey following less enthusiastically.

  Thankfully it was leftovers night, or Hailey might have simply given up on dinner entirely. She felt far too exhausted to cook. Instead, they enjoyed microwaved chicken from the day before, which Jessica dug into with gusto. Hailey picked at her food gently and watched her friend chowing down. Had she always eaten like that?

  Yes, Hailey reminded herself. It was the same Jessica, through and through. Her personality wasn't really different. Just adjusted, viewed through a different lens. More importantly, Hailey was quite literally the only person Jessica ever interacted with anymore. Enthusiasm at the little things wasn't that weird.

  "You know, Jess, Christmas is coming up," Hailey said, still picking at her chicken with her fork. "I need to get you something."

  Jessica looked up. For a moment Hailey thought she might have understood, but she looked away again a moment later. 'Jess' was the only word she'd caught, which she recognized as her own name. Everything else was just noise.

  "I wonder if your parents got you anything," Hailey continued. "Doubt it. How do you put up with them anyway?"

  Hailey had gone to meet with them after it became clear Jessica's condition wasn't improving. Before she'd even begun to explain what was wrong with their daughter, they'd said they didn't care what she got up to and that her life decisions were her own business.

  Hailey had been quickly shuffled to the door and told not to return.

  "Probably best I didn't say anything," Hailey mused. "It's a good thing you were already dropping out of your classes or I'd have the university all over me too." Jessica frowned, looking at Hailey's plate of chicken which she'd largely ignored. "You want more?" Hailey asked. She pointed at the plate, then at Jessica.

  Jessica shook her head, gesturing to Hailey and miming eating.

  "I'm not feeling very hungry," Hailey said, shaking her head. Jessica frowned again. She mimed sleeping, then waking up and pointing at her stomach with a pained face in quick succession. Hailey sighed. "You're probably right." She began to eat again, and Jessica nodded with satisfaction. "It's a good thing you stopped being shy around me," Hailey added with her mouth full. "Shy people suck at charades."