"Are we here?" asks Chloe, peering straining to peer out Amanda's car window from over my shoulder.
"Yes," I say, as the car slows to a stop in the driveway of headquarters. "We have arrived. Welcome to headquarters."
"Thank goodness," she says. "The middle seat is the worst. You guys were so mean to make me sit here. You totally owe me."
I crack a smile. Even though she's the most important of all of us here, somehow Carmela and I convinced her to take the middle seat for the two hour drive from the airport to headquarters. Carmela's argument was that Chloe is the youngest of us, and therefore the smallest, which isn't strictly true, as the two of us are roughly the same height, but I certainly didn't complain.
I push the door open and we spill out of the car. As soon as my feet hit solid ground, I reach my arms up to the sky to stretch, relieved to be home. Amanda and Mike have already grabbed our bags from the trunk, and are heading into the house. After a moment to contemplate how happy we are to be back, the three of us girls follow them inside.
We enter to a happy homecoming. Amanda called headquarters on her cellphone ahead of time to inform them all of our re-arrival, and everyone in our whole Oregon division of society has arrived. It even appears that little Ev has cut class to be here for us.
At first, I don't even really recognize the entryway for all the balloons and and streamers that have mysteriously appeared. There's a large banner hanging above that reads Welcome home, Keela, Mike, Carmi, Chloe, and Amanda. The letters are lopsided and uneven, but somehow that makes me smile more to see that they really put time and effort into it.
As soon as I enter, I'm hit with a hug by little Ev. She comes barreling towards me and latches her arms around me, squeezing the life out of me, but I don't even care. I smile to myself as I remember how enthusiastic she was when I first arrived and was in a state of depression over our Sleeping Girl-lessness.
"I knew you could do it," she tells me, beaming, and I remember that conversation we had when I first arrived, and she had faith in me when I myself didn't. I suppose small children with their endless enthusiasm do know a thing or two more than us older folk.
After Ev, I'm practically passed around from person to person as I hug everyone. The excitement and laughter is certainly contagious, and within seconds, I feel far more content than I think I ever have since waking up. I know that this society, this family, is where I belong.
I glance around and notice that Chloe has hung back in the corner as everybody else socializes. She looks forlorn and lonely, like a new girl thrown into a school, and seems to be trying to disappear into the shadows, picking nervously at her cuticles. Remembering how isolated I felt on my first day, and knowing that I could never wish that awkward feeling upon anyone, I break away from the excitement to take her hand and drag her into it all. She deserves to be the star.
"Come on," I tell her, grinning. "You are the star here, Chloe. You shouldn't be hiding in the corner." I drag her around, slinging her arm over my shoulder and taking her first up to Mike and Carmela's parents, Charlotte and Aaron, who are beyond enthusiastic to meet her. As I take her around to the rest of the people, introducing her to each member of society one at a time, I'm relieved to see her slowly starting to break out of the wall she put up. I marvel to myself at how much has changed since a few days ago when I was the loner, the different one. Now, I'm the socialite, the one who knows everyone and has taken little Chloe, who may not be so little after all, under my wing.
But she adapts quickly. Everybody is fawning over her. Her fiery red hair, for one, everyone can't get enough of. And that's just her physical appearance, the tip of the iceberg of incredible things about our girl.
I can't really blame them. No, on the contrary, I do believe that I am one of the people fawning over her too. I mean, she is the one who is going to save us. We're all just insignificant worms in comparison.
And saving us by by sleeping, too. Quite a feat. Apparently sleeping is quite a pastime for teenagers nowadays. I don't really understand why you would want to idle your time away doing nothing, dead to the world, when you could be living it, experiencing in all the extraordinary things. I mean, what if you missed something while you were asleep? I know for sure that I missed quite a lot when I was asleep.
But apparently I'm the oddball. Well, that is to be expected since I'm from an extraordinarily different generation, but still. In the car ride, Carmela informed Chloe how lucky she was. For being able to save the world by doing absolutely nothing. And sleeping in, too. The two of them had quite the laughs about that, although it honestly confused me.
Whatever, though.
"Come on, let's eat," says Charlotte, eventually. "You guys must be starving. And even if you're not, too bad, because I made a feast. I even, personally, made a cake for you guys. It took so long to frost all the little faeries, but it was so worth it."
"Faeries," says Amanda to herself, chuckling. "Not fairies." Everyone else seems to think this is funny, so I laugh along too and pretend to get it.
"Oh don't worry, I'm hungry enough to eat a house," says Mike, which makes everybody laugh harder.
"Teenage boys," says Charlotte. "Typical."
We move to the dining room, and true to her word, Charlotte really did prepare a feast. There's mountains of food, most of which I've never even tried before. And I have to agree that the best is when she brings out of cake, which magic and faeries around it, and the words Welcome Home Chloe written in flowing pink script. Her eyes fill with tears when she cuts it, and she hugs Charlotte. We really are a family.
After the meal, Chloe and I go upstairs to my room, where she takes a shower. I throw open my closet and begin pulling out all my clothes, suddenly grateful for all the frivolous outfits that Carmela made me buy that day in the mall that seems like so long ago. I remember the beautiful golden dress that I went to sleep in so many years ago, how much I loved it, how fine and grand it was. I want Chloe to have something equally wonderful, equally memorable, something to make her happy in a foreign world five hundred years in the future.
Finally, I find it. A pretty, flattering, green sundress the same shade as Chloe's eyes. I present it to her when she comes out of the shower, and her face lights up. She practically snatches it from me and goes to change.
When she reemerges, she's not the only one with tears in her eyes. Looking at her just reminds me so much of myself before I went to sleep. I can tell that she's even put on a little makeup, and has somehow found a white flower to thread into her hair.
"How do I look?" she asks, twirling a little so the skirt flares out.
"Beautiful," I say. "They're gonna love you in the future."
She bites her lip. "The future, huh. That's kinda scary."
"I know just what you mean. I was terrified to go to sleep. Honestly, right now, I'm still scared at times. It's all just so different! But as I'm sure you've figured from how everybody is acting now, everybody is really kind, and welcoming, and always trying to make you feel at home. You'll fit right in."
She twists a strand of fiery red hair around her finger. "I feel like I won't fit in though," she confesses. "I mean, I saw what you did at the hospital, with Ebony and all. You've been training your whole life though. I've never picked up a dagger in my life. Or a real gun, or a sword, or whatever else. And I have no idea how to use magic at all."
"Magic is the easy part," I tell her. "It's true that I've had extensive training in weaponry and such, but I've sorta figured out the magic thing on my own. You'll get it too, once you've been asleep for five hundred years. It just sorta becomes part of you."
"Still," she says. "And you did just say that you had extensive training."
I consider what she said, then reach into my bag that's always by my side. It's becoming a part of me; I won't even put it down when we're all safe and together in headquarters.
My hand closes around the now familiar shape of the iron dagger that I killed Ebony with. I pull it out and hold it to the light, letting the blade reflect the light all around the room. After we got to our hotel last night, I wiped it clean and polished it, removing all traces of the dark faery. The blade gleams wickedly, cutting through the air, ready for it's next victim. I know it may seem menacing, but to me, it's a hero, kind and good.
Perhaps it's strange that I think of weapons as people, but I suppose that's the way of society.
"Here," I say, holding it out to Chloe. Looking awestruck, she accepts it from me and turns it around in her hands, weighing it, transferring it from one hand to the next. "Now you have picked up a dagger. Keep it. I daresay that it's lucky now; I don't know what possessed me to be able to kill Ebony. Perhaps you'll kill something with it."
"But Keela," she protests, her voice heavy with awe. "It's yours."
"I'll just get another," I say, waving her off. "You know we have an abundance of weapons. But I want you to have this something from me. From one Sleeping Girl to the next."
"Thank you," she says, swiping at her eye. "But I still don't know how to use it."
"Society will teach you everything in your next life," I say. "Five hundred years from now, I'm sure you'll be the master. And for everybody's sake, I truly hope that you will not need to go looking for the next Girl like I had to go looking for you. She should be just there, and you will be fine, until you can hone your skills in. Don't worry, you are not the first Girl to not be from society, nor will you be the last. For example, Tegan, the Girl before me was not from society before. She was called, like you were being before Ebony interfered. Yet when I met her, she did her job just fine. The sleep, the connection with the Earth ages you. Some day, you will understand. But for now, just rely on your instincts. I'm sure you'll be fine."
"I hope so. Is there anything else I should know?"
I think. There is so much to say, that is why there is a week between Girls, yet we have time for none of that. And it's all really extraneous, anyways.
"You know that you may be moved, correct?"
"Um, what?"
"Just a warning," I say. "I guess we forgot to tell you. It doesn't really matter, but you might not be in Oregon when you awaken. I went to sleep in Europe, before anybody had even realized that this continent existed. You will still be in nature, but you might be moved slightly. Just as long as you're still with nature each night, you can be moved bit by bit each day."
"Oo-kay," she says. "So basically when I was like, oh, I'm going home to Oregon, it's only for one day, and I might not be here when I... wake up?"
I purse my lips. "Home is where the heart is, Chloe. You will always be with society, you will always be home. And besides, I doubt that you will really be moved much, if at all, since there are so many divisions of society now. If anything, the other groups will move, and you will be sedentary."
She sighs. "I'm sorry Keela. I try, I really, really, really want to be a good Sleeping Girl, but I feel like I won't be. There's just so much pressure, you know."
I shake my head. "I'm sure you'll be perfect. You've been so brave, so so brave. I cannot believe all that you went through." I think for a moment, then am struck with an idea.
"Chloe, both of your parents died, and you stayed strong. I haven't told you, but I had a sister, and we were as close as could be. But she was killed by werewolves, died to protect me. I just about lost who I was when that happened, yet you've stayed true to yourself in spite of everything."
I reach my hands up to the chain around my neck, to the beautiful necklace from Ailie. I haven't really needed it in a while. It's shape used to feel so comforting and safe to me, but now, not really. 'Tis true that I love it with all my heart, for it's the last trinket remaining that I have of my beloved sister, or anyone in my first family really, but it no longer holds quite the same fee as it did.
It used to make me feel safe, powerful, when I was weak. Reminding me of how someone would give her life for me, someone strong. But now I know that I am strong, and there is someone who needs it more than I. I lift it up, and place it around her neck. The beautiful deep blue color goes nicely with her dress.
"This was my sister's," I say. "She saved for so long to get it, then gave it to be just before she died. Now, I want you to have it. From one Girl to the next. You've gone through so much, you deserve it. I've always felt that Ailie, my sister, was with me when I felt this, now she will protect you too."
"Keela," whispers Chloe. "I can't take this. This is... sapphire? Authentic? It's an antique, it's probably worth thousands of dollars."
"Money has no worth to me," I say. "Just love. I want you to have this."
She nods. "Thank you."
We embrace each other, and after she pulls away, she asks, "is that all I should know?"
"Just... keep an open mind," I say vaguely. "I'm not really sure how to explain. Just be ready to adapt, be ready for anything. Honestly, the hardest part for me, was leaving my family. But..." I don't want to be harsh, but I carry on anyways. "But Ebony already killed your family so it's not like you're going to leave them now. It should be easier for you." I peer at her, looking to see if I've hurt her feelings or something.
"It's fine," she says, clearly, seeing what I'm thinking. "I'm fine. I'll miss Isabelle, though."
"I'm sorry," I say, wishing that Chloe could tell her friend goodbye, but knowing that it's impossible. To explain Chloe's sudden recovery, or why she will be going away forever to somebody that's not part of society just isn't possible. I know that Isabelle and Peyton already know a lot more than most normal humans, but there's just too much at stake. Our whole division of society, Chloe included, already agreed to this earlier. I could tell that it made her sad, but she was very mature about it.
"It's fine," she says, brushing it off. "I've already been through so much that this doesn't really matter. It's funny how your priorities can shift when you and three friends almost get murdered by a psycho fairy thing."
I smile at her. Chloe's good at that, finding the humor in things. "You're ready Chloe. More ready that I ever was. Shall we go?"
"Lead the way."