Speed of Lyght

Action, Reaction

Chapter Three: For Every Action, There’s A Reaction

She didn’t dream after going back to sleep, to her surprise. She didn’t know if she even wanted to. Tabitha awakened to find the sun in her eyes, the sheets not charred and the smell of the alley not overwhelming her! She had felt something that she hadn’t felt in a while… rejuvenation. She didn’t have to worry about someone touching her in the middle of the night, trying to steal the little rag of a blanket that she did have; she didn’t have to worry about insects and rats scurrying over her as she tried to get somewhat comfortable… and she didn’t have to worry about accidently electrocuting anyone. She admitted that it was a challenge to constantly try to keep the surges from erupting all over her body, but it was a vast improvement from the day before.

She ran her hand over the soft purple and blue diamond-patterned sheets, covering her shoulders with them. She had a bed, now, she happily thought; a big, nice one with down pillows, thick covers and soft sheets. She moved her head away from the sun’s rays and let her eyes adjust by themselves. Pins and needles feeling aside, she felt better than she had in a long while. Tabitha slowly stretched and propped herself up against the headboard. She smiled as she lazily looked at what was at the foot of the bed; a TV. Last night had been fun, watching the likes of the various wrestlers. However, she needed to know what had gone on since she was dumped in that alley… and to confirm if she was indeed in Memphis.

Locating the remote on the nightstand beside the bed, Tabitha turned the TV on and wasn’t surprised to see cartoon characters fill up the screen. She quietly studied the remote, pressed the guide button and scanned through the menu for a local channel. It only took going through two commercials and the beginning of the broadcast for her fears to be confirmed; she was indeed in Memphis. Not wanting to make herself upset, she tried not to think about it and continued to watch the early morning news. It had been almost exactly a month since she was volunteered for that experiment. Nothing of major importance had happened since she last saw a news report; as a man went to talk about sports, Tabitha turned the channel.

She was watching a movie when there was a knock on the door. Tabitha realized that maybe she should’ve gotten out of bed, washed up and prepared to eat breakfast; she didn’t want to seem lazy to the doctor and her family. However, as the door slowly opened, Tabitha had a feeling that she would be excused due to all that she had been through.

She smiled as Jamila blinked a few times, slightly startled.

“Oh! Well… you’re up!” she returned the smile. She had expected Tabitha to be sound asleep still and she wouldn’t have blamed her. The young woman looked extremely better than what she did a mere few hours ago.

Jamila opened the door wider, revealing her husband right behind her. Tabitha’s smile actually widened as he casually wrapped his arm around her waist. His orange polo shirt stood out but actually complimented his mahogany skin. Looking at his jet black hair made her realize that all three of the children inherited a variation of their mother’s hair color.

“Yeah. I, uh… I kinda… messed up your sheets…” she decided to admit. The professor kept her smile and waved it off.

“No worries. We got ‘em from Wal-Mart; we can go get some more.” she said. Her husband slightly rolled his eyes and smiled.

“Another excuse to go shopping…”

“Shut up!” she playfully snapped. Before anyone could say another word, the triplets pushed their parents out of the way and jumped in the bed with their new guest. Tabitha flinched and the parents noticed, being seconds away from pulling the children out of harm’s way. However, she took a deep breath and smiled at the three. The children were still in their pajamas but had freshly brushed teeth; Tabitha could smell the combination of grape, strawberry and citrus toothpaste.