𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 ❀ 𝐂. 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄 ➀

XV. 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗱

𝐕𝐈𝐀

We had spent three days here at the lighthouse, and each hour that went by felt like a year. Very stressful years. We were playing deer in a hunting season, and the Passerine were the ones with guns; they'd find out where we were, and we'd be back to square one.

It was hard to pass the time. We'd spent a good chunk of our solitude training, and I felt like I had a decent handle on sword fighting. I could now hold my own against Cole-- when he's going easy on me. Unfortunately, I don't think the Passerine will go easy on me. Cole and I had a lot of meaningful conversations, too. We chatted about anything and everything (Let's ignore the fact that all of these talks usually ended in us holding hands). He taught me how to play some popular card games, and also a bunch of facts about the world and how it worked-- for when I finally got back into the groove of life.

Luckily, there was only one moment of this "trip" that posed a potential issue. On the second night, when we both remembered there was a bed on the second floor, we fought over who would sleep in it.

"Okay, you can sleep here, and I'll take the couch." Cole put a hand on my shoulder.

I shook his hand off, folding my arms and pouting my lips. "No, you can take it." I wasn't about to let him sacrifice a good night's sleep for me-- someone who couldn't even close her eyes without having a nightmare.

Cole scowled, crossing his own arms over his chest. "Via, you're taking the bed."

"No."

"Yes."

I gave him the most stern look I could, but it clearly wasn't threatening enough. "Cole, I'm this close," I held up my fingers only an inch apart, "to using my power to put you asleep and haul you onto this bed."

"That's an unfair advantage."

"Life ain't fair, cupcake."

"You are infuriating."

I smirked, "No, I just want you to take the bed, and I'll sleep on the couch."

Eventually, he'd given in. The following two nights, he'd forced me to switch spots with him. So, reluctantly, I laid in that plush bed all night, not even sleeping a wink. Obviously, Cole didn't know that. He didn't have to know that. I was used to never sleeping. I don't think I've slept for over three years-- the nightmares have been too intense. Luckily, my powers didn't warrant sleep; they gave my mind enough compensation that I think I could go my whole life without ever dreaming again. Although, my sleep-wake homeostasis must be close to overheating.

Right now, we were in an intense game of what he called, "Uno." We'd found the game stashed in the back of a shelf. With a cheer, Cole plucked it from the cubby and declared "uno war" against me. I had no idea what this game was or how it was played, but I assumed I was in good hands. I'd gotten the hang of it pretty quickly-- it was all just numbers and colors. A child could play this game. I surely could. Sitting across from each other at the table, we held our cards close to our faces to prevent peeking, and gave each other devilish grins.