They Came In Hoodies

Chapter 27: You Aren't An Inconvenience

Stella's POV

The first thing I was aware of was Gray's voice. I looked around in the darkness with a frown. It was so dark that I could not see anything but Gray sounded so close.

"Stella, wake up!" Gray shouted.

At first it was distant, but slowly grew in strength. It sounded as if he was right beside me.

"Your boy is cute when he's concerned," the Umbra Mortine said as it appeared in front of me.

"What are you doing?" I demanded to it.

It smirked. "Just taking a little joy ride."

Horror consumed me. I couldn't have let it take control again. I fought so hard to stay up, but I must have dozed off. Now who knows what damage it did?

"You better calm him down," the Umbra Mortine said, then vanished.

Quickly, my eyes flung open, meeting his worried ones as he shook my shoulders. His reaction caused me to become even more worried.

With a panicked look, I glanced around the forest to get my bearings. I had no memory of coming here, which meant the Umbra Mortine took me here. But if I was here, what did it do? And how long was it in control? The last thing I remembered was sitting on his bed. I didn't think I fell asleep, but maybe I was wrong. Otherwise, how would I have come here?

"Stella..." Gray breathed as he brought me into an embrace. "You're ok."

I held onto him as I locked eyes with Birch. Her eyes told me that something traumatic happened, but remained silent.

"It took control, didn't it?" I whispered as I drew out of the hug.

Gray cupped my cheek with a frown as he tried to understand what I said.

I cleared my throat. He needed to understand that I was the treat. I couldn't hide it any longer. There wasn't another time to talk about this. "I have an Umbra Mortine within me. It comes out when I sleep. Lately it has grown in strength. That was why I was here in Churchwell. Your father told me he would help me get rid of it."

Gray's eyes grew stormy for a moment as he exchanged looks with Birch. I shifted my weight as the silence made me feel uneasy. There was something I was missing in this silent conversation, and I didn't like it. It made me feel more out of place than I already had.

The way the two interacted, I would be lying if I said it didn't make me feel like I didn't belong. Maybe my worst fears were right. He had moved on.

"We probably should get back to school," Birch stated, breaking the silence.

Gray nodded as he grabbed my hand, then with his other hand grabbed Birch's. She fixed her gold bracelet, then stepped through a glittery vale to get to the school.

"Do you know how you stepped through that?" Gray asked as he pointed towards the vale we stepped through.

I shook my head as I looked back at it glitter. "No idea. I rarely know what I do once the Umbra Mortine takes over."

"How long have you been dealing with this?"

I shrugged as we walked into the school. "Months, but the sleepwalking, that is new. Probably only a week or two."

Gray's eyes glanced the ground, preventing me from seeing them. "I did not know... I'm sorry."

I nodded as a surge of frustration shot through my veins. Of course, he was sorry now that he knew. I reached out for help. I begged for it, but now when it was at its worst; he was sorry. You know, I was sorry too. I was sorry it came to this when it didn't have to. "I tried to reach out to you about it. I even reached out to Else. But she shot me down," I explained.