The Sleeping Girl

Chapter Twenty One

"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.