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Chapter Eleven: Aftermath

On Saturday morning, Cordelia woke up feeling like she was being weighed down by lead weights.

Eleanor poked her head through the open doorway, "Wake up Sunshine, i've let you sleep in, but you really should get up now. You got home pretty late from Vanessa's." Her mother added, waltzing into Cordelia's bedroom, already dressed in jeans and a tunic. She threw open the pretty flower curtains Cordelia had picked out while thrift store shopping with Eleanor, flooding the room with bright autumn sunlight that pierced her eyeballs and stung the back of her head.

"Ugh." Cordelia moaned, covering her face.

Eleanor ignored her grunting, "Your father and I already ate, but there are some leftover waffles you can heat up." She informed Cordelia, before strutting out of the room.

Cordelia sat up, and vaguely wondered if this was what being hungover felt like. It all came back to her, everything that had happened last night, and she felt a surge of excitement. Magic.

Cal hadn't called it magic. But to Cordelia it felt like Magic.

It had been strange and amazing. True, today she felt physically awful, foggy-headed, and sore. Honestly, if she had woken up with no memory of last night, she would've assumed she'd gotten drunk or that she'd been hit by a bus.

Last night had been...one of the most exciting times in her life.

And Cal...he was incredible. Unusual.

She thought back to the moment where she'd been so sure he had been talking to Cordelia alone, but she realised that Ethan, Kendra, and Indigo had heard him banish loneliness too.

On the way home, Kendra had wondered out loud how a guy like Cal could possibly be lonely.

She swung her feet over to the chilly wood floor. It really was autumn. Her favourite time of year. The air was crisp and cool, the leaves changed colours, the heat of summer was over. It was just cozier.

When Cordelia stood, she swayed a little on her feet, and leaned on her desk for support, focusing on the pencils, framed pictures, and the script for the end of the year play she'd been in last year, before clawing her way to the shower.

When the water streamed down her head, she closed her eyes and leaned against the shower wall. When she openned her eyes, she could hear each and every drop of water, and feel each drop slide on her skin. She breathed in the steamy air and felt her headache drain away.

She permitted herself to enjoy the universe in her shower for a few more minutes before stepping out. With her headache mysteriously gone, Cordelia felt oddly cheerful. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the shower. Maybe it was the circle. Maybe it was Cal.

Cordelia slipped into a red knit sweater and jeans, just because it was autumn, and braided her wet hair, before going downstairs and putting the leftover waffles in the toaster.

Eleanor was probably out gardening, since it was one of her last chances before it got too cold for her to garden. Malcom was probably in his study, grading papers, reading a book, or writing a brilliant thesis.

While Cordelia ate her fluffy, drowned by maple syrup, waffles, she thought to look at the time. It was already noon. She had gotten home at around eleven, which meant she had slept for...thirteen hours! She remembered falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but the circle had taken such a toll on her, she'd slept thirteen hours?

Cordelia marveled at how much she'd slept, especially considering the fact that recently she'd had trouble falling asleep as of late. When she did sleep, she was plagued by awful nightmares seventeen year old girls shouldn't have.