Waindale

thirty-nine. before he takes me

They were poison—the plants that grew as if I beckoned them to. Some could be found on this continent, others originate in faraway places. Adam told me that he woke alone then couldn't find me anywhere in the house but discovered that the back doors were unlocked. He shifted and followed my scent as if something stole me from our bed. He found me laying on the forest floor in a circle of belladonna, death caps, oleander, hemlock, and many other plants he did not recognize. A vine of poison oak had begun to wrap its way up my leg. It left no rash on my skin.

"Wrenley?"

"Sorry," I mumble and look up at Vivianne and Imogen, "I can't stop daydreaming."

"I asked about Adam being here," Vivianne repeats. "People say he's been here since this morning."

"Yeah. I came with him. H-He said he has things to do here, I don't know."

"Is he here all day?"

I nod and rest my arms on the lunch table. "I think so."

"You look a little tired," Imogen says.

"I didn't sleep last night."

Vivianne's eyes widen. "At all?" She questions, placing down her sandwich. "What? Why?"

"I don't know, I just—"

"Is everything okay between you two?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're fine. I think it's because I'm getting sick like I told you. I was tossing and turning all night."

That's a lie. I sat up against the headboard as Adam slept. I restrained myself from leaving the room just in case he woke up. The entire night I sat there and only got out of bed to use the restroom, but my thoughts kept me busy. I have at least three fully developed ideas about what my father is and his purpose for being here—his purpose for having me. In the first one, he's a good creature with good intentions. In the second, he's evil and his powers come from something dark. The third got cut short as the sun began to rise, but to sum it up, he really is from somewhere far away. I couldn't provide a solid purpose for his creating me, though.

"Ben! Hi," Vivianne calls.

Again, I tear myself from my head and notice Ben as he makes his way over. Vivianne scoots to make room for him.

"What are you doing here? Both you and Adam—is something wrong?" She asks.

"No, everything is fine," he says then looks to me. "I just heard that Adam was here. He didn't tell me that he was going to be at the Academy, so I thought I would check-in."

I wonder if he knows. I wonder what Adam told him.

Suddenly another presence comes out of nowhere. Penny shoots to the end of our table like a magnet. "Hi, Wren," she says all too casually. "Can I see your notes real quick? Devon said I missed something when I, uh, got called to the—"

"Sure," I cut her off and wave her over. She sparks with life and comes to my free side. "Oh, Ben, this is my friend Penny."

Imogen and Vivianne both look at me. I pull out my notes, open to a random page, and drop them to the table even though I know Penny won't even glance at them. Somehow, the girl manages to carry a conversation with Ben, and as she leans over me, Vivianne kicks my shin under the table.

She mouths, "Friends with Penny?"

I shrug.

"Well, thanks, Wren," she says after a minute or two of talking. "Mind if I get these back to you later?"

"Sure, go ahead," I say and she takes the notebook and holds it to her chest.

"It was nice meeting you, Ben," Penny blushes and skips off to wherever she came from.