Elements-Paused

Thirty-Three

The next few days have been rough. I haven't slept at all during the night and in the day, I would be like a walking zombie. Aaron continues to tease me about what he witnessed in the food room and Xavier has been ignoring me. I have been hanging out with Jayden more, but that involved Aaron so I try to stay away from them for now. Winter hasn't been at the Academy and Tyson has been giving me looks and I would see him everywhere around me during the day. Hazel and Dawn have not forgiven me about Art. Apparently, according to the gossip fromArt's disappearance, Dawn has a huge crush on him and wants to find him and they have been annoying me with thinking I know something about him, which I don't.

It's Wednesday, and I walk through the hallway, trying to not let my eyelids close. It has been a struggle and I have fallen asleep in a few classes. But only for a few minutes before someone waking me up or me doing it myself.

I weave in and out of the crowd of Year 4 students, trying to get to my next class fast before I fall asleep, again on the floor.

The only thing running a marathon in my mind is that my mothers funeral will be soon. The Queen new my mom and wanted to wait a few days for the funeral. The reason is, I don't know.

I finally reach the door that is my one-on-one class for my element. I open the door to see the smaller square classroom empty except for the desk in the far right corner and the lone chair in the middle of the room.

I flop down onto the chair, let my backpack fall to the ground and rest my head back. Finnz hasn't come yet and that will give me some time to rest from my uneventful History of Elementa class.

After a few minutes of resting my very tired eyes, I hear Finnz open the door and make his way to the desk. The sound of his heavy footsteps stop near the right hand corner and I can feel a sudden pair of eyes gaze upon my resting figure. I don't move from my comfortable position or open my eyes.

"I see you are tired." Finnz's watery laugh coats the room.

I don't say anything and neither does he. I can hear the chair squeaking as he sits down. I let my mind wonder and it goes to my mother, being covered in the murderous sludge then it slides to the memory of my throat closing in.

My eyelids open rapidly and I jump from the seat. The sudden movements are not welcomed by my weak body and my knees buckle and I tumble to the ground with a thud. Finnz doesn't have any time to react to my sudden scare and sits paralyzed in the seat. After I have crashed to the ground and lie there, not wanting to move, Finnz stands up and rushes to my side.

"Evans!" He yells and kneels beside my collapsed body.

I look at his face, at his gentle honey eyes, that have flecks off hard dark blue in them that you can't miss. Through my half open eyes, I give him a small smile that he doesn't meet. His face isn't the normal soft kindness that normal site there, it is an unusual side of him. The scared worried side of him.

He helps me lift my weak body up off the ground and back on the chair where I slump back down.

He then kneels in front of me and looks directly in my eyes. "What is going on? Why did you just collapse??"

I look at him through my tired eyes and try to explain. "I had a nightmare one night and now every time I close my eyes it comes back and scares me." I tell him. "And I haven't slept in days." I whisper the last part but by the look on his face, he heard me.

"Madilyn." He sighs. "You need to sleep. Your body won't be able to carry you forever if you don't sleep. And," he sighs again. "You need to forget about that nightmare."

"But I can't!" I tell him. "It felt so real and I don't want to see him again."

"Who again?" He asks gently.