The Ivory Killer (DISCONTINUED)

-Chapter Twelve- Merhedith

Hi, guys! It's chapter twelve with a sketch of the newest character (if there's anyone else you'd like to see, let me know). Enjoy!

Being awake was slowly but surely becoming one of my least favorite things. I was never really a morning person, but wasn't really one for sleep either. Being asleep was a fifty-fifty chance of success for me; nightmares or dreams? You never know until you're in too deep. On the other hand, not sleeping was just as horrible. The sun was always terribly bright and, no matter the season, the morning air was cold. The blankets that I would cocoon myself in would seem unnaturally comfortable, so comfortable that I could just lay there for hours. If it wasn't comfortable, I would still lay there because just the idea of getting up and facing my problems like an almost-adult seemed too daunting. Staying in my safe space, wrapped in woolen blankets made by our elderly mages and curled in a ball, was the more preferable course of action.

When Jarad woke me up yet again, I was just a bit frustrated.

"You look like a mess," he commented bluntly as he dropped a stack of folded clothes onto my body. I was still laying down, my blankets only shifted a bit from his rousing shaking. I knew that I looked atrocious. I could see small fluffs of my raven hair tangled up around my face and messily strewn across my pillow.

"Well, I feel like a mess," I rolled away from him and hoped that there wasn't another sighting. There was no way that I could deal with more humans and throw together another hijacking squad. No way. Could I sit out a hijacking? I was so tired and worn down that I probably wouldn't have been of any use anyways. The nightmares from the night before had been brutal, and left me drained beyond belief.

Jarad sighed heavily and leaned over me. He picked up the pile of now half-folded clothes and dropped them directly onto my head. I didn't react, mostly because the fabric blocked out all of the sun dripping through my window and strangling my sleepy eyes. He saw this and I felt the weight of a hairbrush being dropped into my head as well.

"You can't stay in here forever!" He stated while nudging my ribs with his foot, "We have things to do and it's already noon, so get your butt out of bed before I take away your patrolling privileges."

I scoffed and dug my nose deeper into my pillow. Jarad was great. He was a great leader and knew how the people thought. He was considerate and funny. If I knew anything about Jarad, though, it was that he would not be able to dole out punishment. He could say he would "take away privileges", but would really ask me to come patrol later that day because a group needed a supervisor. Either that or he would just forget and let the "threat" hang over my head until it disappeared.

I heard the soft rustle of fabric as he knelt down besides me, then whispered, "The dining hall has," he paused a moment for suspense or something like that, "coffee."

Then, I really woke up. Coffee was very, very rare; it only came in carts a few times a year. When it did come, I was the most awake I could ever be. I didn't know what went on inside that beverage, but every sip was like hours of sleep and then some. Of course, "the crash", as Jarad dubbed it, was horrible, but the energy that came with it was definitely worth it.

"Where did it come from?" I asked, already tugging the brush over my head. As expected, it struggled to tear apart the rough knots in my normally shiny hair.

"We found a bit in storage while organizing some of the findings from last night," he raised his eyebrows in a warning expression and pointed his index finger towards me, "Just a bit, okay? Not too much or you'll feel sick later, and, apparently, you already signed up to patrol tonight."

I nodded. Vaguely, I remembered volunteering to patrol tonight a few days back. That was all before Karter had disappeared, though. Now, I was even more exhausted than I was then.