She tells him she wants to stay, to watch him prepare, but he says he needs to focus, and her presence wouldn't help with that. That she really should go home.
So she does, feeling like she's not being told everything. She's annoyed at Kevin for that. This is literally all about her life and he's still keeping secrets. But there's no winning with Kevin and secrets, and she knows that. He'll hold on to the ones he decides to hold on. And another part of her is, for a fleeting moment, grateful to him for giving her a chance to rest. He's right about that. She needs it. It's been a long... year. But then she gets home, and finds she has nothing to do except run through the same thoughts she's run through thousands of times in the last year about what will happen after the spell is cast. So instead of resting, she finds herself pacing her apartment nervously.
She just wants to get it over with.
There's a knock on her door. She stops pacing and looks at the door, confused. She has pretty much managed to alienate all friends in the last year with her endless hunt for ingredients taking all her time. Especially in the last month or two, with the deadline closing in. She went on one date, but hasn't had the time to get back to that after, despite desperately wanting to. But this spell has to come first in her life right now. Everything else can be sorted out after. Soon.
She walks wearily to the door and opens it. It's Sam.
"Hi," they say. "Just thought I'd check up on you on my way home. See how you're doing."
She's sure the confusion is shining brightly on her face.
"Kevin sent you?" she blurts out before she can help herself. She cringes internally at herself.
"Yes, but also I wanted to come," they answer after a brief pause. "I worry about you too, you know. I've gotten myself involved in this now, and I've seen you do things to yourself no person should ever do." She looked apologetic for a moment before continuing. "And Kevin said you have a Guardian?"
"Oh," she says, and waves Sam in. "I'm doing okay. Just nervous. I've been working on this spell for a year, and it's finally ready soon, and I have no idea what it does, and if I'm honest I'm scared to find out."
"That's understandable," Sam says as they follow her into the tiny living room.
"Yeah, well," she shrugs. "Kevin sent me to rest, but instead I pace and worry."
"Do you want me to put together something to help you sleep?" they ask. She shakes her head.
"I'll sleep when this is over."
"If you don't know what the spell does," Sam says slowly, "I would imagine it would be a good idea to be well rested going in. Don't you?"
She just shrugs again. They look at her for a moment, waiting for a different response. When they don't get one, they move on.
"So, a Guardian?"
And they talk, for a long time. She tells them how she thinks she's had it for the whole year, at least. How she didn't know it was there until she saw it in the Fountain. Sam tells her Kevin thinks the Guardians are linked to memories, not the Garden. And together they hypothesize. Neither knows much about Guardians, but she likes to be able to just talk to someone about it. Kevin is great, but he always needs to solve the mystery. Not that she doesn't, but in the meantime she likes having someone who doesn't try, but only listens and talks.
They finally agree that they don't know where the Guardian came from, but it seems like it's a good thing. It's late when Sam leaves, and she goes straight to bed. Unlike what she would have guessed a few hours earlier, she falls asleep easily. The talk with Sam may not have reached any new conclusions, but they did let her overthinking brain get it all out and stop thinking about it all for long enough to sleep.
~x~
It takes a day and a half until she hears from Kevin. It's early afternoon and her phone makes a sound in her pocket.
«We're ready to go.»
She drops everything and heads to the shop.
_________________________________________________
Wasn't I literally just writing part 11? When did 21 happen? What have I been doing all those days? Where was I even on the 11th? La Fortuna? I don't know. The farther into the trip I go, the less I have any idea of days. And I bet that's going to get worse as we finish with this and then there's nothing that I can use to track time. Other than what, like, my phone says about what day it is.
Either way the topic for tomorrow is Follow.
~matleena
That's a sold chapter for an interesting topic :D I don't know why I went "oh no, double cross" when Sam appeared behind the door unexpected. What a dramatic and cynical cookie I am.
ReplyDeleteI am so enjoying this story, I can't believe it's almost over. I don't want it to be. But I also want to know everything. GAH!