day, missing lunch and supper. It wasn’t until the sun had traveled across the vast blue sky that I began to stir and even then, I might not have awakened at all if it weren’t for Sebastian’s sudden loud moans.
“No… no! I didn’t really want… no!” he half-cried, half-yelled, jolting me awake.
I sat up straight, looking around in confusion, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I was confused to see many shocked and curious faces peering over the neighboring seats at me, or rather - at Sebastian. My thoughts were thick and groggy from sleep and it took me a minute to make sense of the situation.
“Sebastian, wake up,” I urged, shaking him gently as I spoke.
“No… please…not her!” he moaned even louder, his head tossing feebly.
I shook him harder, worried for what he might call out next. “Wake up!” I insisted, my voice sharp and demanding, a familiar echo of my mother’s. I squeezed my amber pendant so tightly in my hand it hurt, focusing all of my strength and will through it. I lowered my voice and spoke slowly and forcefully, in sudden cool control of the situation. “I want you to wake up – now!”
Sebastian’s eyes flew open.
I was about to sigh in relief but my breath caught in my chest as I saw his panicked expression.
“What’s happening? Where are we?” he demanded in a loud, fearful voice. He started to half-rise out of his seat.
I grabbed his hand and yanked him back down as hard as I could.
“Sebastian, shush! Calm down.”
His wide eyes momentarily focused on my face as I spoke, the mysterious depths swirling with confusion.
“Caoilinn? I don’t understand - what’s going on?” He winced in pain as he spoke, his fingers flying to his temples to press against them.
“Everything okay there, miss?” the bus driver called out. I met his concerned eyes in the mirror over his seat and tried to smile reassuringly.
“We’re fine, thanks,” I politely responded, throwing him my most charming smile. It didn’t work as well as it once had. The driver frowned, still looking concerned and a little suspicious. A lot of eyes were still turned our way.
“Sebastian?” I spoke his name softly, gently placing a hand on his arm. He didn’t answer, didn’t move, he just continued to clutch at his head in pain. “Seamus?” I repeated, feeling the beginnings of my own panic setting in as a thin trickle of blood ran from his nose and dripped from his upper lip. I grabbed the corner of our blanket and gently touched it to his skin to wipe the blood away. His head snapped up at my touch, his eyes wide once more as he flinched away from me.
“The Others – they’re so close. I can sense them! We’ve got to run, Caoilinn! We have to run! They’re going to kill us!” Sebastian began yelling, standing up as he spoke and tugging forcefully on my arms.
Another trickle of blood ran from his other nostril. At almost the same time he abruptly let go of my arms and dropped to his knees in pain, curling up on his side in the middle of the aisle and clutching at his head again.
Two men rushed to help but everyone else remained seated, eyeing Sebastian and me warily. The bus immediately pulled over, the driver angrily turning around.
“What the hell is going on here?” he demanded.
“They look like junkies,” someone further back in the bus called out.
“Yeah, I think he might just be tripping out,” one of the men who’d come to help Sebastian suggested, glancing at me apologetically as he spoke. The other man looked disgusted and threw his hands up in the air.
“Goddamn coke fiends! They must have been snorting the stuff in the bathroom. Look at that kid’s nose.” The man nudged Sebastian with his shoe as he spoke, causing him to moan and his eyelids to flutter. His grip on his head did seem to be loosening a bit though and his nose had definitely stopped bleeding.
“We’re not drug addicts!” I was completely shocked by the accusation. I’d never done a
“No… no! I didn’t really want… no!” he half-cried, half-yelled, jolting me awake.
I sat up straight, looking around in confusion, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I was confused to see many shocked and curious faces peering over the neighboring seats at me, or rather - at Sebastian. My thoughts were thick and groggy from sleep and it took me a minute to make sense of the situation.
“Sebastian, wake up,” I urged, shaking him gently as I spoke.
“No… please…not her!” he moaned even louder, his head tossing feebly.
I shook him harder, worried for what he might call out next. “Wake up!” I insisted, my voice sharp and demanding, a familiar echo of my mother’s. I squeezed my amber pendant so tightly in my hand it hurt, focusing all of my strength and will through it. I lowered my voice and spoke slowly and forcefully, in sudden cool control of the situation. “I want you to wake up – now!”
Sebastian’s eyes flew open.
I was about to sigh in relief but my breath caught in my chest as I saw his panicked expression.
“What’s happening? Where are we?” he demanded in a loud, fearful voice. He started to half-rise out of his seat.
I grabbed his hand and yanked him back down as hard as I could.
“Sebastian, shush! Calm down.”
His wide eyes momentarily focused on my face as I spoke, the mysterious depths swirling with confusion.
“Caoilinn? I don’t understand - what’s going on?” He winced in pain as he spoke, his fingers flying to his temples to press against them.
“Everything okay there, miss?” the bus driver called out. I met his concerned eyes in the mirror over his seat and tried to smile reassuringly.
“We’re fine, thanks,” I politely responded, throwing him my most charming smile. It didn’t work as well as it once had. The driver frowned, still looking concerned and a little suspicious. A lot of eyes were still turned our way.
“Sebastian?” I spoke his name softly, gently placing a hand on his arm. He didn’t answer, didn’t move, he just continued to clutch at his head in pain. “Seamus?” I repeated, feeling the beginnings of my own panic setting in as a thin trickle of blood ran from his nose and dripped from his upper lip. I grabbed the corner of our blanket and gently touched it to his skin to wipe the blood away. His head snapped up at my touch, his eyes wide once more as he flinched away from me.
“The Others – they’re so close. I can sense them! We’ve got to run, Caoilinn! We have to run! They’re going to kill us!” Sebastian began yelling, standing up as he spoke and tugging forcefully on my arms.
Another trickle of blood ran from his other nostril. At almost the same time he abruptly let go of my arms and dropped to his knees in pain, curling up on his side in the middle of the aisle and clutching at his head again.
Two men rushed to help but everyone else remained seated, eyeing Sebastian and me warily. The bus immediately pulled over, the driver angrily turning around.
“What the hell is going on here?” he demanded.
“They look like junkies,” someone further back in the bus called out.
“Yeah, I think he might just be tripping out,” one of the men who’d come to help Sebastian suggested, glancing at me apologetically as he spoke. The other man looked disgusted and threw his hands up in the air.
“Goddamn coke fiends! They must have been snorting the stuff in the bathroom. Look at that kid’s nose.” The man nudged Sebastian with his shoe as he spoke, causing him to moan and his eyelids to flutter. His grip on his head did seem to be loosening a bit though and his nose had definitely stopped bleeding.
“We’re not drug addicts!” I was completely shocked by the accusation. I’d never done a
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