Page 33 of Heart of Mischief

LOU:

Charlie laughed, then switched her phone to airplane mode and set it back on the comforter. She could catch up on the group chat later.

She repositioned herself.

“Right,” she said, tearing off a piece of the granola bar at her side and handing it to Henry, who snatched it swiftly away. “How do we do this?”

After polishing off his chunk of granola bar, Henry waved his little arms, begging for more.

“Nuh-uh,” said Charlie. “Not until you teach me how to communicate with you.”

The vätte sighed dramatically, his beard ruffling outward. Charlie stared down at him with folded arms until, at last, he waddled over and scaled her arm, coming to rest on her shoulder.

“Now what?” she asked. “You touch my ear and I hear your voice?”

He shook his head. With his tiny arms, he reached out toward her eyes, gesturing downward.

“Look down?”

He shook his head again. He pointed at her eyes, then lowered his arms slowly.

“Close my eyes?”

An eager nod.

“All right.” She did as he asked. “What now?”

A few seconds of silence passed before Henry poked her hard in the neck.

“Ow!” Her eyes flew open. “What was—” It took her a few seconds to understand the exasperation on his face. “Oh. Right. You can’t talk, and I can’t see what you’re doing.” She gestured forward with one hand. “Proceed, good sir.”

Henry nodded. He performed the gesture for closing her eyes once more, then held up a hand as if to say,Now, watch this.He slid down her arm, landing on the comforter with a softpoof. Then he plopped down onto his butt and mimed taking three big breaths.

“So…” Charlie scratched her head. “Close my eyes and… breathe?”

A relieved nod.

“Wait a minute.” She narrowed her eyes at the vätte. “Are you trying to get me tomeditate?”

Henry nodded vigorously, clapping his little hands together.

“Oh, comeon.” Charlie rolled her eyes. “You know I don’t believein that spiritual mumbo jumbo. Isn’t there some spell you can teach me, instead?”

Henry shook his head. He stood up, re-plopped himself on the bed, did the gesture for closing her eyes, and took a deep breath.

She groaned, letting her head fall backward. “Fiiiiiiine,” she said, dropping her chin down and giving Henry one last glare. “But if you suggest crystal therapy next, you’re sleeping on the lawn.”

Impatiently, he mimed the eye-closing gesture.

“Fine, fine, fine.”

Charlie squeezed her eyes shut and shifted around on the bed, getting comfortable. For good measure, she laid her palms face up on her knees, the way the yogis did in the movies. Then she took one big, deep breath, filling her lungs to the brim before exhaling it all back out.

The first breath felt good. So did the second.

It was on the third that the problems began.

With her eyes closed and her attention turned inward, Charlie couldn’t help but be aware of every sensation in her body. The rhythm of her breath. The beating of her heart. The whisper of a breeze from the open window or the tickle of an itch on her skin. It was all so loud. So overwhelming. Her body was her entire world, and the world was too much, too loud, her racing heart, her trembling hands, her shallow breath, and was this because she was trying to meditate or did shealwaysfeel like this but was normally able to shut it all out, and wasn’t meditation supposed tohelpwith panic in any case, not make it worse, gods almighty, she didn’t know, but another episode was coming, growing closer with every passing second…