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"Caitlin!" she sobbed. "I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again!" She pulled back, her relief rapidly replaced with anger. "Where the hell have you been?" she shrieked. "I've been worried sick!"
"Sarah," I said, taking my first full breath since she hadn't answered her phone. "I could ask you the same thing. Where have you been?"
"What do you mean?" Sarah looked confused and I was surprised when Grant shot up from the couch, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"I've been looking for you all damned day! Where were you?! Why is your phone turned off?"
Sarah blanched at Grant's fierce rebuke. "What's going on? I'm not the one who’s been missing! I was walking around, checking all the places that I thought Caitlin could have gone. The battery on my phone died."
Grant slumped in relief, letting go of Sarah. He turned to Simon and me accusingly. "You're the ones that made me all crazy, convincing me that something had happened to Sarah! What's going on?"
I took a deep breath and Simon nodded at me, letting me know that I should tell them everything. I suggested that we all sit, and Grant and Sarah settled on the couch. I noticed how closely Grant was sitting next to Sarah but I didn't comment, although I saw her glance at him questioningly, also seeming surprised by how close he was sitting. I sat on the recliner and Simon sat on the arm, taking my hand and entwining it with his before resting it on his lap. I thought about the first time we had sat like this, how uncomfortable I had been by his close proximity. Now his nearness gave me strength and I took a deep breath before telling Grant and Sarah everything.
Unlike Simon, Grant and Sarah were far from silent when I revealed what was happening. I first had to tell Grant about my visions, which he accepted far more easily than I expected, bu
t when I came to the part about the vardogers, Grant and Sarah were falling all over themselves asking questions. Shock and disbelief was their first reaction, but it quickly turned into stunned silence when Simon chimed in about what he had experienced. Grant and Sarah watched Simon warily when I explained that his vardoger was inside of him. I wasn't sure how much of this information they were accepting.
"So what happens now?" Sarah asked, sounding breathless.
"I'm not sure. I have to go through my aunt's journal again. Maybe I missed something."
"One thing's for sure," Grant said, getting up. "If there's a chance that all this stuff is true, there's no way you're staying here alone tonight. I'm going to grab some of my stuff and I'll be right back."
"Thanks," Sarah said quietly. I could hear the hope in her voice. I didn't protest Grant's offer because the last thing I wanted was to be alone now. Simon lifted our entwined hands and kissed the back of my hand softly.
"I hope it's a given that I'll be staying here as well." I nodded, knowing that I didn't want Simon to leave my sight, and not just because of his vardoger.
Simon waited until Grant came back, insisting that he didn't want to leave Sarah and I alone, and then he went to his apartment to grab some things for tonight. When he got back, we ordered a pizza and ate in the living room, almost seeming normal except for our conversation that revolved around vardogers. It started raining outside, and it almost felt cozy to be inside our small apartment with friends. Except we were talking about death and violence. I went through my aunt's journal multiple times, but the only thing that jumped out at me was the last entry about my mother.
"I'm exhausted," Sarah said when it got late, stretching her arms and yawning. "I'm going to bed."
Grant jumped up, grabbing the sleeping bag that he had brought over. "Me too."
Sarah raised an eyebrow when he started following her to her bedroom. "Where do you think you're going?"
"If you think I'm letting you sleep alone tonight, you're crazy. Caitlin said your vardoger is lurking around. Whether I believe it or not, there's no chance I'm leaving you alone."
"Grant," Sarah started to protest, but Simon cut her off.
"Sarah, he's right. No one should be alone tonight. I would suggest we all sleep in one room if Grant's snoring wasn't so loud."
I laughed, amazed that I could find levity in the statement considering the situation we were in. Sarah opened her mouth, presumably to protest, but Grant just grabbed her hand, leading her into her bedroom. She gaped at me but didn't say a word as he pulled her into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
"What about you?" Simon asked, gazing at me tenderly. "You must be exhausted."
"The last thing I want to do is sleep." I hesitated, rethinking my statement. I was so used to fearing sleep because of the visions and the knowledge that this was when I was at my weakest. But now that the vardogers seemed to be able to enter me even when I was awake, maybe sleep was the answer. Maybe I would have visions that would help me figure out what to do. I didn't tell Simon this, because I didn't think he'd appreciate me wanting to sleep so that I could have visions that would terrify me.
"On second thought, I've barely slept the past few days."
Simon followed me to my bedroom and I was acutely aware of how his presence filled my small room. He sat on the bed casually, leaning against the wall and crossing his stretched legs, watching me. Even though we had gotten a lot closer, I wasn't very experienced when it came to men and his unwavering gaze unnerved me.
"Um, I'm going to take a shower first. I feel gross from the past few days."
"Sure. I'll wait for you here." Simon smiled widely, leaning forward so his t-shirt stretched against his broad chest. "Unless you want company?"
"No, no, it's okay." I could feel myself getting red, and I admonished myself. I needed to concentrate on not getting everyone killed, including myself, not on Simon's irresistible body.
Simon leaned back, looking amused, and I hurriedly grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom. The shower felt amazing as I washed away the grit of the past few days. As great as it felt, I thought about Simon waiting for me in my bedroom, so I didn't linger.
