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He was there in an instant: "What's wrong? What—why are you all wet?" His hand was on my back. "River? River."
Breathing hard, I turned to him.
The hand on my back tightened, curling into my shoulder blade. His other hand came up and cupped my cheek, tipping my face up to his. His eyes were wide and alarmed. "River," he said in a strangled voice. "What the fuck?"
I pulled away from him and turned to face the mirror again, staring at my own horrified expression. I felt like throwing up, but I couldn't look away.
My eyes, which last night had been the same nondescript brown they'd always been, were now as red as blood.
"It has to be something," Theo said. He sounded slightly desperate. "Look at her eyes!"
The ophthalmologist, a small woman with pale blond hair in a severe bun, shrugged. "I agree," she said, "it is not the color one typically sees, but—" She slid the printout of my retinal photos across the desk. "There is nothing wrong with you."
"What do you mean, nothing—" Theo clamped his mouth shut and turned away, raking one hand through his hair. "You know what, fine. That's fine." He snatched up the photos.
"I'm sorry." The doctor looked distressed. "Again, if there were a pathology…“
"Yeah, yeah." Theo took the paperwork she handed him and stuffed it into his back pocket without looking at it. I cast a last apologetic glance at the ophthalmologist before following Theo outside.
"That's what we get for going to an eye doctor in a strip mall," Theo muttered darkly, the retcam photos still clutched in one hand.
I trotted to catch up with his long, angry strides. "Theo. It's fine. She said I'm fine."
Theo stopped short. "You are not fine," he said. "First it was the wandering around at night, and then you tell me everyone's having dreams about you, and now you look like…like Voldemort or something."
I had to laugh. "I don't think Voldemort had red eyes."
Theo’s expression was pained. "River."
"Okay, okay," I said. "I'm sorry. It's not that I'm not freaked out, too. I am. I mean, I really am."
"You're not acting like it," Theo muttered.
"Yeah, well, you're doing enough for the both of us," I said, nudging him.
His phone buzzed in his pocket before he could answer. He didn't stop walking, just yanked it out and thumbed it open, his eyes scanning the message. He made a frustrated sound, then shoved it back into his pocket.
"What was it?" I asked.
"Neath," he said shortly. "Wants my help with the translation."
"Theo."
He didn't answer, so I took his arm and tugged him toward me. "Teddy. Listen."
He stopped walking and turned toward me, not quite meeting my gaze. "What?"
"Go back to work."
Theo's jaw dropped. He stared at me. "You've got to be kidding me."
"I'm absolutely not." I ticked off our achievements on my fingers. "I didn't sleepwalk," I said. "We stayed up most of the night. I saw a doctor. What else is there to do?"
"Oh, I don't know," Theo said, "maybe figure out why you suddenly look like an anime villain?"
"Dr. Neath needs your help," I told him. "And isn't that why you came here? Besides, nothing weird ever happens to me during the day. I'm fine."
He didn't look convinced.
