For the briefest instant, jealousy flashes in his eyes, and I swear I hear thunder boom in the distance. But as swiftly as the chaos happened, it grows still again.
“We traded places after I got back from helping Max with a job thing. I hope that’s okay.” He watches my reaction closely.
“It’s fine,” I assure him. “I just asked because I was confused.”
His gaze traces the angles of my face. “What were you dreaming about just barely? Darkness?”
I brush the tangled strands of my hair out of my face. “The opposite actually. I dreamt of lightning.”
A crease forms between his brows. “Really?”
I nod. “Have you ever dreamt of that before?”
He shakes his head. “I haven’t, but since lightning is our main power source, I’m guessing it’s not a bad thing to dream about it. But you seemed scared when you woke up.”
“I was just upset that the lightning left me.”
I tell him a bit more about my dream.
He taps his finger against his lips, contemplating something. “Your dreams … the way you describe them makes them sound like they’re very vivid.”
“They kind of are.” My mind briefly drifts back to the dream I had of Porter sucking something from me, of how amazing it felt, like he was actually doing it to me. Then I think of the fear I felt when the lightning left me. And then, of course, there’s the fear I feel when darkness appears in my dreams.
“I almost wonder if maybe you have an ability that materializes through your dreams.”
“What sort of ability?”
“I’m not sure, but we can talk to my parents about it when they get back. They know more about this stuff than I do.”
Speaking of his parents…
“Have you heard from either of your parents yet?” I ask, kicking the blanket off me and arching my back as I stretch.
“Yeah, actually Easton texted me a bit ago and said my mom finally got ahold of the headmistress. And she assured my mom that what happens in the room of darkness stays in the room of darkness, so unfortunately, we have to go to school today.”
“What happens in the room of darkness stays in the room of darkness, huh?” I pretend not be bummed out about having to go back to school, but I kind of am. “Sounds like the rules of Fight Club.”
“What’s Fight Club?”
“It’s a movie.” I pause. “Do you guys watch those?”
“We do occasionally, but honestly, we’re pretty busy with practicing sessions, school, jobs, and helping take care of our world when we need to. We barely have time to do ordinary things.”
“I kind of got that already. And I’m sure having me around is making it worse.”
“Having you here is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.” Quickly stroking his fingers across my cheekbone, he withdraws his hand and scratches at his cheek. “I need to go shower and get ready for school.” He wets his lips with his tongue, hesitating, then a grin spreads across his lips. “Want to shower with me?”
I give him an unimpressed look, but my lips fight to turn upward. “You know, you’re getting as bad as Easton.”
“Hey, I heard that!” Easton shouts from outside my bedroom door. “And that’s a good thing! It means he’s finally getting some fucking game!”
“He’s such a drama queen,” Foster mutters, his cheeks a little flushed.
“You know, him and my friend Nina would probably get along really well.” I climb out of bed, tugging at the hem of my shirt. “She’s equally as dramatic. Then again, they might just end up killing each other.”
“Probably the latter. East doesn’t usually play nice with others like him. He needs to be the center of attention.”
“I hate that.”