Derek draped a thick cloth around my shivering body.
"What's this?" I asked as I felt the rough but warm cloth between my fingers.
"I found it in one of the old fabric racks." He said simply. I pulled it tighter around me. My eyes felt tired, and it felt good to close them. I touched the arm that was still around me and made Derek hold me closer. Derek laid his cheek on my head. I had almost fallen asleep when Derek suddenly chuckled.
"What?" I asked, my voice raspy and barely audible.
"I just…I would've never guessed I'd end up like this." He said. I looked up at him questioningly.
"Like what?"
"Well…" his voice trailed off, and for a minute I didn't think he'd ever answer. He took a deep breath and half-smiled down at me "in love."
I was star struck. How could I have been so stupid! That's why Derek made me feel unlike anything else. That was the answer to everything. I felt a small grin grow on my face, and I closed my eyelids yet again, this time not opening them until a voice broke me from my slumber.
"Time to get going Chloe." Simon's soft voice whispered tenderly in my ear. I opened my eyes, hoping that Derek was still lying next to me. But, of course, he was long gone. I pushed the thick blanket off of me and looked over and saw that there was no light coming in through the window, but a blur of gray that only made the room slightly less dark.
"What time is it?" I asked, running my hand over my face to try and wake up more.
"I don't know, my watch broke back in the woods." He answered, holding out his hand to help me up. I took it gratefully and got to my feet. My back felt like a wooden board from sleeping on such a flat surface, but I shook it off as I started to remember all of the events from the night before. I looked at Simon's smiling face. There was no trace of sadness or grief, so I guessed that Derek hadn't told him about Kit yet. I prayed that I wasn't going to end up being the one to break the horrible news.
I brushed some of the dust that had been on the floor off of my backside and squinted into the atmosphere to see if I could catch a glimpse of Kit. I didn't see or hear anything but the gray haze that occupied the space.
"Looking for something?" Simon asked, giving me a puzzled look.
"I'm j-just still t-tired." I stuttered, and then cursed myself. I had been getting better at hiding my stutter, but it still needed work. "Where's Derek?" I asked, hoping to change the subject quickly.
"Beats me. He left me a note in my notebook to get everyone up as soon as I got up." Simon shrugged "Sure, he's a little bossy, but he always has a good reason." I nodded and tucked my hands under my arms; the sweatshirt was pretty thin, and I clenched my teeth to keep them from chattering. I noticed that Tori was over by the restrooms, trying to wrench the door open.
"Why the hell would they lock the fucking door?!?" She cursed, pulling on the handle.
"Just go outside." I called, walking towards her. Even my black converse clicked with every step I took.
"Hell no. I am not peeing behind a tree stump again." She insisted, backing up. She flung her wrist and the doorknob violently flew off, nearly hitting Casey in the head as he walked over. Tori gave a triumphant smile as she kicked the door open and ran inside the first stall.
"Don't mess with a girl who's been forced to pee next to a bush for three days." I said with a laugh.
"Wise words of advice." Casey smiled and nodded. He had an accent that was nearly non-existent, but I could hear the slight twang (he apparently had family in Texas that he used to visit a lot). It felt comfortable to joke around, and it made the dark building seem lighter. Simon strolled over, flipping through his notebook until he found the page that he was looking for.
"Check this out." Simon said, letting me hold his notebook. I gasped when I saw what was drawn on the left page.
"Simon…that's beautiful." I said as I ran my fingers down the picture. It depicted Simon and I, sitting on the porch of his grandmother's house, our fingers intertwined. He was looking over at me, his eyes gleaming brightly. I had a slight smile on my face, but was looking away, as if playfully ignoring him. The drawing seemed so lifelike. As I ran my fingers down the page, I half expected to feel Simon's spiky hair, or feel breeze that was sweeping my own hair to the side.
"Thanks." He said, letting me admire it as he stood, hands behind his back. I closed the notebook gently and handed it back to him.
"Simon…I have to tell you something." I said, knowing that I needed to tell him the truth about Derek and I. But, of course, Derek came through the door just as I was about to tell Simon what I longed to, catching everyone's attention. I looked at him grimly as he ambled over, a plastic Walmart bag in one hand and some cash in the other.
"It's getting colder." Derek stated, handing Simon the cash and pulling out a light blue shawl. "I know the old sweatshirt was ugly, but I thought maybe this would be a little better." He said, holding it out for me as I took it.
"Thanks." I said, admiring the fabric. It was actually pretty nice, especially compared to last time.
"I got these too." He said as he dug through the bag and pulled out a few plain, long-sleeved white shirts. Simon and Casey took the men's sizes, while I took the smaller other one. "Where's Tori?" Derek asked, still holding the remaining shirt in one hand.
"Her highness is on her royal thrown." Casey answered as one of the toilets flushed behind us. I rolled my eyes at his immature joke and walked into one of the stalls.
The shirt was surprisingly just the right size, and I loved how the baby blue shawl seemed to flow around me. I came out and looked in one of the mirrors, not liking what I saw. I heard everyone chatting outside, and I didn't think it would hurt to rinse out my grimy hair really fast. I turned the cold knob and waited for the water to heat up, scanning my frazzled reflection. There were traces of dirt all over my face, which I tried my best to erase with the luke-warm water. After about another minute of waiting, I decided it was warm enough.
I started wetting my hair in the large sink, smoothing it back as I did so. I knew it wasn't the best, and my hair would probably get all frizzy, but I didn't care. I needed something that even slightly resembled a shower. I looked into the mirror, hoping that the dye had washed out some. It didn't change much, but I would've sworn that the black had dulled just a little bit.
Just as I was turning the sink off, I saw a figure out of the corner f my eye, leaning casually against one of the stalls. I spun on my heels, though I already had a pretty good idea of who it was.
"Kit." I said, glancing out at everyone. They didn't even notice.
"I don't think we were properly introduced last night." Kit said with a warm smile. He reminded me of my own father, with his dark hair, the shape of his nose, and just the charming way he talked. "You are--?"
"Chloe Saunders." I said, gripping the sink counter behind me.
"You must be a necromancer, right?" he asked. I nodded in response, relaxing my shoulders slightly. Kit turned in the direction of Simon as he called out to me. They were ready to start on their way.
"One minute. I'll be right there." I called, not lifting my eyes off of Kit.
"Did you tell them?" he asked, facing me once again.
"I told Derek." I whispered, hoping that Kit could hear me, but no one outside of the restroom could. Kit gave another worried glance over at the door.
"Sounds like you guys need to get a move on. I'll meet up with you sometime tonight." He said as he started to evaporate "Please tell Simon today."