Chapter 5

Reala sat on one of the medical wing's beds drumming his fingers against his legs as Teara checked him out.

"Have you always done that?" Teara indicated his drumming fingers.

"Hun, done what?"

"You're drumming your fingers against your legs," Teara explained.

Reala looked down at his hands, "I don't know, I've never noticed it before."

Teara wrote on her clip board, "I think you have a tick Reala."

"A what?"

"A subconscious movement of the body,"

"But, why?" Reala started drumming his fingers again.

"it's usually caused by tense muscles, but it could also be caused by stress, which I think is more probable for you, here," she went over to one of the cabinets and took out a bottle of medication, "take one every morning, and see me in a week or two, or sooner if something goes wrong, okay?"

Reala looked down at the pill bottle, distantly.

"Reala?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, one each morning, see you in a week, okay… what could go wrong?"

"The worst possibility is that you could be allergic – you look absolutely exhausted."

"I haven't been sleeping well; probably just stress again, hun?"

Teara nodded, "the medication should help with that too."

"Should I take one now?"

"That would be okay, let me get you some water,"

Reala took a pill from the bottle and looked at it. It was small and round and white.

"Here," Teara gave Reala a cup of water.

Reala popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it, "how long will it take to work."

"Just a little while, you can go."

"Thanks Teara," Reala left, and headed to his room.

Reala sat down on his bed and pulled off his shoes. He needed to sleep. He rubbed his head, he should have told Teara about his head aches too, maybe they were caused by stress as well.

He lay down, and pulled the covers up over his head, he felt safer that way; he would never know why. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Nights looked apprehensively at the empty chair next to him; Reala wasn't the one to skip out on meal time.

"Adia," Nights said anxiously, "where's Reala?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Adia answered, worried her self.

"I'm going to go look for him," Nights got up and jogged out of the dinning hall.

Nights knew that the best place to look first was Reala's room; he spent a lot of time in there these days, "Reala?" Nights knocked softly.

"Who is it?" Reala said drowsily.

"It's Nights," Nights answered.

"Is Elijah with you?"

"No,"

"You can come in."

Nights opened the door silently, "are you okay Re?"

"Hm? Oh yeah," Reala nodded slowly, "I'm perfect."

"You don't look prefect," Nights sat down next to Reala on his bed, "did you go to see Teara?"

"Hm, yeah, she gave me medication for stress," he rubbed his eyes, "do you hear ringing, or is that just me?"

"You look absolutely drained; it's not because of me is it?"

"Hun? No, it's not you," he rubbed his eyes again.

"Are your eyes okay?"

"Mm, just a little foggy," he pressed his palms against his eyes.

Nights felt Reala's forehead. Reala looked up, "why are you doing that?"

"You can get a fever sometimes if you're too stressed out,"

"I was just checked by Teara," Reala smiled, awkwardly, "I'm perfectly fine."

"Well just take it easy okay?" Nights hugged his older brother.

"I will,"

"Come on you're missing dinner," Nights led Reala out the door and to the Dining Hall.