Sorry if there's any confusion but this chapter actually takes place the night before Akiro, Tris, Audra, and Lilia went to Wyvern's Court. I probably should have posted it first but I didn't think of it until now. (Spell check doesn't like any of those names.)

Chapter Thirteen: Insomnia

(Hai POV)

"You're a really bad actor you know." Keyi was curled up on the couch. Her wavy blonde hair was falling in front of her face but I was pretty sure she was asleep. Her brother was a different story. Chase was lying flat on his back on the bed with his left arm now in a sling. I was positive he was awake.

"Is it really the obvious?" He asked using his right arm to push himself into a sitting position despite the numerous times that I've told him to lay still.

"Yes." I crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, "How's your arm."

"Fine."

"I do believe that your sister said something about how you'd say you were fine even if you were bleeding to death." He glared at me, "Mind if I look?"

Chase glared at me again before rolling his eyes and muttering, "Fine."

"That's your favorite word, isn't it?" He looked away and scowled at the wall on the other side of the room. I carefully took his left arm from the sling and undid the bandages around it. The angry burn scars I'd seen before had almost completely vanished, which was more then a little odd. "I'd ask what happened to it but I have a feeling that you won't tell me."

"Your feeling would be correct."

"How much mobility does it have? Will you tell me that?"

He still continued to stare at the wall looking like he was deep in thought. He rolled his left shoulder and balled his hand into a fist, "That's it."

"That's it?" I repeated his words.

"Yep." He took his arm back from and put it back in the sling using his other hand. Then he just sat there looking at me like he was pondering asking a question.

"Is there something you want to ask me?"

"You're not really a cobra, are you?"

That caught me slightly off guard, "Is it really that obvious?" I asked mimicking his words from earlier.

"Yes. Your hands, feel like ice."

"Ah, let's just say I'm a mixed blood falcon-cobra who, in a bizarre twist of events, lost Anhamirak's power." He scowled at me, "You get a story when I get a story."

"Fine." He lay back down a pulled the bed sheets over his head.

"What are you doing?" I asked standing.

"Going back to sleep."

"Or going back to pretending to sleep?" I asked sitting back down in the chair on the other side of the room.

"How about trying to sleep."

"Fine."

"Fine."

I watched as his breathing became deep and even and his death grip on the sheet he'd pulled over his head loosened.

I didn't notice the pair of worried cobra red eyes watching me from their hiding place behind wavy golden hair.

Chase is kind like me in the way he'll stay up all night worrying and has a tendency to dwell on the bad things.

Again I will apologize for taking so long. (And my laziness and procrastination issues.)

School is now out and I'm an antisocial turtle who hides in her room all day so hopefully I can start updating faster. Unfortunately, the virus protection on my laptop expired (in, like, January and I'm to lazy to ask my dad to update it) I have to venture out of my hidey hole and go in the family room with all the (computer hogging) members of my family. So we'll just have to wait and see how that goes.

Thank you to all readers and reviewers,

Ebony