Like I said, I went a little crazy last night.

DECEMBER 3

I parked outside Mamie and Pappy's house and leaned my forehead against the steering wheel. I really wasn't feeling well, and I hadn't been for a couple of weeks. I'd started feeling off shortly after the twins' birthday. I was glad that Pappy was going to be driving us to the performance. I probably shouldn't have even driven the short distance to my grandparents' house, with how I was feeling. I had almost fallen asleep at the wheel.

I was really tired. I was super thirsty, all the time. And it didn't seem to matter how much water I drank. It didn't get rid of the thirst. I was hungry almost all the time, too. More than was normal, even for a growing teenager, I was sure. I never really felt full anymore. But I hadn't put on any extra weight. If anything, I'd lost a pound or two. I'd probably need to go see a doctor. At first I had thought that it might be the flu, but I wasn't so sure anymore. I hadn't thrown up or anything. There were times that I felt like I was going to, but I never did.

But I was not going to worry about it today.

Today was my seventeenth birthday, and I was going to enjoy it, damnit.

I took a deep breath and got out of my car. I rubbed my eyes as I walked to the front door. I knocked as I opened it. Stifling a yawn, I called, "Mamie! Pappy!"

Mamie came out of her office and gave me a hug, a wide smile on her face. "Happy birthday, Stryker. I can't believe you're seventeen already. It seems like it wasn't that long ago that you were learning to walk."

I grinned tiredly. "I know. It's insane. I can hardly believe it, either. I'm seventeen."

"Sit down on the couch. Your grandfather should be out in just a minute. He's just finishing up in the shower. Do you want a brownie? I made some last night."

"Uh…no thanks. Maybe when we get back." Even though I was hungry, I just didn't feel like eating anything at the moment. My stomach was feeling a bit queasy, actually.

Mamie gave me a strange look, but didn't push it. I didn't usually refuse her treats. Okay, I never refused her treats. She sat beside me. "How's your birthday been so far?"

I smiled. "Good. Bex made me breakfast in bed, and it was really good. I think she had Dad help her, but it was sweet of her. And she got me a new video game. The twins made a pop-up storybook that was really cute. Mom and Dad surprised me with a new phone. It's been good so far. And we're doing a big family dinner tonight, so that'll be nice."

"I'm glad."

Pappy came down the stairs just then, ruffling his still-damp hair. It used to be blonde, but just in the last few years it had started to turn grey.

Mamie's hair was still as dark as night.

"You ready, Stryk?"

"Yep. I've been ready for weeks."

For my birthday, Pappy had gotten tickets to a traveling theatre group. They had sold out almost the first day, but Pappy had managed to get two really good seats. I had been looking forward to this for weeks. This group was doing some sort of reimagined version of Romeo and Juliet, something super futuristic and sci-fi. It had sounded really interesting. Definitely a new twist on a classic tale. Those were always some of my favorites.

"All right. Let's go."

I followed Pappy out to his car and slid into the passenger seat. "Feel any older?" he asked, starting the car.

I shook my head slowly, blinking rapidly to try to keep my eyes open. I would not fall asleep. Not on my birthday, and definitely not on my way to see Galaxies Apart. I wanted to enjoy this. "Not really," I said. "Seventeen doesn't really seem any different than sixteen."

"That's true. Besides, the big one is eighteen."

I grinned. "Yeah." I shook my head again, trying to keep my eyes open.

It wasn't working. It wasn't working at all.

Maybe it would be okay if I just laid my head back for the car ride. It would take us about half an hour to get to the performance center. I could rest during the ride, and then I'd be able to stay awake for the actual play. And at this point, it didn't seem like I'd be able to stay awake if I tried.

I closed my eyes.

It was quiet for about half a minute. I had almost fallen asleep when I heard Pappy's voice.

"Stryker?"

"Hmm?" I mumbled. I didn't open my eyes. I was too tired to open my eyes. Why did he sound so worried?

"Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine," I mumbled. I just wanted to sleep. That was all I wanted. Sleep.

"Are you sure?"

"Just tired, that's all."

"Stryker." Pappy was sounding more and more concerned by the minute. Why? I was just tired, that was it. Well, and hungry and thirsty, but he couldn't know that. "Talk to me, kiddo. Are you having a hard time breathing?"

I frowned, wondering why he would think that. I didn't think I was having any trouble breathing. I felt like I was breathing just fine. I was just extremely tired. "No," I said slowly. I still hadn't opened my eyes. "I'm just tired. Wake me when we get there."

"No. I don't know what you're saying, but I'm taking you to the hospital, Stryks. You're not making any sense, and you sound like you're having trouble breathing. Something's not right."

I tried to argue – I did not want to miss this play – but I was too tired. I fell asleep instead.

I do have one more chapter that I'll post today, but I have to run some errands first. So here's a teensy cliffhanger! He, he. I promise the next chapter will be up today, though, explaining what's wrong with Stryk. Let's just say that things are going to get pretty interesting for him. Poor guy.