Chapter 168: Something strange
~ Ava's POV ~
The afternoon air was cold as I walked down the hallways. I had woken up early today because I wanted to check on Gwen. Her usual heat sickness had snapped her awake, it normally does when it comes.
She would be normal for some days, even smile and play with the children, and then succumbed to her longing for her mate, even Anastasia can't help her. I sighed deeply, worried about her.
I needed her to be whole again. Lorraine said if she continued like this, we might lose her.
Yesterday I had asked Alexis to come with me when she asked about her so she could see her. Hoping that a new and familiar face would keep her with us.
Alexis said yes. We planned to go together after breakfast. But now it was almost noon, and I hadn't seen her all morning.
I decided to go to her room first. Maybe she overslept. That happened sometimes when people were tired or stressed.
And lately, Alexis seemed off. She looked tired all the time. She would stare off into space during conversations which happened a lot yesterday.
I walked down the corridor to her room, I knocked and heard some noise from inside. I waited a few seconds and knocked again.
"Alexis?" I called out. "Are you okay?"
More rustling sounds came from inside the room. It sounded like someone was rushing around, maybe looking for something. Finally, I heard her voice through the door.
"Who's there?" she asked.
Her voice sounded strange. A little breathless, like she had been running. Or maybe she was still half asleep.
"It's me, Ava," I said clearly.
There was more moving around inside. I could hear footsteps and what sounded like drawers opening and closing. It took a long time before I heard her walking toward the door.
The door opened just a little bit. I could see part of Alexis's face through the crack. Her cheeks looked red, and her blue hair was messy. She looked like she had just woken up from a deep sleep.
"Hey," she said quickly. Her voice was higher than normal. "Sorry, I didn't expect you this early."
"It's almost noon," I said gently. I tried to keep my voice soft and not accusatory. "Are you feeling alright?"
She opened the door wider and stepped aside to let me in. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just had trouble sleeping last night. I kept tossing and turning."
I walked into her room slowly. I had been in here before, but today it felt different somehow. The bed was unmade, which wasn't unusual. But the sheets looked like they had been twisted around a lot. The room felt warm, even though the window was open.
Alexis closed the door behind me. She was wearing a thin robe that was tied loosely around her waist. Her hair was damp, like she had splashed water on it quickly. She kept fidgeting with the belt of her robe.
"Did something happen?" I asked. I tried to sound casual, not like I was interrogating her. "You seem... I don't know, flustered."
"No, nothing happened," she said quickly. Too quickly. "I just had some weird dreams. They kept waking me up."
"Bad dreams?" I asked. "Nightmares?"
She looked away from me. "Not exactly bad. Just... intense."
I nodded. I had strange dreams sometimes too. Dreams could feel very real, especially when you were stressed or worried about something. Maybe that's all this was.
"Well," I said, changing the subject, "we were supposed to go check on Gwen today, remember? You said you wanted to come with me to make sure she was getting better."
Alexis's eyes widened like she had completely forgotten. "Oh! Right, yes. Of course. I totally forgot." She looked down at herself and seemed to realize she wasn't dressed. "I need to get ready first. Can you give me a few minutes?"
"Of course," I said. "Take all the time you need. I'm not in a hurry."
She smiled at me, but it looked forced. Like she was trying to act normal when she didn't feel normal.
"I'll just wash up and change clothes," she said. "Maybe get some fresh air too. I feel a little... warm."
"Are you sure you're not getting sick?" I asked. "You look a little flushed."
"No, I don't think so," she said. "I just need to splash some cold water on my face and I'll be fine."
She started walking toward the corner of the room where she kept her wash basin. Then she stopped and turned back to me.
"Ava," she said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for being patient with me. I know I'm acting weird today. I just... I'll explain everything someday, okay? When I figure it out myself."
I looked at her carefully. Whatever was bothering her seemed important. But I could tell she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. And I didn't want to push her. Sometimes people needed time to work through things on their own.
"You don't have to explain anything," I said. "But if you ever want to talk, I'm here. About anything."
She smiled, and this time it looked more genuine. "I know. Thank you."
She went behind the folding screen in the corner to wash up and change. I could hear water splashing and clothes rustling. While I waited, I looked around the room more carefully.
The bed really was a mess. The pillows were on the floor. The blankets were tangled up. It looked like she had been having very restless sleep. Maybe she was more stressed than I thought.
Her brush was on the dresser with strands of blue hair caught in it. There was a cup of tea sitting there too, but it was only half finished and looked cold. Like she had made it but got distracted before she could drink it.
I heard Alexis moving around behind the screen. She was taking longer than usual to get ready. Normally she was very quick about these things.
"Everything okay back there?" I called out.
"Yeah, almost done," she replied. Her voice sounded more normal now. Less breathless and high-pitched.
I walked over to the window and looked out. The courtyard below was busy with people going about their daily activities. Everything looked normal and peaceful. Whatever was bothering Alexis, it didn't seem to be affecting anyone else.
After a few more minutes, Alexis came out from behind the screen. She had put on a simple dress and braided her hair back. Her face still looked a little pink, but not as flushed as before. She looked more like herself now.
"Better?" she asked.
"Much better," I said. "Ready to go see Gwen?"
"Yes, let's go." She walked toward the door, then paused with her hand on the handle. "Ava?"
"Yeah?"
"If I tell you something strange, will you believe me? Even if it sounds impossible?"
I looked at her seriously. "Of course I would. You're my friend. I trust you."
She nodded slowly. "Good. Because someday I might need to tell you something very strange."
"Whenever you're ready," I said.
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