him yell, but it sounds like Jon. He’s too big to be Jon!
“Wake up!” I blink and the door frame turns into the ceiling. Jon is leaning over me with a flashlight in one hand and my shoulder in the other. As I sit up, panting, I start to understand that I was dreaming, but the screams were real. Caitlyn is in the middle of the room, scared, looking at me with her hands clasped at her chest.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay, you’re okay.” I look over to Jocelyn. She’s sitting up on the other top bunk, and she has a soft smile on her face. My breathing slows down almost immediately, but all I manage is a nod and a long gulp to try to relax. Scanning the room, I see that little else has changed from a few hours before. The windows let in a fraction of the morning light. I hope we can all go back to sleep; everyone still looks so tired.
“Do we have to get up now?” I ask.
“No, sleep as long as you need,” says Jon, “You’re safe here. Try to relax.” He lies back down in his bunk and Jocelyn returns to hers. A few minutes go by and I try to shut my eyes. I can't sleep.
The bed starts rocking back and forth, so I peek over the head rail. Caitlyn is climbing up, fumbling on the ladder a little in the dark.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“Coming up to see you. I… I wanna see what the top bunk is like.” she said with a smile on her face. She sits down at the foot of my bed. I can see the fear in her eyes as she peers over the edge. Her smile becomes uncertain for a moment.
“You’re a bad liar; this is too high for you!”
“ I am not, and it is not,” she argues. I let out a little giggle at that. She grabs my pillow and puts it in her lap. She pats it with her hand. “Now lie down.”
“What?”
“Lie down. I wanna play with your hair.” she says calmly, like how mom used to say it. There were many times we couldn't fall asleep at home and she would stroke our hair. Before we knew it we were asleep in her lap. I lie down on my side looking at the front door.
“But I’m not tired.” I whisper.
“That’s okay.” she says as she gently separates a handful of my hair between her fingers. I close my eyes for a second and imagine I am with my mom at our old house. Dad is sitting in his recliner with a paper and Caitlyn is fidgeting in his lap with one of her books. It seems like that was just a few days ago. I feel some tears gather in my eyes. Maybe if I try hard enough, this is what I will dream about.
Chapter 14: Caitlyn
I stretch like a cat across the bed as I wake up. Light comes in through the windows of the cabin. Sitting up slowly, I try to remember how I got back to the lower bunk. Sara had fallen asleep while I was playing with her hair, and I had kept going for a while anyway before climbing down. The top bunk didn't seem so bad anymore. Jon is awake, lounging on the bottom of the other bunks. Jo is still asleep on top. Yesterday was long for me so I can't imagine how they feel. I get up and tip-toe to the table, but the creaky floor is annoyingly loud.
“What can we do today?” I say softly out loud, spinning around and forcing a smile on my face. We all slept inside last night, which should make them happy. Those two nights on the sidewalk were awful. Sara stirs, but quickly settles and lays back down, facing the wall. Jon opens his eyes, rolls his shoulders back, and looks at me. It seems like only the bottom half of his face is smiling.
“Wake up!” I blink and the door frame turns into the ceiling. Jon is leaning over me with a flashlight in one hand and my shoulder in the other. As I sit up, panting, I start to understand that I was dreaming, but the screams were real. Caitlyn is in the middle of the room, scared, looking at me with her hands clasped at her chest.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay, you’re okay.” I look over to Jocelyn. She’s sitting up on the other top bunk, and she has a soft smile on her face. My breathing slows down almost immediately, but all I manage is a nod and a long gulp to try to relax. Scanning the room, I see that little else has changed from a few hours before. The windows let in a fraction of the morning light. I hope we can all go back to sleep; everyone still looks so tired.
“Do we have to get up now?” I ask.
“No, sleep as long as you need,” says Jon, “You’re safe here. Try to relax.” He lies back down in his bunk and Jocelyn returns to hers. A few minutes go by and I try to shut my eyes. I can't sleep.
The bed starts rocking back and forth, so I peek over the head rail. Caitlyn is climbing up, fumbling on the ladder a little in the dark.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“Coming up to see you. I… I wanna see what the top bunk is like.” she said with a smile on her face. She sits down at the foot of my bed. I can see the fear in her eyes as she peers over the edge. Her smile becomes uncertain for a moment.
“You’re a bad liar; this is too high for you!”
“ I am not, and it is not,” she argues. I let out a little giggle at that. She grabs my pillow and puts it in her lap. She pats it with her hand. “Now lie down.”
“What?”
“Lie down. I wanna play with your hair.” she says calmly, like how mom used to say it. There were many times we couldn't fall asleep at home and she would stroke our hair. Before we knew it we were asleep in her lap. I lie down on my side looking at the front door.
“But I’m not tired.” I whisper.
“That’s okay.” she says as she gently separates a handful of my hair between her fingers. I close my eyes for a second and imagine I am with my mom at our old house. Dad is sitting in his recliner with a paper and Caitlyn is fidgeting in his lap with one of her books. It seems like that was just a few days ago. I feel some tears gather in my eyes. Maybe if I try hard enough, this is what I will dream about.
Chapter 14: Caitlyn
I stretch like a cat across the bed as I wake up. Light comes in through the windows of the cabin. Sitting up slowly, I try to remember how I got back to the lower bunk. Sara had fallen asleep while I was playing with her hair, and I had kept going for a while anyway before climbing down. The top bunk didn't seem so bad anymore. Jon is awake, lounging on the bottom of the other bunks. Jo is still asleep on top. Yesterday was long for me so I can't imagine how they feel. I get up and tip-toe to the table, but the creaky floor is annoyingly loud.
“What can we do today?” I say softly out loud, spinning around and forcing a smile on my face. We all slept inside last night, which should make them happy. Those two nights on the sidewalk were awful. Sara stirs, but quickly settles and lays back down, facing the wall. Jon opens his eyes, rolls his shoulders back, and looks at me. It seems like only the bottom half of his face is smiling.
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