Eli woke up at around 4am. She'd slept two short hours, but it had been restful and, above all, calming. She noticed that Alicia, Julia and Taylor were still asleep. LJ and their father were chatting in hushed tones, coffee in hand from the vending machine. Eli realized she'd fallen asleep on Alicia and woken the other two by moving.
LJ and Leon noticed that the girls were awake. Taylor, a little late, woke up too.
"So, are the groundhogs awake?" asked LJ.
Julia, yawning, replied, "My neck hurts. Even though you're comfortable, Alicia, my neck still hurts."
"Next time, I'll be the one sleeping on top of you. We'll see if you complain again," Alicia replied, frowning.
Julia stuck her tongue out at her.
"Have you heard from Page?" asked Eli.
Everyone turned to Leon and LJ.
"Page is fine. She's sleeping too. The hospital will keep her under observation for a few days, but she's out of the woods," Leon replied.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Eli felt a weight leave his heart.
"I think everyone should go home. Alicia and Julia, you can sleep at home if you like," offered LJ.
"Yes, they're sleeping at home," Eli confirmed.
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"Thank you, Mr. Thompson, we'll gladly accept," said Alicia.
"I'm glad you accept," sighed Eli.
Everyone stood up and headed for the exit. Just before leaving, Eli turned, thinking of Page. All the way home, silence reigned.On arrival, the three girls went straight upstairs to Eli's room, while LJ went back to see her friends and Leon went to make himself a coffee.
The girls took off their make-up, changed into their pyjamas and fell fast asleep.
Leon woke them around 10 o'clock. They balked a little, but got up, took their showers and went downstairs for breakfast.
Julia yawned. "I'm so tired."
Julia's yawn made Alicia and Eli yawn.
"After the police station, I'll definitely be taking a nap," said Alicia.
Eli nodded and poured himself a bowl of milk with cereal, then passed the milk and cereal to Alicia.
Leon entered the kitchen where the girls were seated.
"Good morning, everyone! Sleep well?" he exclaimed, placing a kiss on Eli's cheek.
"Bof, Julia snores too loudly," Eli joked.
Alicia confirmed with a laugh.
Julia protested: "That's not true! I don't snore, you do."
"Maybe, but we don't snore as loud as you do, do we, Eli?" said Alicia."That's for sure," replied Eli.
The girls continued their breakfast while Leon made himself yet another cup of coffee.
"I just got off the phone with the hospital. Page is fine. She won't have any after-effects."
"Whew, that's good," Eli said, reassured.
"Do they know what Page took?" asked Julia.
"No, they sent samples to a specialized lab," replied Leon.
He looked at his watch and said, "Hurry up, we have an appointment with the sheriff soon.""We?" wondered Alicia. "Wasn't it just Eli?"
"At first, yes, but eventually the sheriff wants all three of you. Your parents will be waiting for you there."
The three girls looked at each other, Alicia and Julia dreading having to face their parents. They were in for one hell of a scolding.Despondently, they finished their breakfast.