A gentle nudge against my shoulder was enough to make me open my burning eyelids. My back was swamped in sweat, making the shirt I wore feel as though it was plastered to my spine. Not only that but the back of my head was pressed against a solid object rather than a soft pillow. I tried to disregard those sensations. Even though I managed to pass out due to my exhaustion, the sleep in itself was not profound. I felt awful, even more so than when I first gave up fighting against reality. It becomes tough to deceive yourself after a while. After all, I'm just a regular person.

"It's time to wake up—" a hot, unfamiliar breath brushed over my cheek. My muscles stiffened as my hand instinctively propelled toward the shadow looming above me. Surprisingly, the strike was merely slapped away. "Don't hit me. And you're safe, so get a hold of yourself. You have to listen to me, Gray. Calm down, please."

For a split second, I couldn't figure out what the words being said were. The sound of the backpack zipper being opened rang just above my head, barely masking my thudding heart's echo and exaggerated inhalations. I narrowed my eyes, trying to discern the person rummaging through our belongings. Even now, my clouded consciousness prevented me from comprehending the world around me.

"Drink," she encouraged me, thrusting a bottle in front of my face as I clenched my midsection to straighten my posture. I sipped the lukewarm water, only now realizing how dry my throat was. As I got a hold of myself, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened. What made matters worse was that I was utterly unaware of what was going on. I shook my head, trying to get the dizziness out of my system.

"Let's go for a walk," Mara said as she led the way while keeping an eye on me. "I'd prefer not to wake the others."

"It's my turn to keep watch, so go to sleep already," I replied through half-closed lids, my eyes stinging. I needed some time to gather my thoughts. To reflect on what happened. That could be challenging with her around.

"It's fine. I'm not that tired. I'll stay a bit with you. And I'll probably have a hard time falling asleep, anyway," Mara spat out some venom, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder toward our leader's not-so-triumphant sleeping image "He snores like a truck."

So you're not going to leave me alone yet? Crap.

"That's why Ava throws him on the couch..." I tried to make a joke. To assure her that I was perfectly fine. That what was going on was really a misunderstanding. And honestly, it was a miracle that the noise coming through Logan's nostrils wasn't the reason I woke up. Please keep that statement off the record, though. He'd be pissed if he heard that.

"That wasn't something I wanted to be reminded of," giggled Mara.

That's when I accidentally hit Lucas with my foot. He sleeps on the floor on his belly, using his arm as a pillow. The others... didn't look so great, either.

"Whom did you keep watch with?"

Usually, there'd be three rounds to keep watch over the night. Intelligent monsters could sneak unto us, after all. And it wasn't as though human beings were friendly around these parts.

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"With the new chick," she replied with a halfhearted shrug. Despite her best efforts to act unaffected, I could see Mara was reaching her breaking point, judging by her lethargic stride. "He's kind of boring once you get to know him."

"He's already out of it," I noted, staring at his limp body. His breaths were steady. It was a good thing he wasn't snoring like a certain someone, though. No, it was more than that. An occasion to celebrate even? Just what am I thinking about? Snap out of it, Gray. "Did he even keep watch properly?"

"Don't worry, he did..." she hid a yawn behind her tender hand.

"Then why are you still awake?" I asked, leaning my shoulder against the wall as we descended downstairs. Creaks rang out in my ears with each step. I found that sound irritating, as though something scratching my head with a claw.

"Because you were writhing back and forth in your sleep," she grumbled, opening the door leading outside. Through its crack, the icy smooch of the night sobered me up slightly. "You kept murmuring something, too. 'Didn't mean to—' I think it was. You said it, over and over, like a broken record. I didn't want to leave you alone after seeing that, so I woke you up. Seemed better than leaving you floundering."

"So you were watching me," I remarked, recognizing the problem at hand. "Are the others aware of my—poor sleeping habits?"

I'd rather not have them know I experience frequent nightmares. It wasn't that I didn't trust them, but if I opened up about it, I'd have to confess things I'd prefer not to think about. It was really difficult for me to bring up the subject. That's a story I'd rather keep to myself. I'll take it to the grave if I have to.

"I doubt it," she snarled. "And by the time you started mumbling, everyone else had fallen asleep. If Lucas heard you, he'll probably forget about it by the time he woke up, so I wouldn't be too concerned if I were in your position."

"I'm sorry..."

"It was completely outside of your control, wasn't it?" Mara questioned, sparing me a disgruntled glimpse. I couldn't determine what was bothering her, but I knew she was irritated for some reason. "Why are you even apologizing to me? It's ridiculous..."

I stopped, leaning my back against the door's frame, daggling the bottle of water beside my pocket. There was no reason to proceed any further. I doubted our conversation would be enough to wake up anyone now.

"I don't know," I confessed as she hopped onto the window's ledge, a bit further away from me. She was within reach, so I wasn't concerned she might fall. The height in itself wasn't significant to cause any harm. Not that Mara needed my worries, anyway. They were most likely unwarranted.

"What were you dreaming about?"

The reason why she brought me outside and kept talking with me was probably to help me calm down for a bit, but it was evident she would be curious about something like that.

"I don't remember."

Mara scowled, tilted her fuzzy head, and said: "That's kinda nasty, don't you think so? I mean, not that's my place to butt in—I'm not a therapist, right? But how can you address the issue if you don't even know what it is, Gray?"

Once again, I didn't know the answer to that question. No, I just wasn't willing to answer. Fortunately, based on her profile, Mara did not expect to receive a response from me. She was mostly murmuring to herself, rather than to me. That's when the hazy world around her grew clearer, or, more precisely, the rough silhouette of a figure on top of a building became discernible. The gryphon's existence finally appeared in my mind. It was Melody. Yeah, I completely forgot about feeding her...

Although I was relatively certain she could go on for a while without consuming any food, I'd rather feed her something instead than let her starve.

I slept like the last piece of filth on the backpack, not giving a damn about her or the words I gave to Lucas. What kind of moron am I? He must've been worried sick the entire time he kept watch. Mara herself mentioned that he was kind of boring, but she was mistaken. Gravely so! The beast tamer was so stressed out that he couldn't even hold a proper conversation!

So, how am I supposed to feed Melody when Mara is watching me?

Deceiving her was bound to be difficult.