A/N:
Date 6-9-17

Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is late! Honestly, I forgot about getting this chapter done today because I was thinking of the chapter for TSoC that's due tomorrow.

Sorry again, but here's the chapter!

Word Count: 2436

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Chapter 27: Sleeping on the Ground

"Me? Why would you say that, Zane?" I asked, feeling really confused. And maybe, possibly a little bit frightened. He just said something bad was going to happen involving me! Why wouldn't I be afraid? But maybe Zane was wrong. "I could only sense one girl in my dream, and who else would fight beside me? Not any of the girls here." I shrugged and said, "Maybe one of the vampire girls is actually on your side." I didn't sound very convincing, and Zane knew I wasn't fooling anyone. Not even myself.

"You know I'm right Alicia, so let's just move on." "Fine! But why did you need my help figuring this out if you already knew?" "I don't know Alicia! I do need your help. What I don't know is where and when the fight will happen." My anger evaporated as quickly as it came. "I can't help you with that, Zane. Sorry." "No, it's fine. At least now you know to stay away from pictures." Zane said with a smile. I was glad Zane had used my joke. I thought he was upset by it, but apparently not. I was glad for that. I didn't want Zane to be mad at me.

But my happy mood was over when a realization fell over me. "But Zane, how can you still have these dreams if you don't have telepathy anymore?" Zane looked surprised by my question, like he didn't think I would notice that. "I've been wondering the same thing." And just like that I lost my trust in Zane. I hadn't known I trusted him, but it was gone now. "No Alicia, please believe me! I know you think I'm a dirty liar. You have every right to think that, but I really am trying to get away from Storm. You have to believe me, and help me defeat him." Zane looked so desperate, but I didn't like what he'd just said.

"What do you mean, Zane? I just want to get out of here! I'm not helping you destroy Storm. If you didn't know, I barely escaped Storm last time we fought. I will not risk my life to end his!" "But if we let him keep living his undead life, he'll come after us again! Don't you want to be free, Alicia?" Zane asked me, practically begging for my help. "I don't know Zane, I'm not sure if I can be. And don't tell me again that I'm strong enough. I will think about it, but I will definitely not try to kill Storm today. My only desire right now is to escape this wretched place."

"And I will respect that and help you get out of here." And when Zane said that, I realized escape wasn't my only desire. Sure, I wanted to get home and see Lucy and Jake, but I don't think I wanted to go just yet. Everything Ash had said before about being a monster was still stuck in my head. I needed to figure out myself before I tried to see my family again. And I didn't want to leave Ash behind just yet. I saw that not only did I desire my freedom, but I also desired friends. Ash was my friend, and I needed him just then.

And even though I don't completely trust Zane, he was sort of a friend too. Probably because he was helping me. I didn't know Dalton enough yet, but because he was risking his life to help me, he was also a friend. It had been a long time since I had a friend besides my siblings. It felt nice. Then Zane surprised me more than the first time he attacked me. Zane pulled me in for a hug. Even though his core body temperature was freezing, Zane was warm. I remembered I had the same cold temperature on the outside, but I didn't care. Right then I was warm. And I felt like Zane knew what had been going on inside my head just then.

How? I couldn't really say. But the hug Zane gave me in that moment felt right, just like it felt right calling him my friend. "Are you okay now, Alicia?" Zane asked softly in my ear. I nodded against his shoulder, not wanting to speak yet. If I did, it might get awkward. After a minute Zane pulled back to hold me at arm's length. Our eyes met and held, and I finally figured out what to say. "I owe you one, Zane." Zane looked amused. "For what?" He asked curiously. "For helping me." And before it could get awkward I said, "You should get some sleep, Zane. I'll watch the clock for you."

Zane looked incredulously at me, like he couldn't believe his ears. "Really? But you need your sleep, Alicia. I can watch the clock and you can sleep." I shook me head, unwilling to lose this battle. "No Zane, get some rest. Maybe you'll be useful and have another prophetic dream." Zane cringed, but we both laughed at my joke. "Thanks Alicia. Here. Wake me up in 20 minutes." Zane handed me his watch that I hadn't ever noticed he wore. Maybe I should pay closer attention to people... "Okay." I said to Zane.

"But then you have to sleep." Zane commanded me with a smile. "Fine." I pretended to be upset, but I felt grateful for Zane. I looked out for him and he looked out for me. It felt really nice to depend on someone. But as Zane lay down to fall asleep, I wondered if I really could depend on him. What if this whole thing was part of a big scheme? I could be jumping into a black hole, blinding me from the truth. But I really wanted to relax, to not have to worry about who will stab me in the back next. It would be nice to know for certain who my real friends were. But I didn't think that would happen soon.

Maybe Zane was right and I did need to get rid of Storm. He is the main source of my problems. But if I really wanted to get rid of Storm forever, I'd have to go undercover and work for him. For a successful plan, I'd have to gain Storm's trust. That would take years, knowing how Storm is. And who knows what would happen to me during that time? And what about Ash? Or even Zane? They were helping me right now, and I needed to focus on the escape. Not killing Storm. The thing that took away my focus now was Zane.

He was lying on the ground, out of touching distance from me. That was probably out of self preservation, just in case I tried to murder him. But what caught my attention was the peace in Zane's face as he slept. His face was slack and devoid of emotion, but in a good way this time. It was different than the masks we wore to keep away our emotions. I hadn't noticed before how much Zane creased his eyebrows in worry, how his eyes would become slits when angry. I noticed then, looking back on it, because he was so emotionless.

It was sad to think Zane was never happy during the hours he was awake. But if I thought about it, I could remember seeing a couple of times when Zane appeared happy. Like when he thought of his telepathy. Those memories made him happy. And the girl in his dreams obviously made him happy. I could tell when Zane spoke of them sitting near each other in an unknown living room. Was I really that girl? I wouldn't believe it until Zane's dreams panned out and we found out exactly what happens in that fight.

With all my emotions churning around like that, I thought it was best not to stare at Zane anymore. The thoughts created by him made me tired, and I was supposed to stay awake for 20 minutes. I looked at Zane's watch, seeing that I only had 15 minutes left. I decided I would give Zane more time than that to sleep, since he had so much pressure on him. I honestly felt bad for Zane. If all of what he said was true, that meant everything was taken from him. Storm had taken away his telepathy, and I knew from watching him that it still depressed him. He ached for that magic, wanted it with all of his being. I knew that from the look in his eyes when he talked about his special abilities.

I sat and thought about a lot of things while Zane was sleeping. I mostly thought about my life before I was turned. But after 19 minutes, I went back to debating whether to wake up Zane or not. He looked so happy, lying on the ground sleeping. Apparently it wasn't my choice to make though, because he awoke as soon as 20 minutes had gone by. I scooted back in surprise and asked the obvious question. "How did you do that?" Zane didn't seem to understand. "Do what?" He ran a hand over his sleep filled eyes.

"I didn't wake you up yet, so how did you know it had been 20 minutes if you were sleeping?" Zane looked accusingly at me. "So you weren't going to wake me up?" "Of course I was! I was actually just about to wake you but-" "No you weren't." Zane said harshly, then snatched the watch out of my hand. I was so shocked that I didn't even protest. "I thought you needed more sleep. I'm sorry, Zane." I said sincerely. Why was I admitting it? I was confusing myself. Zane sighed and, with a final eye rub, his anger was gone.

"Sorry, I'm just tired. And no, I will not go back to sleep. It's your turn. But thank you." I decided not to protest, since he looked so sure he would win the argument. "Fine." I mumbled as I lay down, trying to get comfortable with my chains. It wasn't an easy task. Zane laughed to himself, happy that he'd won. I just ignored him. I ended up curled against the wall, fast asleep as soon as I closed my eyes. "Sweet dreams, Alicia." I heard Zane whisper softly, right before I drifted into the dark, oblivious void of sleep.

When I woke up, I sat against the wall and noticed Zane was gone. He had been sitting in front of me, just a few feet away. Out of touching distance, of course. I heard breathing beside me, and I looked over to my right. Zane was fast asleep, sitting against the wall. What if we missed our chance to escape? I should probably wake him up. I opened my mouth to do just that, but Zane had already woke up. He blinked at me, then looked at his watch. "Are we late?" I asked him, all the sleepiness gone that I'd felt just a second ago.

If we missed our only chance to escape, I'd have to go with Storm. Then Zane would never get free, Dalton would be in trouble for trying to help us, and Ash and I would be slaves forever. If I was human, I'd be hyperventilating right then. How could I let this happen? How could Zane let this happen? I couldn't believe it! I wanted my freedom so bad, and it was within reach. Now it was being pulled away again. I have failed at life. And since I'm technically dead, I've failed at life twice!

Zane snapped me out of my hysterics when he calmly said, "Relax Alicia. We have 15 more minutes left." Zane looked to be on the verge of laughing, but I was basically on the verge of crying. Except I would never cry in front of Zane. So I pushed my emotions away, except for anger. "You jerk!" I punched Zane in the shoulder while I yelled. "I thought we were screwed! I thought I'd be stuck with Storm forever!" Zane had fallen on his back from the first punch, but he sat up, not seeming to mind. In fact, he was still trying hard not to laugh.

The second time I tried to punch Zane he grabbed my wrist instead. I was angrier now, so I swung my left fist at his head. He grabbed that wrist too. It was uncomfortable to me because my chains rubbed against my wrists. Zane laughed, let go of me, and jumped back out of my reach. I growled at Zane as he sat on the floor laughing. "Oh, shut up!" I hissed at Zane. I felt my canines sharpening, so I put a hand to cover my mouth. That was a first. Zane was still laughing. This time it was probably from my outburst, then my shock.

My new fangs had already retracted before I could wonder how to get rid of them. Zane stopped laughing when he saw me get angry again. "I was wondering when those would come in!" Zane sounded cheerful. I didn't share his sentiment. I was freaking out just a second ago. There was no room for humor in my stressed out head. I opened my mouth to tell him that, but Zane was talking again. He jumped up, still out of reach, and said, "Well this was fun and all, but I need to get out of here!" Whatever I was about to say got lost in my other thoughts. "What? Why?" I said quickly, before he could escape out the door.

Zane was already backing up. He shrugged and said, "Just a last minute attempt to find Ash before the plan starts." I was surprised that he had been serious about finding Ash. Zane had stopped walking. "You don't know where he is yet?" I asked incredulously. "Nope." Zane replied with another shrug. "Then go! Hurry up Zane!" I gestured for him to leave. Zane laughed and left the room quickly. I hoped he would find Ash. If not, then I hoped somewhere in Zane's plan it says "Locate and rescue Ash before the escape." I don't know what I'd do if Ash didn't escape with us.