𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 ✔

𝟐𝟕. 𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐌𝐀

"Ezcema?"

"Is there anything I can do, Doctor? Ray, he's never been like this.."

"Please, don't do it, I need you! Don't!"

"Doctor!"

"Jami-"

"Ecz...ecze...ECZEMA!" Cara's eyes flitted open and her head shot up, hitting the top of the vehicle. "Crap!" She felt her breath hitch as stinging pain overcame her half-awakened body, and raised a hand to rub the top of her head.

"Cara? What the heck?" she faintly heard Taelyn's breathy voice ring out.

She shook her head, rubbing her eyes, and looked around.

The sun had risen, and Cara found herself engulfed in a bunch of unwanted light. She blinked, adjusting her eyes to the bright sun.

I guess I was pretty tired after all...I fell asleep again.

"Cara? Are you good?" It was Aiden's voice this time.

"Y-yes...." Cara groaned, and then blinked.

Finally! I actually feel awake.

"Sorry about that, I dunno what happened."

"You screamed something," Aiden explained. "Dunno what it was, but you screamed, and then you woke up."

"I..." I had another nightmare. "I, um..I dunno either. I must have been out of it," Cara lied smoothly, surprising given her inability to control her voice. "I guess I'm just stressed."

"Well, I'm glad you got sleep," Tae said from the front. "By the way, it's around eight thirty. AM."

"I...I slept for that long?"

Wow.

"Yeah. I hope you caught up on the sleep you missed in past days," Aiden replied.

"Caught up?" she froze. "What do you mean, caught up? I didn't lose any-"

"You might think that just because you didn't tell me you weren't sleeping, I wouldn't know about it," he shook his head nonchalantly, and then laughed. "I've known you for a long time, Tiger."

She slumped. "Too long, I'm afraid. You're right, though, I guess. I was stressed. A-anyways. You guys have been awake this entire time?"

"Yeah," Taelyn replied. "But it was probably because of the caffeine."

They had pit stopped at Starbucks before Cara had fallen asleep. Taelyn and Aiden had both gotten caffeinated items, but she wasn't a coffee person, so she instead got a refresher.

Cara yawned. "How much longer until we get there?"

"Three hours," Taelyn responded. "We'll probably get there in time for lunch."

"Good thing," Aiden spoke up. I'm hungry."

"Aren't you always?" Tae grumbled.

"Hey, a man's gotta eat when he's gotta eat," he said, shrugging.

"Boy," Cara emphasized. "You're a boy, not a man."

"Hey," he pouted.

Cara ignored him and the butterflies that erupted in her stomach. "Anyways, Taelyn, have you been to Alabama before?"

"No, it was always my aunt and stepmother coming to us," replied Tae. "Or, in other cases, we all went back to London together to visit my sister Karmena, her family, and my grandparents."

"Well then, this is all new for all of us," Cara leaned back in her seat.

Silence followed, and she took out her phone and AirPods, fully content on listening to music until they reached Alabama.

_*_

"Cara! Aiden! We're here!"

Cara must have fallen asleep (again), because she suddenly jolted when she heard Taelyn's voice.

"Wha..what's happening?" she mumbled, fumbling for her glasses.

"We're here," Aiden replied, and she found his hand in hers as he handed her the glasses.

"Whoa..sorry," she said, shoving her glasses on. "We're here? What did I miss?"

"You fell asleep again," Taelyn informed her. "But we've arrived, we're here in Alabama, I just need to find my aunt's house."

Cara put her AirPods in their case and looked out the window. "That's great!"

"Got it." Tae squinted her eyes. "It should be here..."

Taelyn turned into a neighborhood of rather large houses and checked hte house numbers on each of them.

"Don't we need to make up an excuse?"

"An excuse? Why?" Taelyn turned to Aiden.

"For why we suddenly just knocked on your aunt's door when we were supposed to be in school, two of us being complete strangers?"

"So why am I stupid again?" Cara grumbled. "Right. Taelyn, you have any ideas?"

"We can just say...hm...we were on winter break."

"She'll buy that?"

"My aunt gives zero crap....and even if she doesn't, she'll understand why we ran away."

"If you say so, I believe you."

Taelyn turned the corner to a pale yellow bricked, large house. "This is it, I believe. Let me check the address."

_*_

"Who are you?"

A short, lean woman with medium-lengthed wavy dark hair stood at the door, her brows furrowed. She didn't look related to Taelyn at all. The only sign that she could have been Tae's aunt was that she looked relatively young.

Cara frowned, looking at Aiden.

"I'm..Taelyn Scott? Niece of Mint Evans?" Taelyn cleared her throat.

"Give me just a second," the woman said, and then disappeared inside. She spoke with an accent, but the words were clear.

"....who's that?" Cara whispered to Taelyn.

"No idea. Assuming it's a friend, maybe?"

We stood there in silence.