Free We Awaken by Calista Lynne Page B

helpful in the reanalysis of your sexuality.”
    “Among other things.” I looked down at her before me, trying to read whatever played across her face. “You did just kiss me. Doesn’t that mean something?”
    “Only if you want it to.”
    She stood up and walked back to sit on the other side of the table and resumed sipping her tea.
    “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted any ‘something’ more if you’re implying we can be in an actual relationship,” I told her.
    Ashlinn’s grin was infectious, and I didn’t remember ever having felt this happy in the past year without guilt.
    “You need to stop being so charming,” Ashlinn said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “I’m not supposed to be rewarding you with this, and I keep forgetting to be upset.”
    “I’m not going to complain.”
    We drank in a silence that buzzed with elation. I had a girlfriend. If the day kept on at this pace, I’d probably end up queen of some European country by midnight. It seemed like something to talk about, but there weren’t any words. When she did speak again, I heard shame.
    “Actually, I did mean to apologize. I can’t blame you for all of this. You may have picked up the drugs, but it is a little bit my fault. I made you addicted to dreaming. I’ve spoken of Semira to you before, correct?” She took a break from this monologue to sip her tea, although it was still scalding, and I confirmed that she had told me of the other dream maker.
    “I have selfishly been keeping her away from you. People need to have nightmares or else they’d be in a perpetual haze of wanting to get back to their dreams. I did that to you and I’m sorry.”
    My nodding probably seemed a bit ridiculous at that point, but I had no words for the situation. There’s no universe where this could be construed as normal breakfast conversation, but I did my best to treat it as such. This explains why the nightly flashbacks all but vanished when Ashlinn first showed up. Funny, I hadn’t really thought about it. It just seemed to fit in with the way my life had become.
    “No worries. I quite liked not having night terrors. Don’t suppose you could keep it up?”
    “Absolutely not.”
    Her presence was definitely worth the nightmares. Or so I thought. What she did next made me temporarily consider rethinking that sentiment.
    “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, you must know the drugs aren’t the only reason I came here.” Her eyes were locked on the cell phone where it lay on the tile floor. “Your auditions are today, correct?”
    “Well, not anymore. Can’t go, remember?”
    I figured I had every right to sound bitter. She obviously didn’t agree because she lunged toward my phone on the floor, grabbed it, and without wasting a second, sprinted to the staircase.
    “What the hell are you doing?” I shouted, pursuing her as she took the steps two at a time. The robe was trailing behind her as she skidded into my bathroom and locked the door.
    “Let me in! What’s going on?”
    Calm down . Maybe she was just calling in pizza or phoning the president or something less ridiculous than what it seemed like was going on.
    I pulled pointlessly at the door handle. The beeping of buttons echoed from the bathroom, and then there was a short pause. Someone was certainly taking a while to pick up, not that anyone could blame them so early in the morning. I turned my back to the door and slid down, throwing my head against it, hoping the bang it produced was loud and guilt inducing. The conversation we had just been having didn’t lead me to any pleasant assumptions regarding who was on the other end of that call and why.
    Ashlinn began speaking, but not to me.
    “Hello, Ellie.”
    I swear, hell is empty.
    There was a pause as she listened to a response, and I could hear my spirit chipping away in the silence. Good God.
    “I’m her girlfriend, Ashlinn.”
    I was a cocktail of emotions, embarrassment mixing with horror, but