Finding Fireflies -- Chapter 3

(continuation from http://storywrite.com/Story/782928 )1

.3.2

I wouldn't be getting that sleep though. Within the hour, my computer had begun to chime annoyingly, the urgent sound of multiple messages being sent. I rolled over and pulled a few quilts over my ears in an attempt to muffle the electronic dinging, shutting my eyes as tight as they would go.3

The chime was then replaced by an imitation doorbell. Then a door slam sound effect. Then the doorbell again. Slam, bell, slam, bell, slam…4

I rolled over the other direction, still clutching the comforter around my head and opening one twitching eye before groaning. "Alright, alright already Blake…" I stumbled across the room and turned back on the monitor, dragging half my bed with me on my head. Standby mode hadn't kicked in yet, hence I was able to hear every one of his continued attempts to get my attention. By morning though, a password would be required to access my desktop, and so my parents would never know what my away message said, making it harder to track me.5

The quilt slid from my hair as I plopped down backwards in my chair and looked at my away and Blake's barrage of messages, resting my chin on the back of the seat.6

"Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm wunning away to Indianapowis. In Sierra terms, he who tells my parents dies a painful eternity."7

The only comments from others had been confused faces, good luck notes, and people impersonating their own deaths. But Blake had really wanted my attention…8

LostNMtns6: Alright already, insomniac *tackles him* what do you want?9

In2TheFLAMES: You! Oof! You are NOT going on a road trip without the BB!10

I sighed and rolled my eyes at him, trying not to laugh at his attempted coolness. BB was the nickname I'd given him long ago to distinguish him from the other Blake in our class; his last name was Bailey, so the initials made a convenient nickname. It was also easy to insult him with, which is always a good thing with best friends, but even more so with Blake because he'd make the joke himself the moment he saw it coming. Naturally, he chose that moment to do so once more, joking before I could even touch the obvious pun.11

In2TheFLAMES: Ah, cripes, bb guns are illegal in Indiana, aren't they?12

I wasn't about to let him beat me to the next one.13

LostNMtns6: You couldn't hit anything with all four eyes open, so I'm not concerned.14

The joking continued for another few minutes, until he finally slumped against me tiredly and brought the conversation back to its original point. He pleaded to come with me, pledging his life savings of $231.56, eight paper clips, two safety pins, and a handful of lint to my cause, and promising to take turns driving. I kept explaining that I wanted to go alone and really didn't want to get him into trouble, so I didn't plan on bringing him along.15

"But Sierra…" he whispered, the concern obvious in his face as he gnawed as his lip, "what happens if you have a seizure?"16

I gave in then… he was right. Though it acted up rarely, my epilepsy could be triggered by anything from flashing commercials to police sirens to patterns of light streaming through the trees. Two opposing thoughts fought in my mind for a moment, even as I prepared to tell him I'd pick him up the next morning… One was the idea that he knew how to help if I had an attack, and that would be helpful. The other was an image of him dead, mangled by an accident after I crashed during a seizure.17

He could sense what I was thinking though, somehow. He always could, it seemed. "Give me enough Red Bull and I can drive the whole way," he offered, prompting me to shake my head in polite refusal.18

"Just go get some sleep, BB… I'll drive some too, and we'll both be better off with more sleep. Red Bull is the backup plan, always…"19

He nodded after a moment of silence, then verified the plan and said he was going to go pack. There would be no joking away for him though; instead, he signed off, leaving the room hauntingly silent in the absence of the chiming of his IM. I moved slowly as I put the away back on, pushing the power on my monitor again and collecting my comforter, falling back into bed. I smiled as I wrapped myself in it and watched the little lights flickering outside my window. "I'm coming to find you all…"20

I finally fell asleep.21