Sun Poisoned (The Sunshine Series) by Nikki Rae Read Free Book Online

that. It’s just…I don’t want you to feel like I’m making you speed up the getting better.”
    I trail off. I’m exhausted, my head hurts, and now I’m having trouble forming thoughts that make sense.
    Myles lightly traces the edge of my jaw with his finger and I look back at him. His expression is calm now, the concern faded.
              “You can always tell me no,” he says. “But I wish you would let me help sometimes.”
    I know what he wants to do in order to help and hone stly, I don’t want to fight him even a little bit on this.
    I place his hand on the side of my head. I have no clue if this is how he does it, but I hope he gets the idea. I add on, “Okay.” Just to be sure.
    Myles’ eyebrows knit together for a second, but he says, “Get comfortable.”
    I scoot down and lie on my side again, my head sinking into the pillow. I inch my body slightly backwards so there’s more room for him. I nod when I’m done and he situates himself on top of the blanket, his face in front of mine.
    “So…” I say, “You’re just going to make me super tired until I black out, right?”
    He laughs lightly. “Only if that’s what you want.” One of his hands reaches to the back of my head, cradling it. The other holds onto my forearm loosely. “I had something else in mind.”
    I close my eyes.
    I wait for that heavy, tingly feeling.
    And it starts where his hands are; in my arm and at the base of my skull. Then it begins to spread over my face and down my legs. Until I’m finally floating into sleep.
     
     
    A few minutes pass before I open my eyes to find myself in the same place. Myles is next to me on my bed, smiling. The only reason I know it’s a dream at all is because of how distorted everything appears. My curtains look like they’re made out of liquid, and I’m sinking into my bed like it doesn’t want me to leave.
    “ Hold on,” Myles says, and his voice echoes around me. I’m still staring at the curtains; they’ve stopped swaying as much and become less fluid-like and more fabric-like. “Is that better?” he asks.
    The comforter starts to move on its own like it’s breathing. I begin to hear music playing, soft and far away, but growing in sound. I stare back at Myles, who is patiently waiting for his answer.
    “This could work,” I say, and my voice comes out light and swirls between us before disappearing under the sound of low piano keys and a rhythmic, even drum beat. When I turn my attention back to my breathing bed, the black and white stripes on the blanket have become soft, fabric piano keys that play on their own. The drums sound closer now too, but I can’t find where they’re coming from.
    I search for Myles again, and he’s standing, his hand outstretched toward me, so I take it and stand with him. The music gets even louder, and he starts twirling me around slowly; we’re dancing. My eyes move slowly, taking their time to absorb every detail. I stare at my black sweat pants, my old Rush T-shirt, Myles’ jeans, his plain grey V-neck.
    I lay my head on his chest as we move around the floor. When I glance back up, we’re no longer in my room, but in a forest of red and orange leaves.
    The drumming becomes louder, almost drowning out the piano altogether. I now realize that it’s coming from within Myles’ chest, bumping beneath my ear.
    “Did you write this song?” I ask, but I don’t remember opening my mouth.
    He strokes my hair. “No. This is your song,” he says. “The drum is mine, but it only follows the piano the way you wrote it.”
    So that’s how we spend the entire night. My subconscious writes us both a song that stretches on and on, and nothing comes out of the forest to grab me and drag us apart.

    Marker
    Chapter 3
    “Tissue and Bones. It was a Trick.”—Grizzly Bear
     
    The outside of White Dragon looks about the same as it did when I first came here four years ago. Jade's known Cookie since they went to Lucky High