Rooted 3
CHAPTER 3 Jonathan did not remember closing his eyes. Only that the night had passed without rest. The ceiling above him was still the same dull shade of white, faint cracks stretching along one corner like veins that had slowly spread over time. He had memorized those lines years ago. On nights when sleep refused to come, he would trace them with his eyes until morning arrived. Tonight had been no different. The air in the room felt still, untouched, as if even time had hesitated to move forward. The faint glow of the streetlight outside slipped through the thin gap in the curtains, casting a pale strip of gold across the floor that barely reached the edge of the bed. Jonathan lay on his side, one arm tucked beneath his head, staring into that dim light as if it might offer something it never had. Behind him, he could feel her. Not physically. Not in the way the living feel presence through warmth or movement. But in the quiet awareness that she was there. Always there. “You’re awake.” Carlie’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper, yet it carried clearly through the silence. Jonathan did not move. “I never slept.” The words came out dry, worn from repetition. He heard the faint shift of fabric as she adjusted her position. She had been sitting at the foot of the bed for hours now, just watching him. She did that more often lately. Watching, instead of speaking. As if she was trying to remember something she might soon forget. “You used to fall asleep faster than me,” she said. There was a trace of something in her voice. Not quite sadness. Not quite nostalgia. Something in between. Jonathan let out a quiet breath through his nose. “That was before.” Before everything. He did not need to say it. They both knew. Silence settled again, stretching longer this time. It felt different now. Thinner. Like something fragile had slipped between them overnight. Jonathan finally turned onto his back, his gaze shifting toward the ceiling. He lifted a hand, dragging it slowly over his face, pressing his palm briefly against his eyes as if he could push the exhaustion deeper instead of carrying it. “You said something’s changing.” His voice broke the quiet without warning. Carlie did not answer immediately. He lowered his hand and turned his head toward her. She was sitting exactly where he expected, near the foot of the bed, one leg folded beneath her, the other hanging loosely off the side. The position was so familiar it made something tighten in his chest. She used to sit like that when she was waiting for him to finish something. Waiting without impatience, but never without intention. Now she looked almost the same. Almost. “I didn’t think you’d notice this soon,” she said. Jonathan frowned slightly. “Notice what?” Carlie hesitated. It was a small thing. A pause that lasted no more than a second. But in five years, she had never hesitated like that. “I feel… lighter,” she admitted quietly. The word lingered in the air. Lighter. Jonathan pushed himself up slowly, the mattress shifting beneath his weight as he sat on the edge of the bed. The floor felt colder than he expected when his feet touched it. “Lighter how?” Carlie looked down at her hands. For a moment, he followed her gaze. And then he saw it. It was subtle. So subtle that if he had blinked, he might have missed it. The outline of her fingers was not as solid as before. Not gone. Not invisible. But softer. As if the edges of her form were beginning to blur into the space around her. Like ink slowly dissolving in water. Jonathan stood abruptly. “What is that?” His voice came out sharper than he intended. Carlie looked up at him, her expression calm, almost reassuring. “I told you,” she said gently. “I’m not supposed to be here anymore.” The words settled heavily in his chest. “No,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “You’ve been here for five years. You don’t just start fading now.” Carlie rose to her feet. The movement was slower than usual, as if she was becoming more aware of something he could not feel. “I didn’t fade before,” she said, her voice steady. “Because nothing was changing.” Jonathan took a step toward her.