Page 49 of Our Sadie

I could wind up back at square one.

Earlier tonight I had my evening Zoom call with the Princessa. She’s adjusted okay so far, which makes me less antsy. I probably wouldn’t have agreed to this at all if this video chat thing hadn’t been around as a temporary standby.

That night I stay up late scrolling through sports highlights on my phone, but I’m not truly watching much of it. I doze off but remain restless—I’m a light sleeper due to listening out for Paisley, anyway—so when I hear a disturbance, I think it’s a dream.

Or a nightmare.

“Mom, shut up. Just shut the hell up,” I hear, and jerk awake. It’s while I’m squinting at my closed door that I realize the speaker is Sadie. “We never asked you, so why are you interfering?”

I bolt into a seated position. Has her mom come to visit or something? Why are they arguing in the wee hours of the morning? Unless this is about us. Most mothers probably aren’t fans of finding out their daughter is cloistered away with three men. Even though she’s of age.

Dammit, if this other lady charges in and throws some sort of guilt trip on Sadie, this could endanger my—our—job circumstances even further. Not ideal when it’s feeling awfully precarious to start with.

I listen hard, waiting for their shouting match to continue, but can’t make out anything else. Did they go back downstairs? Because a minute ago, it sounded like they were right outside my room. I think I hear some footsteps, the shuffling, uneven kind that probably means it’s Sadie.

Is her mom still out there with her?

I don’t want to make a bad situation worse by giving the two ladies a specific target to fight over, but the hair on the back of my neck is standing up. There’s a cold spot deep in my belly, too. Something’s wrong.

I pop out of bed and literally press my ear to the six-panel wood of the door. I can’t tell if they’re out there or not, but enough is enough. Bracing myself, I whip it open to see Sadie right outside, but she’s alone.

Did her mother storm off?

There’s some ambient light coming from a strip of dim white lights along the hallway floor, and it casts shadows over Sadie’s face, making her eyes resemble skull-like holes. I’m not one to scare easy, but fuck, that’s creepy.

Swallowing so my heart will return to its normal territory, I scrutinize Sadie’s behavior. She’s pacing back and forth down this twenty-foot section of the hallway as if upset but hasn’t noticed me yet. I don’t want to startle her, but I’m right here in the open.

How can she not see me?

Since she seems a bit off, I snag a whiff of her as she careens by. Her fragrance is the same as always, though. No weed. No alcohol. Really, she’s not acting like someone who’s high or crocked out of their mind.

If anything, she comes across as agitated.

I take another step toward her so she can’t miss me, then say her name.

“Sadie?” She keeps going like I’m not here. I raise my voice. “Sadie?”

There’s a clattering sound nearby and Jerome appears at the threshold of his room. “What’s up?”

Before I can answer, Zach shows up, running a hand through his mop of hair. He observes Sadie through a narrowed gaze. For a couple of heartbeats, we all study her in confusion.

“What’s she doing?” Zach mouths at Jerome and me.

“Wish I knew,” I say out loud since even talking directly to Sadie isn’t having any effect. They become as entranced by her actions as I am. “She won’t answer me.”

To prove this, I snap my fingers in front of her face. Her chin cranes up and to one side, but other than that, it’s as if I didn’t do a damn thing.

“I think she’s sleepwalking,” Jerome mutters faintly, and it makes sense, I suppose.

“Is that for real?” Zach questions. “I thought that stuff was only in movies and shows.”

“Yeah, it’s for real.” Jerome monitors Sadie while continuing to discuss this with Zach and me. “How long has she been doing this?”

I shrug because I’m not sure. I tell them about her yelling at her mom even though the lady doesn’t appear to be around. Maybe she was never around.

“So, Sadie’s walking and talking in her sleep?” Zach’s tone is disbelieving. “Is that normal? I mean, is that healthy?”

“I don’t know, man,” Jerome answers, and now all of us are watching her as she retraces her steps. “I’ve heard not to wake someone in that state, but I’ve also heard of people wandering out into traffic due to this shit. At the least, I think we shouldn’t let her out of our sight.”

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