The first thing Serix was aware of when he woke in the morning was an odd pressure on his chest and against his side. Something was pressed up against him. Whatever it was, it was warm. It brought him some comfort from the slight chill he felt on the rest of his body. Wait… chill? He should have had a blanket to keep out the cold. Where did it go? The events from the previous night started to emerge from the sleepy haze in his mind. He had been telling Cassie a story, and then she fell asleep on his bed…

Serix’s eyes flickered open. In the same instant, the pressure was gone and he felt a sudden jolt as he was shoved out of the bed. The impact against the floor was enough to shock any lingering drowsiness right out of him. He shook his head and propped himself up on his elbows. Cassie was looking down at him from the bed. The room was too dark to make out her expression, but he could tell from her voice that she wasn’t happy.

**“What did I tell you about getting in my face while I sleep?”** she said angrily, climbing down and stepping over him to sit on her own bed on the other side of the room. Serix wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just sat up and looked away. There was a pause, and then Cassie spoke again, **“Why didn’t you just wake me up and tell me to go back to my own bed? It probably would have been more comfortable for you.”**

“I didn’t want to wake you up,” Serix didn’t look at her as he replied. He couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he might as well just tell her the truth. “I thought it would be better to let you rest. I wasn’t sure if you would wake up if I tried to move you, and honestly I was too tired to try, so I decided to just leave you where you were.” _Besides,_ he added in his mind. _It wasn’t_ that _uncomfortable._ The thought made his cheeks burn and he was grateful for the darkness that veiled his face.