I'm home, in the only place I can truly rest. I was about to go straight to my room, but my mom's voice called out to me.
"Cleo, come here for a sec!" she yelled.
"I'm coming!" I shouted back as I walked into the kitchen. As I stepped into the room, I felt a strong need to sneeze.
"Achoo!" I let out a sneeze. My mom likes to use a lot of spices while cooking, and sometimes she uses a little too much, so everyone's noses tingle while she cooks, except hers, which is a bit weird. Well, I guess she's used to it by now.
"Oh, hi Cleo! How was school?" she asked as she added more spice to the Indian curry.
"It was fine, nothing special," I lied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Is that so? You say that a lot. Is there really nothing happening? You seem a bit pale. Are you feeling alright?" I was being bombarded by her questions.
"No, I'm alright. I'm just a bit lightheaded. I'm gonna go take a nap before dinner. Is there something you need?"
"No, I just wanted to see you. You're always locked in your room all day," she said, with a hint of worry in her voice. "Have a good nap," she added, stirring the curry.
I threw my backpack onto the floor of my room. That's the first thing I always do. But the second, I had started doing just recently: I sat down on my bed and pulled the keychain from my pocket.
Carefully observing it, I asked myself, Just what are you?
I flopped onto the bed, gripping the keychain tightly. I held it up toward the sunny window. Its glossy top glimmered in the light. Suddenly, I could swear it glowed for a second! Instantly, my eyes felt heavy. I tried to fight the sleepiness for a bit, but my eyes closed on their own.