"Do you like, lift weights while skipping school? 'Cause one time I asked you what you do and I don't remember that one."

"No, but I bet I can still pick you up," he says, shrugging.

"Without dropping me," she says. "On the stairs."

"Sure." He shrugs again. "Up to you, though."

Alice follows.

Bella flops onto her bed and kicks off her wished-sneakers, which are bright white. "This," she says with a vague one-armed gesture around the room, "is my room." She pulls her blanket over her. "G'night."

"G'night," says a very amused Alice, and sits down on the floor at the foot of her bed.

Bella utters mostly nouns, some articles, the occasional number, and once, "Run!"

Alice dutifully records all of these things, on a page at the top of which he has written Stuff you said in your sleep today.

Bella sleeps for four hours. At six-thirty in the evening, she sits up and rubs her eyes. She observes Alice sitting at the foot of the bed. "How long was I out?" she asks, looking considerably more awake. "And how long have you been sitting there?"

"Four hours," he says cheerfully, and passes her the notebook.

"To both questions?" She looks at the page. "...What the hell? Marker snake? The six owl? I talk in my sleep?" She frowns. "I would have hoped it would at least be sensible. My dream was about miniature pies that could talk."

"That is adorable and kind of horrifying," says Alice. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?"

"Talking mini-pies are horrifying? They were super cute," says Bella. "And yeah, you do that like five times a day."

"Yeah, they're super cute," he says. "Until somebody eats them."

"Well, no one ate them in my dream," Bella says firmly. "They just happened to be pies, that's all. I mean, someone could eat you. No one's likely to."

"Everything is hot," Bella says, rolling her eyes, "according to you." She looks at her clock-radio. "I should start dinner. You sticking around or are you hieing home to the siren call of Hilary's food?" She pauses. "Also, was Theo terribly confused when he arrived at school and does your mom know where you are and is she likely to worry?"

"I thought of that one myself, actually. I called Mom and said I'm at a friend's place and she told me to have fun and call her if I need a ride. Pretty sure she thinks I skipped school to get laid."

Bella nods. "I do have a couple weeks off from school, conveniently enough."