Still Feel

Chapter One

This story will be addressing sensitive subjects.

Y/n woke with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. They had been awakened by a nightmare, but as soon as they had awakened, the image of it had faded. They lie there, confused and relieved. Despite being unable to remember the dream clearly, they remembered it had been vivid and terribly frightening.

Trying to calm their racing heart, Y/n closes their eyes and takes deep breathes. They were intending on falling asleep again but before they could fully settle, their alarm clock shocks the air with its chime, sending their heart into another frantic fit. With a huff and a bewildered roll of their eyes, they sit up and silence the alarm. They yawn, rubbing the sleep and crust from their eyes. Reluctantly, they push the warm blanket from them and slide out of bed, walking to the bathroom connected to their bedroom.

Their reflection could have frightened them as well if it hadn't been so familiar. They looked exhausted and, with a frown, they noticed how much paler they looked. The dark circles under their eyes seemed more prominent and their eyes duller. Brushing off their appearance as simply being because they just woke up, they do their business, washes their hands, then goes back into their room to change.

As they change, Y/n tried to think more of the dream they had just had. Not a single image came to mind but there was the sound of wheels spinning wildly. Y/n grimaces as their head throbs slightly. Weird. Pushing the dream from their mind, they leave their room and goes to the kitchen to grab some water and food. Maybe that's where the headache came from.

Y/n yawns as they grab a glass and fill it with water. They weren't looking forward to school. They were behind in algebra and-

Y/n pauses, their ears straining to listen. They swore they just heard a sob. Listening hard, they hear soft crying coming from their parents' room. Setting the glass on the counter, they carefully pad over to the closed door of their parents' room and leans towards it to hear better. Yes, there was crying coming from here. Y/n knocks on the door and softly calls out, "Mom?" The crying stops abruptly and they hear shuffling. "Mom, are you okay?" They receive no answer, just more shuffling sounds. They try calling out again to their mother but receives nothing back. Confused, they back away from the door.

Y/n knew their mother to be an emotional person, someone that was always open about her feelings. So, it wasn't uncommon to hear or see their mother crying about something small. So, turning back to the kitchen, Y/n walks away. Perhaps their mother was embarrassed about what she was crying about. They would ask her what it was about the next time they saw her. Not tonight though. Ther mother worked late shifts at the hospital a few blocks away.

Y/n quickly finishes getting ready for school, slipping on their shoes and slinging their backpack onto their shoulders. They return to the kitchen to grab the lunch pack they had prepared the day before from the fridge and to chug down the water they had temporarily forgotten about. They look to their mother's door and hesitate. "I'm going to school, mom!" They call. "I love you!" Nothing in return. So, frowning slightly, Y/n leaves.