KATARINA: VAMPIRE (SLAY/LOV)ER

Part VI - Certainly Uncertain

Kayla restlessly laid in bed. Like most nights recently she was tossing and turning unable to get to sleep; a million thoughts racing through her head. In the present moment she was thinking about how her knight in shining armor turned out to be a shiny turd instead – and a shiny turd, no matter how shiny – is still just a turd. She heard Mark say that once.

She turned her pillow over to the cool side, scrunched it up a bit, coddled it, and stuck one of her feet out from underneath the blanket.

"Uhhhggggghhhh," she groaned into the pillow. Kayla used the toes of her now untucked foot to crack the window open and get some crisp Autumn air in the room; her fan was blowing, as it was every night, but it wasn't getting the job done.

"I can't believe he has sex with me, then decides to tell me he hooked up with Kat. Fuck him. Fuck Kat too."

Did she really mean that?

"So much for a best friend. Who does that? Jealous much?"

Unable to find comfort in her current configuration, she rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling which was plastered with those glow-in-the-dark plastic stars, which she had fond memories of placing there with Kat years ago. Those fond memories turned into not so fond thoughts.

Kayla lunged up and started peeling the stars off the ceiling one by one.

At least, that was the plan.

The rubber cement they used so long ago seemed to still be holding strong as ever as Kayla clawed at the plastic.

A tip on one of the stars broke off, and with-it Kayla's nail cracked too.

She started welling up and plopped down on her bed. Defeated, she wrapped up in her blanket and fell over into the fetal position.

"My head hurts. My face hurts. Everything hurts," she cried.

She slid the length of her forearm across her nose to clean up all the tears and snot she was leaking. What was the point of getting up and getting a tissue?

After a while of self-loathing she started to get a weird feeling; a feeling like maybe she was suffering from more than a broken heart or betrayal.

Cold sweat perspired on her forehead and her hands were clammy. She wrapped herself tighter and grabbed another blanket that normally spent it's time balled up at the end of her bed. Sitting up she opened her window wider and let the breeze run across her face.

Did she cry herself into dehydration? Hyperventilating?

Her throat started feeling tight. It reminded her of when her family went on vacation out of the country as a child, and some of the local cuisine triggered an allergic reaction. This wasn't quite as bad, but it was worrisome.

"I should go to the upstairs bathroom and splash some water on my face and get a drink," she thought, scooting toward the edge of the bed.

One leg stepped down onto the floor.
"Ugh, so cold."

Then the other leg. Still enveloped in her blankets she shuffled to her bedroom door. As she reached for the doorknob her vision started to blur around the edges.

"My god I'm lightheaded."

Her world became darkness.

Her knees buckled and with a thud Kayla collapsed to the floor.