Lost Devotion // Sebastian Sallow

Fountain

I awoke to the sound of...silence?

As I slowly regained consciousness, a relentless thumping in my head greeted me even before I could pry open my eyes. I remained still, inhaling deeply, bracing myself for the impending flood of light that would accompany the moment I finally opened my eyes

Slowly I counted down...3...2...1...

The moment I opened my eyes, the pulsating rhythm in my brain seemed to increase tenfold. Was this the true experience of a hangover? Trying to remember the events of last night only resulted in a blank. I attempted to recall everything, but my pounding headache was not letting anything through.

I groggily rubbed my eyes, slowly recognizing my bedroom. Thank fucking Merlin...With how drunk I got, I could have ended up anywhere and with anyone. Actually I couldn't even remember how I got here, in my own room in my bed.

The simple act of sitting up felt like a monumental task. My limbs seemed to weigh a ton, and every slight movement sent waves of nausea through me. I let my legs drop heavily to the floor, the sound of their impact echoing in the room. I remained in that position, allowing my body to settle before attempting any further motion.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted a small piece of parchment resting on my nightstand. I reached out lethargically, taking hold of it and scanning the message scribbled on it.

Olivia, it's me Poppy. I'm sure you have a terrible hangover but just so you know, I helped you get to bed. Depending on when you wake up, we should meet up for a bite to eat, ok? Hope to see you sooner rather than later!

So it was Poppy who so generously helped my drunk ass into bed and got me tucked in...I really had to thank her for that. Eating something sounded unappealing but I knew I had to or else this wasn't going to get better.

A heavy groan escaped my lips as I hoisted myself up, my eyes darting around the room. Imelda was nowhere to be found, not even a trace of her presence. I strained my mind, attempting to recollect the last glimpse I caught of her. It was undoubtedly at the party, but beyond that, my memory faltered. I sighed and walked over to my trunk, pulling out a turtleneck sweater and pair of pants.

There was no way I was even going to look in the mirror, I already knew I looked like shit. Instead I walked to the wash basin and quickly scrubbed my face and pulled my hair up into a high loose bun, still pissed that I couldn't find my green velvet ribbon.

Once I was done I walked to the door and took a long pause and stood there, letting out a long groaning exhale. I could already hear other students out in the common room talking and I really didn't want to go out there.

My head fell back as I stared up at the stone ceiling and with a determined grasp I yanked the door open and walked out and down the steps into the bustling common room. There were a few dozen students scattered around and even a few eyes were on me.

The feeling that came over me was one of unease as I noticed some people whispering as they glanced at me. Usually, I wouldn't let such behavior get under my skin, but the fact that I couldn't recollect a single memory from the previous night's party amplified my discomfort. I couldn't shake off the nagging thought of whether I had committed some embarrassing act.

With a rapid shake of my head I turned and went up the common room steps to exit into the hallway. I had glanced around briefly to see if Ominis was around but he wasn't. All I could hope was that maybe he was with Poppy, which was where I was headed now since it was apparently lunch time.

When I walked into the Great Hall it was filled with students enjoying their lunches and chatting amongst themselves. Thankfully this time not many people noticed me enter so the stares were few and far between. I spotted poppy sitting at the Hufflepuff table alone so I walked over and took a seat.