Animalistic

13

I did not find sleep easily that night, I continually found myself tossing and turning, unable to relax enough to loose consciousness. I don't know whether it was the ominous discourse I had with Atlas that night, the stressful thoughts of the approaching Mating Ceremony, or even the fear of having another one of those terrible nightmares. Maybe it was a combination. Not to mention, the longer I went tossing and turning, the more unbearable the searing pain from my mark became.

Somewhere around midnight I had broken into a cold sweat. Unable to continue to deal with the burning, I peeled the sweat soaked covers back, the cold air only amplifying the chill through my equally sweat soaked skin as I hobble on unstable legs to the bathroom. Throwing the light on, I peel off my pjs and leave them strewn haphazardly across the tiles, sweat staining my originally grey camisole to a patchy grey and black. Without another thought, I stepped into the glass shower and threw the water on, the freezing liquid sprayed across my skin, sending goosebumps across every place the droplets fell.

The cold shocked me to become more conscious, but the burning in my shoulder drained me once again. I desperately twisted my body so the icy water would hit that searing mark, my breath coming out ragged and my body violently shivering against the cold; but even as the unbearable cold pelted the unbearable heat, the burning never left, it just continued to pulse through me. Eventually, I came to the realization nothing would help and shut the water off, facing the even chillier air around me. I grasp for my towel, wrapping the fluffy white thing around me and weakly dry myself off as I shuffle back to my warm bed. The thrown open covers accept me with another chilling touch, for a moment, as I pull the freezing covers around me, I felt as if maybe, just maybe, the burning dimed in my shoulder. I wasn't that lucky.

-

The pale sunlight brought me into consciousness as I opened my weary eyes. Sitting up, I find my eyes traveling around my small golden room to find the pill bottle at my side opened, the small pills spilling over the nightstand and the floor beneath it, my clothes haphazardly strewn about, the dresser and other pieces of furnerature knocked out of place, and a half-eaten sandwich sitting on my vanity next to a spilt glass of tea. What the fuck happened last night? I honestly couldn't remember as I sat up, cradeling my furiously raging head. This isn't a hangover...is it? I don't remember drinking last night. Then again I don't remember much of anything beside...My hand falls from my head to my shoulder...Atlas.

The slow dull burn of the mark feels somber beneath my strangely wet skin. A picture of his dark eyes last night flash before me and a long sigh draws out of me. I fucked up, didn't I? I pull back the covers of the bed, the side I slept on strewn about, whilst the other was almost pristine. I guess I didn't move about all that much. Raising from the bed, I look down to find myself naked and give myself a shrug, that's not too unusual. Looking around the room, I decide it might be too much of a headache to put on my sleuthing hat and try to CSI: Miami my way into figuring out what happened last night and decide to just leave that as one of life's great mysteries.

Throwing on simple shorts and a sleeved yellow blouse, knowing all that was planned today was a picnic, I then tie my strangely half wet hair into a messy bun and pull on some short socks and a pair of white sneakers. Satisfied with my outfit, doing a few motions in the mirror to be sure the mark would not be revealed, I give myself a good look. Wow, I look even more like shit than usual. I look like I had a rough night, with my eyes looking sunken with the dark circles under them and my cheeks gaunt. Well, it'll have to do. A sharp, clinical knocking at my door takes hold of my attention and I find myself unlocking the white door and pulling it open to see the chipper doctor in the hallway.

The grey streaks in her hair shine under the hallway light as her bright features display a disposition of ominous worry. "Ms. Grodner you did-" As soon as her eyes land on me she stops. "Why hon, what's wrong with you?" She takes my face in her hands as she turns to look at each side. "You look positively exhausted!"