The Blonde Bitch Syndrome

17. w a r m

BRITTANY KNEW SOMETHING WAS DEFINITELY WRONG when she woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for air. The bare skin of her arms and ankles felt clammy and scorched. She mindlessly weaved her fingers through her tangled knots, panting steadily. She felt awfully hot.

She glanced towards the air conditioner and sighed. She had forgotten to on it. Making her way through her bed, she blindly groped for the remote. She always kept the tiny thing on the surface of her drawer. She frowned when she couldn't find it. For the next twenty minutes , the teen kept on searching for it. After the clock struck twelve, she finally realized that she had not misplaced the remote. Instead it was taken away from her. She knew it was her mother who was behind the theft . Judging by the open door, her mother had sneaked into the room when she was sleeping and took it away just to torture her. Her mother knew her weak point - Brittany could never sleep without the air conditioner.

The town of East Niffork was one of the strangest place. Ninety percent of the time, gray ominous clouds would shroud the morning light giving it a spooky look. The town during the day time would be mist covered and extremely cold. Sweaters and cardigans were a definite must. However, during the night time it would take a one eighty degree turn and would turn warm to an extent that the residents had to relieve all their clothing, only adorning themselves in inner wears - if they didn't want to become the victims of a heatstroke. And Brittany was no exception to that. She too, like all other people needed the air conditioner to prevent herself from getting turned into a mere puddle of sweat.

The blonde pursed her lips in anger. Without the air conditioner, she certainly couldn't get one wink of sleep. This realization made her hate her mother even more than she did. While the obnoxious woman was peacefully snoring in her room, Brittany now had to stay the whole night awake. This was her punishment for bad mouthing her earlier. Exhausted, she sat on the bed, thinking of a solution. She couldn't sneak in her mother's room. Mrs Campbell, no matter how she snored like a demon, was a light sleeper. The barest noise wakes her up with a crowbar in one hand. And if she catches Brittany red handed, there would be hell to pay. Being the esteemed wife of a known senator certainly had its perks.

A notorious idea came to her mind. Brittany smirked. The idea itself was dangerous and reckless. But, now deprived of her sleep Brittany had nothing better to do. Either she could chose to have some fun or take up the decision of rotting away in her room till dawn. The decision was hers. Brittany went with the previous and with a new burst of energy, she got up to her feet.

She discarded her pink nightgown and started shuffling through the bundle of clothes for a more convenient choice. Something that would allow her to move freely. She chose a pair of minion printed pajamas. And then traded her fancy silk slippers for those bunny eared sandals that her mother disliked. Too childish. She could already see her mother's morose lips curl in distaste, at her choice of outfit.

Once she was done, she bravely flung open her window. A sudden rush of hot air almost toppled her backwards. Brittany didn't let it dampen her spirits and instead knocked her fist against and the palm of her other hand before taking a deep breath. Here we go. Instead of jumping down like a loony, Brittany gingerly placed her feet down on the pipeline. Testing it, if it was good enough to withstand her weight. When she thought it was safe enough, she craned her body backwards and gripping both the windowsill with her hands, started to move downwards.

Once she had almost reached the grassy ground, she jumped down and opened her arms wide apart. She gave a Cheshire like smile, when she breathed in the scent of the fresh flowers and the moist earth. The scenery ahead of her was semi dark with only moonlight casting the shadows of the looming trees. Crickets sung here and there and the wind rustled occasionally. But other then that, there was no other sound.