Akrasia

Chapter 12

Lainey's Point of View

I wake up to a sheering headache. Probably my worst yet. I figured getting a lot of sleep would get rid of it from last night, but of course it didn't. Not only do I have a horrible headache, but I also had another nightmare.
Most of my nightmares consist of death and blood, gruesome right? It's almost like I have PTSD, which I don't, because all of my dreams are like remembering something I should be afraid of.
Right when I stand up straight, a jolt of pain goes through my body, courtesy of my lovely headache. I feel so horrible that I don't even have enough motivation to put on actual clothes. All I'm thinking about it eating.
I make the same tread from yesterday all the way up to the kitchen. Each step I take heightens my senses and makes me cringe with the subdued pain. I hear each creak in the floor louder than ever before. And the light of the elevator was horrible.
Once I walked in, the light was blinding. It made me see dots when I closed my eyes. On top of that, it's making my headache worse. The whole ride up I have to resort to squeezing my eyes shut to avoid the pain.
After what felt like ages I made it to the kitchen. I steadily walked to the counter hoping no one notices me cringing at each step, which they don't, or they never brought it up.
"Good morning Lainey." Natasha said eyeing me suspiciously. Great.
"Good morning." I whisper back with a smile.
"Here's some cereal. It's not as good as yesterday, but it's food." Steve said pushing Captain Crunch and a bowl towards me. As I eye Steve after seeing the cereal brand name, I hear a chuckle from across the room.
"First off, I'm surprised Tony doesn't have gourmet meals everyday. Second off, is this your own doing." I say sarcastically gesturing my hand towards the cereal.
Steve blushes, "well it wasn't exactly my idea."
"It was my brilliant plan all along" Tony booms giddily.
"Alas, we found out who it was." I retort sarcastically .
"Tony dared Steve to do it, and it was still funny none the less." Clint interjected grinning wildly, which made wrinkles pinch the ends of his squinting eyes.
I take my attention off Clint and look towards Steve. "You know, my teachers at school always told us to never let our friends make decisions for us."
"Who ever said I was his friend!" Tony yelled receiving an eye-roll from me.
I pour the milk in my bowl and then the Captain Crunch. I look up and see many weirded glances coming my way.
Ignoring them I lift the spoon up of my mouth and bite down. My head abruptly pounds with pain as I clench my jaw. Great, this is going to be hard to get by with if I'm wincing with every bite I take. Each bite brings more excruciating pain to my head, and I'm no longer trying to hide it.
     Of course Steve had to notice, "Lainey are you okay?"
    "Oh, um yeah. My head just hurts really bad." I state sheepishly. Everyone gives each other worried glances.
     "Do you want some Tylenol, it might help." Bruce added sympathetically.
    "Actually, Yeah. That would be nice." I reply. Bruce stands up from the counter and leaves the room, presumably to get me Tylenol.
    I was just about to put another spoonful of Captain Crunch into my mouth when a shoot of pain rains through me and the world goes black.
      All of a sudden I can see, but I'm not at the tower. I'm, I'm in a, a house? It appears to be one, but it's full of junk and mold. My sight moves as the body, I think mine, walks through the corridors. Once I make it into the next room I freeze in terror. A dead body. A stab wound the size of my hand covered their chest. Their chest that isn't moving. Blood is everywhere and it fills the air with the fumes of metal and iron. I look down at my feet to find my body and hands slathered in blood. His blood. Abruptly, I plummet face first to the blood stained floors. Right as my face hit the ground my body stood straight back up vertically making a 360 degree circle. Although now I'm in a different place, dimension possibly. Nope not a dimension, a train. I'm walking around, and once I hither my way to the caboose I'm astonished. Lying slumped against the door is a dead man. Instinctively I look at my hands and they're slathered in blood like before. I reach down to inspect the knife impaled in the mans chest and as I come closer-
     "LAINEY!" Tony screams, weirdly high pitched, snapping me out of my trance.
     "That's the third time we've said your name, are you okay?" Wanda said looking genuinely worried for me.
     "Oh, um sorry. I'm fine, you know other than the headache. I must've been daydreaming." I lie hoping it's believable. Glancing at Natasha I can tell it's not. She just raises her eyebrow at me.
    "Your ghostly pale, you're sure you're alright?" Steve insisted assuringly.
    "Yeah. I think I'm going to be done eating though."
   "I can grab your bowl." Steve said getting up and grabbing my bowl to set in the sink with the endless amount of other dirty dishes. Feeling light headed I just want to lay down, so I head over to the couch and fall face first into it. Which made my head ring even more, not a wise decision on my part.
    Bruce comes back into the room and says, "I've got the Tylenol Lainey. Lainey?"
   "On the couch." Clint said not having to even look up. I raise my arm in response which he sees and heads over to me.
   "That bad?" He says handing me two pills and a glass of water.
   "Mmhmm." I murmur sitting up to swallow the pills. After I just lay there, endlessly. Eventually everyone leaves except Nat and Clint.
    My headache only worsens and so does my patience. Hearing Nat and Clint quietly talking really bugs me, and I work up enough courage to say, "Can you guys not talk or just leave."
    "You know Lainey, you could go to your room." Nat shoots back. It wasn't a bad idea, so after motivating myself to get up I make my way to the elevator. Just like earlier, each step sends jolts of pain to my head. I only made it about three steps before my world began spinning and the floor rose to meet my face.