Dark Ocean

Part 15

Part 15

Valentina wakes to the sun already low in the sky. Pressing a hand to her face, she smacks around the mattress for her phone. Parting two fingers over her eyes, she peeks at the screen. 7.14 pm. She groans and throws her phone back down, rolling over onto her stomach. She buries her face in the soft curve of her pillow, blocking out the light, because it's way too sharp and it hurts her eyes.

The abruptness of the movement causes a wave of nausea to sweep over her, along with a throbbing pain in her head. She groans, and again eases herself into a less miserable position, at the same time reaching for her forehead. She presses her fingers to her temples and tries to swallow, but her mouth feels like a desert. Licking her dry and chapped lips, she mentally scolds herself for falling back into old habits, for reaching for the nearest bottle of Mezcal instead of coping with her emotions.

She hates herself for this weakness, for allowing herself to develop such a self-destructive habit. But like so many times before, she'd been drinking in an attempt to numb herself and to get over the shock of last night's events. She'd been so stunned, so thrown off balance and tossed upside down, that she just hadn't been able to help herself.

This was by far the most confusing and overwhelming situation she'd ever found herself in, and she had no experience of how to handle any of it. She had fallen in love for the first time in her life, open to all possibilities, a readiness to explore, yet at the same time unable to fully comprehend or trust the reality she suddenly found herself facing.

She could hardly believe some of the things Juliana revealed to her about her life. Because really, how was she supposed to believe something so unfathomable? Sirens were just mythical creatures, silly tales for children. Sure, in her childhood she'd entertained fantasies of going to other worlds, where there would be all kinds of wonderful sights and supernatural people. But she'd grown out of that phase. If she let herself believe such a thing was possible, she'd have to rethink everything she'd ever understood about life.

But Juliana had seemed so serious, so genuine, that it made her question her beliefs. What was she supposed to do if her world kept changing into something unrecognizable every few days? This whole thing was so far beyond her comprehension of reality that she simply needed something normal, familiar, to ground her. And the bottle was still there, inside her nightstand drawer.

So perhaps she'd been cowardly, but she hadn't been quite ready to face this strange new world. And when she'd reached for the bottle, she knew exactly how it would make her feel. She just needed a moment of peace, a bit of space. Just a night.

"Oh, Valentina," she groans to herself, rubbing her hands down her face. Bracing herself, she pushes herself up into a sitting position and instantly regrets it. Her stomach rolls at the motion, lurches as she lies back down and presses her hands against her eyes again until she sees flashes of light behind her closed eyelids.

With a deep breath, she tries again a moment later, shifting up and moving to the edge of the bed. It takes a second for her to realize there is a glass of water and two small pills resting on her nightstand. Her brows furrow for a moment but then she figures Chivis must have left them and swallows the pills. The water is cold and soothing as it pours down her throat and she gulps it down slowly.

Her stomach lurches again when she stands, and she quickly makes her way to the bathroom. Thankfully, she doesn't get sick but she definitely gets close. A glance in the mirror makes her wince. Her hair is stuck up on one side, tangled, but she is too tired to care so she just leaves it the way it is. Using the sink, she splashes water onto her face and rubs the sleep out of her eyes before shuffling down the stairs toward the living room in only her oversized t-shirt, the hem of her boxers peeking out from beneath it.