By Demons Be Driven

Demon Drink

Nyx was having a mental breakdown. That had to be it. That was the only explanation for her sudden night terrors. Or... day terrors, too? Fuck. She clearly needed to see a doctor, or a psychiatrist or some sort of trained professional. It was apparent that something was fucked up in her head and she needed to get it sorted out. Being mentally unstable was not something she needed to add to her plate.

Catching her breath while she was absentmindedly walking across campus, still lost in thought, she hardly noticed her name being called from across the quad. Her body became rigid as she halfheartedly looked in the direction of who was calling her, afraid it was one of her previous classmates coming to taunt her. Instead, she saw Charlie approaching her with a big grin on her face, which faded fast when he saw Nyx's frightened expression. "Nyx? What's wrong?"

Nyx was still dazed from what had happened and she really didn't feel like rehashing the details with Charlie right at that moment. "Uh, nothing. I... fell asleep in class, she lied, impressed with how quickly she came up with the fabricated story. "I made an idiot out of myself by snoring and the professor asked me to leave."

Charlie laughed heartily, "Sweetie, I don't blame you. I had Mr. Clem last semester. Trying to stay focused in his class is more difficult than learning the actual material." She patted Nyx's back reassuringly as she spoke. "Don't sweat it, I'm sure you're not the first one to pass out in his class, and you won't be the last."

"Yeah... thanks." Nyx sighed, finding it difficult to retain anything that she was saying. "I just... I need to decompress. I think I'm going to take a walk until my next class. You know, just get some air."

Nyx really wasn't in the mood to talk and Charlie's the type of friend who would set aside everything in order to help someone out. She didn't want Charlie to stress about it. Hell, she didn't even know if there was anything to stress out about. It could be a matter of sleep deprivation and she was overthinking the whole thing. Or... at least that's what she was trying to convince herself of.

"Yeah... okay," Charlie said with a subtly concerned look. "But call me if you need anything. And do us all a favor and pull yourself together before tonight," she playfully mocked.

"Got it... wait-" Nyx paused, confused. "What's tonight?"

Charlie took a minute to stare at her with a dumbfound expression before replying, "Umm... the party? One of the biggest parties of the year and one that I just so happened to be hosting? The party that we've been exhausting ourselves over for the past 3 months?"

Shit. Nyx had completely forgotten about the party. How was that even possible? It was something that she and Charlie had been looking forward to for several months, how could she be so dismissive?

"Right. The party. Duh. I-I was kidding, Charlie," she lied through her teeth. "I obviously wouldn't miss it. Everything should be in order, so I can just meet up with you there."

Charlie looked at her skeptically before giving her a short nod. "Yeah, okay... I'll see you tonight then." It was obvious that she knew something was up, but she wasn't going to force you to talk about it.

The two girls parted ways and Nyx started making her way into town. She went on walks fairly often. It was something she liked to do particularly when she was stressed and needed to get out of her element. Often times, she didn't think about where she was going or where she would end up. Nyx simply let her feet do the thinking and when she was tired, she would find her way back.

After about an hour or so of walking and taking care to avoid as many unwanted reflections as possible, she noticed that she was in an unfamiliar area. Nyx ventured further down the road until she was able to find a street sign. When she read it, she nearly choked on her own breath.

Edgewater Ave.

Again, her head was whirling with questions. Could it have been a coincidence? What were the odds that her mindless wandering would lead her to that street?