Bound

chapter 1

I open my eyes and see nothing but a dark, blurry abyss. My body feels light like a feather, yet it feels heavy like I'm sinking. My arms stretch around me, the feeling like when you gracefully sway your arms around in water. I feel numb, weightless and cold. I try to open my eyes once more and instead of a dark nothing I am floating in a white pool of air. These feelings are so foreign to me which only piles onto the panic I feel bubbling in my stomach.

As I try looking through the thick white void I see a figure floating feet away from me. I notice I'm still sinking, falling deeper into this unknown pit. I focus harder, his characteristics growing clearer, but as I find myself recognizing this ghost like figure. My head feels tight. Tension begins to build up in my forehead and nose, suddenly I'm begging for air. I tried to breathe but all I could feel was this burning sensation in my lungs. My soft, feather-like surroundings were suddenly growing strenuous and hot. Not the hot you'd experience in the summer time, but rather the kind you feel on your cheeks when you step outside in the windy, cold weather. My body feels like it's burning, and I'm begging for the man above me to reach down and grab me. I'm reaching for a savior, for safety, but nothing seems to be in reach. The panic in my body has spiked and I suddenly I feel no hope. As I grow weak and my eyes shut, a pair of arms grab my shoulders. 

"Stella!" My eyes burst open and I take in a huge breath full of the fresh smells of cannabis and liquor.

I regain my breath and scan my surroundings. I'm no longer in this pit of fog but rather laying on a couch in a dingy apartment full of light smoke. Empty cans of seltzer beer, rolling trays, and bottles of flavored vodka littered the coffee table in front of me. My eyes follow the pair of hands gripping my shoulders and my eyes are met with a concerned Caleb.

"Finally you woke up." Caleb says as he sits by my feet on the couch. "You looked like you were gonna turn purple and fall off the couch."

I sit up and rub my strained neck, my eyes feel like they're burning but that could be due to the intoxicating air and being woken from my sleep. The room feels light, like it's barely spinning, and I feel like I'm swaying. I notice a plastic cup with my name scribbled below the rim in Sharpie. I must've had a little too much liquor for my tolerance.

"What happened? What time is it?" I ask, my eyes squinting as I look at Caleb. He turns his wrist and reads his watch.

"It's 3 AM." He casually says as if it's typically for us to be out this late. "Do you want a water? You look like you shouldn't drink anymore tonight."

I nod and he immediately gets up to fetch me a water bottle. The music is at a fair volume considering we're at an apartment party at 3 AM. A handful of people, only about two others I know out of the crowd besides Caleb, casually chatter and drink as if it's barely 9 in the afternoon. I don't know what I did to have such a realistic nightmare. However, I did notice something good from the dream. I saw him, the man who I've been running into in my dreams. He looked so entrancing, a stark contrast from the harsh environment we were both in.

Caleb comes back and sits by my feet once more. He hands me the bottle and a battery powered fan he brought from the other room. The subtle breeze from the fan soothes me and I become aware that I've just chugged half the water bottle in one sitting. I close it and place it on the floor, and I inch closer to him. With open arms, he embraces me as I try to wake myself up.

"What happened?" I ask once more, hoping he answers me. He rubs my upper arm and I let my clouded head fall onto his shoulder.

"You had a couple bites of an edible Nate brought and well.. that plus some of the liquor you had before hand must've knocked you out for a bit." He says as he looks down at me.