A subtle sense of discomfort in my mouth stirred my consciousness awake. I slowly opened my eyes; the world was pitch-black, and my thoughts were muddled together. Yet, my body moved on its own, driven by a single instinct.
I'm thirsty…
I pushed myself off my bed and reached toward the corner of my desk, wobbling in the darkness. I mindlessly swatted my hand around until I felt the cold sting of my metal water bottle. I picked it up and shook it.
Nothing. No shift in weight, and no sound of water sploshing. The bottle was empty.
You have to be kidding me…
I stared toward where my door should have been with a heavy weight of dread settling in my chest. My legs stayed glued to the floor.
I could just go back to bed…
But I smacked my lips. In that split second, my mouth opened, air rushing in and stripping away whatever moisture I had left. My tongue dragged against my gums, the inside of my mouth rough like sandpaper.
I let out a shallow breath. Whatever. I need to go to the washroom anyway.
I maneuvered through the darkness of my room and stepped into the hallway. My eyes still struggled to focus. Thankfully, Mom had installed nightlights along the walls—small beacons that told you where everything was. One glowed faintly from the washroom. I used to think they were useless as a kid, but I get it now.
After finishing my business, I proceeded toward the stairs. By now, the last traces of a sleepy haze had disappeared from my steps. Even from upstairs, I could already hear muffled voices—presumably coming from the TV.
As I drew closer, the hallway grew brighter, illuminated by a faint, flickering azure glow spilling out of the living room.
I descended the stairs slowly, carefully, making sure not to cause a single creak. Once I arrived at the bottom, the voices from the TV became clear.
I spared a glance at the screen: a girl wearing some sort of fancy historical dress was throwing magic at her evil mother-in-law and rebelling against her "family."
The sight tugged an old childhood memory. When we still lived in our old house, I used to come downstairs late at night and find Mom watching these same kinds of shows. Whenever she did, she became completely absorbed—so immersed that she wouldn't notice me standing right there until I announced myself.
She'd apologize, then invite me on the couch to watch with her. I never knew what was going on in the show, but I always accepted her invitation.
I never would have expected someone like her to be into things like this. But I guess you truly can never know a person.
I continued toward the fridge and twisted the cap off my bottle. The water dispenser was quite loud—loud enough that Mom would be alerted to my presence—but there was no getting around it.
I pressed the rim of the water bottle onto the dispenser.
Water began to flow. As it hit the bottom, a hollow, metallic ring echoed through the room.
I didn't need to look. Based on the weight against my shoulder blades, I knew Mom was staring directly at me.
"When did you get down here?" Mom asked gently. There was a hint of surprise beneath her voice.
"I just got here," I replied flatly, watching the water climb the inner walls of the bottle.
An unusual, awkward silence hung between us before Mom asked, "What are you doing?"
I could tell she wasn't probing or anything like that this time. She just wanted to have a little conversation with me since I was already down here.
…But I hate frivolities like this.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I replied coldly. The pitch of the ringing sharpened as the water reached the neck of the bottle.
Mom didn't say anything else, not even a small sigh. The weight against my back vanished as she returned her attention to the screen.
I pulled the bottle away and twisted the lid shut. I kept my head lowered as I made my way back toward the stairs.
Behind me, the TV flashed—violent explosions tearing across the screen. The sound reverberated through the walls, swallowing my footsteps.
Usually, an explosion in a show is meant to be exciting, but my heart didn't falter. And judging from Mom's lack of movement, I knew she felt the same way. We were both just watching the lights.
I climbed the stairs, the explosions growing quieter with each step. By the time I reached my room, only silence remained. I stood there for a moment, staring vacantly into the darkness.
…Oh yeah, I was thirsty.
I twisted the bottle open and took multiple mouthfuls. The cold water rejuvenated my body as it swirled in my mouth and travelled down my throat.
…At least this still feels good.
I put the water bottle back on the corner of my desk and climbed back into bed. The moment my body hit the mattress, my eyelids grew heavy. Sleep claimed me almost instantly.