Daydreamer

Part 5: Life

 A lot had happened since Katarina and the rest of the Waking World awoke after the sleepy sickness. "Encephalitis lethargica" is the name they gave the condition that plagued the world for over a century but at this point, it almost seemed like everything was back to normal. Thrust into what felt like a whole new world, Katarina did her best to adapt, creating a new life for herself. With the help of some persuasion spells, she was able to change her last name and forge a new identity, separating herself from her past as much as she possibly could.

She spent a lot of time exploring her new city, finding herself an appropriate studio apartment, one that was not far from her place of work. She found no reason to pursue education officially but studied a lot of history and other subjects of interest in her free time. She got a job as a bartender in this cute, little club and though she formed minimal connections, socialized to the extent so she wouldn't stick out. Most of her inner circle consisted of her coworkers and her boss at work but outside, she kept to herself. She frequented the little shops nearby, loving the bookstore and cafe but also appreciating the abundance of clothing stores, buying clothes every once in a while to add to her growing collection, most of her belongings left behind in the home she could no longer return to.

She adorned jeans and a sleeveless black turtleneck, a corduroy jacket keeping her shoulders and arms warm from the crisp air, sneakers pattering against the sidewalk. She pulled her jacket closer to her chest and pushed her hair behind her ear as she squinted against the sunlight. The door jingled as she pushed it open and she was greeted by a couple of voices, smiling and waving hello as she made her way to the back of the bar. Her coworkers greeted her and she punched in, going to her section of the bar. She cleaned it, she served drinks, she provided her best customer service and she took her tips. When the night ended and her shift was over, she clocked out and made the walk home. Once home, she either curled up with a book or caught up on all the shows that were high in popularity, a cup of tea in hand. This was the routine she had come to learn and tolerate.

She also suffered from insomnia and withdrawals from giving up magic.

As Katarina closed and locked her apartment door behind her, she kicked off her sneakers and dropped her bag to the floor, making her way through the living room that connected to the kitchen. Her hand hovered over the variety of teas she had adorning the shelf over her sink before her eyes moved to the shelf of alcohol and she grabbed a glass, pouring some whisky into it. She took a swig, her face scrunching at the burning sensation down her throat and she sighed, looking out. One of the things she loved most about her apartment was the one wall that was made of only windows, the night sky in clear view to her. She moved her furniture into a position where could sit and look up at the stars, just as she was at that moment but usually it was tea instead of alcohol in her hands. She took another sip of her drink as her eyes glazed over the city below her, some of the buildings dark for those who were sleeping while the streets were still bright. The night was passing slowly as usual but Katarina preoccupied her mind long enough for the sun to eventually rise and her routine was to start all over again.

It was a typical Saturday night, the club filled with people as they danced to the music bouncing off the walls, lights dancing around. Katarina was pouring drink after drink, trying her best to keep the smile on her face but the exhaustion was starting to seep through. Her eyes glanced at the watch wrapped around her wrist and she sighed to herself, closing her eyes as she leaned against the bar. Her head was pounding and she tried to soothe the pain by rubbing her fingers in circles on her temples, putting on a smile as she heard someone call for her.

"What can I get you?" she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the music and the young girl with blonde hair and brown eyes gave her a shy smile before responding. "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you!" Katarina called, leaning over the bar as the girl gestured to her.