Playing Sleep

Extended Description

Jason Newell had tried it all. Warm milk before bed, no screens two hours prior to sleep, chamomile tea and herbal infusions; meditation, whale song CDs and even the odd spliff, but for some reason he just can't get a decent nights sleep.

Insomniac.

That's what they call him. They being the horde of medically approved specialists that somehow knew exactly what kind of medication he should be on by simply inspecting the severity of his drooped eyelids.

Player 1.

He calls himself. The title he had adopted the night he began to treat his condition as a game. One valiant hero fighting an endless battle, the ultimate prize being the oh-so treasured sleep. However loosing entailed the all-nighter which thus resulted in an exhausted Jason required to attend his uni courses the following morning.

Emily Vunderbeet had her moments. Not the kind of moments in which one suddenly became hilarious, or super kind. No, her moments were the kind in which she felt as though she couldn't breathe, as though the walls were closing in all around and she couldn't see straight, as though her heart was beating so fast it might just explode out of her chest.

Anxiety.

They labeled it. They being her psychiatrist of a mother and pediatrician of a father who decided well before she actually became bad that she needed pills and fast. Not allowed to test out other remedies she had been taking Retratac for approximately four years and according to her parents, showed no signs of changing.

Scared.

She called herself. Scared of the past, scared of the present and terrified of the future. Scared of what her parents would do if they found out she tossed her meds and spent the nights sneaking out her bedroom window. But most of all, she was scared of what she would and could do to herself.

When the insomniac of a nineteen-year-old spills a drink on the anxious girl of seventeen at a pop-up punk concert, they find out their taste in music isn't the only thing they have in common. Sleep-deprived and a tad excited Jason invites Emily into his world, the world in which he fights for the right to sleep. All the while hoping she can be his player 2 and finally help him win the game time and time again. The game being Sleep.

// a.n // right, so here it is! umm, this is a remade author's note because i've finished burman's and i need to mention the input of taygetsthegay tag. right, so this so far is tagged as a short story but it might end up being full-length, i don't know yet. and TAY GETS THE GAY! the LGBT character in this will be a minor character, ft. in chapter four and i might add a friend/family member or something later on but for now it's just that one. you'll see in due time. but i can't wait for ya'll to read this, i really hope you enjoy it and it'll be up soon!

oh, and the stunning cover by the oh so stunning lydia carr a.k.a lydiarse - love her! x and the fabulous banner by the amazing artist that is @Woowoowriting check her out x