My Little Demon

Chapter 3

The calendar soon rolled into the month of August before Mae could acknowledge what had happened. It all flashed by in a blink of an eye. The days spent sleeping in and being lazy was now at its end. Throughout the past few months, the idea of high school only slipped past Mae's mind once or twice. Luckily, she chose not to dwell on the subject for too long, in fear that she would possibly pop her brain from all the combustion. However, as she tucked herself in the warmth of her bed for the final time this summer break, Mae had trouble falling asleep. Her first day of high school was tomorrow. In just a few hours, when the ominous body of the night was burned away by the sun's touch, she would be starting a new chapter of life. Supposedly. There were a few instances when her classmates seemed excited about it, according to their social media status. Some of her family members stated that there was nothing to worry about.

She turned in her bed, a frown imprinted on her thin lips. Her body was heavy with exhaustion from various all-nighters with Fale these past weeks. However, even when her eyes closed, sleep could not weave past the thoughts that smothered her. As she lay in her bed, doing nothing that it was made for, frustration leaked through the euphonious night. A type of coveting that kept her awake in the darkest hours of the night when sleep couldn't seem to find her—even when she desperately wanted it. Despite her attempt to clean her consciousness of this vacuous negativity, it clung to her like some lifeline.

A sigh broke the deafening tranquility that came with the long hours of darkness. "I don't wanna," She croaked petulantly. She rubbed her palms against her tired eyes. They stung unpleasantly, a prickling feeling poked at her eyelids. She proceeded to stare blankly at the ceiling as random scenarios brewed in her head. Most were influenced by the lack of proper sleep and therefore the line between reality and fiction became a blur. However, she knew that if she had the capability to fly away from school, she would definitely do it.

Can fish see through the water like we see through air? She mused, in a disjointed manner.

She fell in and out of her drowsy state. In the meantime, as her soul floated about the reigns of fantasy, blissful sleep managed to slip through the cracks.

Her body found a comfortable spot on the bed. She sunk into the warmth, and in the midst of things, an ephemeral thought made one final breakthrough: Wait. A bathtub is the opposite of a boat.

Sunlight to a new day streamed into the room, showering everything in an uncontaminated light. Mae's nose instinctively creased as a bodiless gleam sat on her face, which inevitably caused her to stir in her rest. A short grumble tickled her throat. She shifted to hide from the day that was currently unwelcomed. She didn't want to get up and therefore drew out as much time as she could in the warmth of the covers. Although, a distant creak of a door drummed in her ears but never made it past her dreams.

"Mae, sweetie. Time to wake up. It's the first day of school," A soft voice pierced through the blurry haze. She could feel a hand on her shoulder and her body gently being shaken awake.

Reality rushed into her like a tide of saltwater. The endless realms of the fiction world slipped passed her fingertips like sand. Slowly, she reunited with the world and opened her eyes. Groggily, she blinked away the viscous gunk that had formed at the corners of her eyes. Her mother sat beside her, fatigue followed the dreary lines of her young features. Her dingy hair framed her cheeks in a frizzy fashion. Violet pajamas hung loosely on her shoulders.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," She whispered softly as Mae began to rub her eyes.

"G' morning," The high schooler murmured.

"How'd you sleep?" Her mother asked and gently moved the loose strands away from her daughter's face. Her fingers caressed her skin, which only made Mae want to fall back into the arms of slumber.