"What the hell, Carrot Top?"
Perry shakes her head, "Listen, Carmilla - about what you may or may not have just seen - you can't say anything-"
Carmilla scoffs, "Oh, please. That hardly qualified as exciting. Don't flatter yourselves."
Before Perry can get in another word Carmilla steps around her and is out the door.
(They can't breathe. They can't breathe. They can't breathe.)
They focus on taking in big breaths but everytime they try it feels as if the air isn't quite reaching their lungs. They can see Perry about to make a run after Carmilla but they manage to get out a strangled, "Perr."
She's by their side in an instant and her presence is doing nothing for the hammering feeling in their chest. Their heart is beating so fast that it feels like it might jump out of their skin. Their breaths continue to come in short bursts and they're suddenly gasping, shaking their head as Perry roughly grabs at their shoulders.
"Sweetie, sweetie - look at me."
They continue to shake their head, screwing their eyes shut and trying not to think about how faint they're starting to feel from the lack of oxygen entering their system.
It's all a trick of the mind - it's all in their head - but they can't stop the overwhelming sense of dread and doom that comes with the fleeting thought that they feel like they're dying.
"LaFontaine," a cool hand against their cheek, "LaFontaine."
Her voice brings them back and they open their eyes, her look of concern making knots in their stomach. They continue to gasp for air, stepping back and connecting with the wall. They slide down it until they're sitting down with their knees hugged to their chest.
"She can't-" they gasp for another breath and get punched in the head with how dizzy they feel, "Perry, my mom is here and-"
Perry crouches down, grabbing their wrists and squeezing gently, trying to ground them, "Honey, you are okay. You are okay. Focus on the feel of my hand. Focus on my breaths," she mimics deep breaths and they will themselves to look up and try to copy her.
It takes a few tries but finally there is that moment when they suck in a deep breath and the air finally seems to rush in and connect with their lungs. The panic slowly starts to subside - although their breaths are still coming in ragged and shaky - and the room is starting to come back into focus.
A coolness washes over them and Perry squeezes their wrist gently before getting up to grab some tissues from a stall and a water bottle from her bag. She walks back and passes the water bottle into LaFontaine's hand, "Here, drink some of this." She unscrews the cap and they take a slow sip while she dabs the tissue to remove some of the beads of sweat that have formed on their forehead.
They close their eyes at the feeling, relishing in the feel of Perry's hands moving down to caress their cheek.
"That was so fucking stupid."
Perry sighs, "I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"No," they shake their head, "It was my fault. I'm the one that kissed you."
"I certainly didn't discourage it." She moves to sit beside LaFontaine, blowing out another breath, "Maybe we could talk to Laura. Get her to talk some sense into Carmilla."
The sick feeling churns in the pit of their stomach, "I don't really think she's going to be too eager to grant us any favours right now."
"Sweetie, she'll understand. She has to."
Chapter 8: I'm Dealing With A Selfish Fear
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