Page 2 of Sleepless Beauty

I'm Aurora Roses. I'm not a college student anymore.

I'm older. I'm stronger. I'm not in that room. I'm not even in New Haven. I'm in Briarsville. Home. I'm home.

Nothing bad is going to happen to me here. I'm safe.

There's no fire.

I look around, my vision is foggy as if real smoke were floating in the room.

I need to clear my vision, clear my thoughts.

I focus on the little white and pink noise machines faintly humming on my nightstand.

I feel my heart ricochet off my ribs instead of calming down.

Damn.

Okay then…

Juxtaposition might work.

I need to recall something pleasant.

I'm not in my childhood bedroom. I'm not in my bed.

I'm sitting cross-legged on sand that feels warm against my skin.

There's no smoke.

The ocean is wide open in front of me. Bright blue like a summer sky.

The ringing blare of the fire alarm is not filling my ears, there are seagulls flying above, their calls echoing around me.

I don't smell smoke. I smell salty sand in the balmy air.

I smell—

Dammit. I still smell the horrible smoke!

My body starts to shake even harder and I grow cold.

My mind scrabbles frantically.

The… the tide.

I picture waves gently lapping at the shore.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

I hug myself, my knees under my chin in the middle of the bed. My body keeps on trembling and I start to feel faint, my breath is still far too short. It wheezes out of me noisily.

My eyes sprang open as my throat constricts even more.

Dammit!

I have no choice.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com