Maya

Maya never used to see herself as a paranoid person, however now she thinks, has good reason to. She woke up -for the third time- with a shaking breath and knew she wasn’t going back to sleep as she glanced at the alarm clock on her windowsill. 03:12am it read -great, it wasn’t like she needed to sleep anyway-. She groaned as she sat up in bed and wiped vigorously at the remnants of sleep clinging to her eyes. Ears echoing the sounds of a dream now forgotten, which was a relief really, as any dreams she had now were nightmares. Though, she knew what it was about. She looked at the pillows which littered the floor as a result of her fitful sleep and brushed off the hair that had stuck to her damp forehead. God, she was hot, sweaty and just bloody uncomfortable.

Throwing off the duvet that had pooled around her waist, she got out of bed and went into the kitchen. She entered carefully so as to not wake her parents who slept on the pull-out in the living room. It was a tight squeeze to fit herself, her brother, and her parents in a two bedroom flat but they made it work. Using the little light she had coming from the extractor hood, she pulled a glass from a cabinet and filled it with water from the tap. After clearing clutter and dirty dishes off the counter, she hopped up and perched herself on them to drink. The cold laminate and the breeze sneaking in from the old window were blessings against her skin. She sat there for a good while as she composed herself and then retreated back to her room. As she was reaching for her door handle however, she was stopped in her tracks by light filling the tiny hallway as the door behind her opened.

Can’t sleep again?” Demian asked quietly, Maya turned her head to her brother. “What d’you think?” She huffed in response. “I’ve been telling you that you should–” Maya cut him off. “No, I’m telling you it’s nothing. Just exam stress or something,” She shrugged and turned her body to lean against her door, she ignored his frown. “Why are you awake anyway?” “Someone’s been rolling and moving around in their bed which, by the way, squeaks like hell and we have very thin walls,” He said. “Sorry.” She winced apologetically as Demian rolled his grey eyes and closed the door. She sighed and returned to her room. Slumping and sliding down her door when it shut. She ran her hands through her hair and promptly got her fingers tangled in its knots. She knew that she looked like a right mess with her black hair forming something akin to a bird's nest along with dark, sunken under eyes. A measly amount of moonlight crept through the branches outside the window, their shadows reaching and grasping the unknown. A younger her was scared of them, the branches that would scrape against the glass like claws in the mysterious dark of night- she had grown out of those childish fears, though she had never grown out of the dread of nightfall. She hated going to sleep knowing what awaited her, that same nightmare she’s been having since she could remember. Waking up with a bead of sweat running down her face or being unable to move anything apart from her eyes. Over the last year or so, it had just gotten worse, louder and distressing. Only being avoided when she got drunk enough at house parties to numb her thoughts as she slept. Demian and her best friend April were the only ones who knew about them- Maya couldn't bring herself to tell her parents because they already had enough to worry about. She had convinced herself, to an extent, that they were caused by the impending doom of her A-level exams; Demian thought she had some mental issues that needed to be looked at by a professional; while April had joked to let her know when the world was ending as she clearly was having prophetic dreams.

(April had taken in the sullen and exhausted look on Maya’s face as she told her about her nightmares. Maya’s hand was engulfed by ones clad in blue nail polish, a comforting smile spread on the other girl’s face. “You can always call or send me a message if they wake you up,” April said. She had tilted her head, blonde hair falling away from her shoulders. Maya only huffed and shook her head in response. “Look, if you're going to have your sleeping interrupted then I will too in solidarity,” She said simply while squeezing her hand tighter. “Hey, maybe all these dreams will be worth it. You could warn me when the world was ending.”) As much as Maya appreciated the offer, she didn't want to be a bother.

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