Character Development Prompt : GRIEF.
Seventy-six hours.
It was precisely how long Kaya had been awake. The clearly disheveled brunette sat at the end of her bed, involuntarily twitching every few seconds. It could have been a side effect from being sleep deprived, or more likely, a consequence from the cocktail of drugs she had been taking in order to stay awake. A line of what she hoped was cocaine here; a few of her mother’s pills washed down with hearty gulps of Red Bull there.
Anything to stay awake.
Everytime Kaya nodded off, or even blinked, she was met with the image of her deceased friend. To say that Annabel didn’t look like herself was a severe understatement. Her long, golden hair was matted with dirt and blood. Bruise-like rings framed her bloodshot, blue eyes, but the most disturbing detail was the deep gash that reached all the way around her frail neck, nearly decapitating the blonde. The delicate, silver necklace that Kaya had given her for her last birthday hung from the wound, teasing her.
But it wasn’t real.
Despite the realistic nature of the hallucinations, Kaya knew that she’d collected the necklace, along with a few other items, after Annabel’s death. With a shaky hand, she reached into the bedside table and pulled out the familiar chain. “It looked so beautiful on you, babydoll," she slurred, holding the jewlery to her chest. Before she could stop herself, tears began to stream steadily down her face. Within minutes, she was sobbing uncontrollably.
Pull yourself together, Makaye.
The crying seemed to have absorbed the last of her energy. Even the smallest motions were becoming difficult, and her eyelids were heavy. In an attempt to stay conscious, Kaya dug her fingernails into her forearm, leaving behind four crescent-shaped nicks. After a few, brief moments of fighting sleep, her entire body went limp, and she slid to the carpeted floor of her bedroom. She’d lost the battle, but after all, this way Kaya would see her dearest friend.
