The girl was pulled out of her nightmare by the loud sound of her alarm. It's six in the morning. Kath lies in her bed, staring at the ceiling, dark circles under her eyes. She sighs deeply, stretches, and gets up. Half-awake, she trudges down the stairs. When she looks into the mirror and sees her pale face, tired eyes, and messy long black hair, she wakes up instantly.
- How do I look? - she mutters hoarsely to herself.
- Like a nightmare, - comes a mocking laugh from behind her. Katherine rolls her eyes and turns around. Christina is leaning against the doorframe. Of course. Her dear sister simply had to make some comment first thing in the morning. How long had she been watching?
- I'm not the nightmare. I had a nightmare, - Katherine replies, a faint smirk tugging at her lips at the sight of Christina.
- Sorry, - Christina smiles. - But do you know what else you look like? - She pauses dramatically, waiting for Kath to answer, but Kath only shrugs and looks at her questioningly. - You look like someone who is definitely going to be late for school.
Katherine glances at the clock. Then simply says:
- Well, if I were on the bus right now, I'd probably make it halfway through my first class, - she laughs sarcastically. - Whatever. I'll just use the usual excuse: public transportation sucks. - she finishes.
- That's actually smart. Anyway, I'm off. Byeee! - Christina calls, slapping Katherine on the back as she leaves.
Crazy, Kath thinks. Her sister's constant cheerfulness has always annoyed her. But deep down, she loves her for it.
She gets dressed, sprays on some perfume, and does her eye makeup—if she has dark circles anyway, might as well make them look intentional. As she rushes through the hallway, her pinky toe and the doorframe meet briefly. She grabs her foot and curses loudly. She takes her black canvas coat from the hook, throws it over her shoulder, and wraps the belt around her thin waist. When she pulls it tight, it seems to cinch itself. She blinks at the belt, then shrugs. Hypnagogic hallucinations were nothing new to her, especially after a nightmare-filled night. She grabs her bag. Then she hears a weak, raspy voice behind her:
- Be good, Katherine...
Kath turns around and forces a smile at her grandmother.
- I will,- she says, glancing awkwardly at the floor. - Bye. - And she walks out the door.
She gets on the late bus—the one for people who overslept. It's almost empty. Katherine's mind keeps returning to her grandmother's sunken face and sad expression. Her heart breaks a little more every time she thinks of her. Katherine and her sister had been raised by their grandmother ever since their parents died in the woods, probably while hiking. Katherine was five then. For Mrs. Holloway, it was a heavy burden. And her depression never faded after losing her son and daughter-in-law. Katherine knew this. She tried to help—but she was just a messy, overwhelmed teenager.
The bus carried only one other passenger. Katherine's gaze drifted to him—a man with medium-length curly hair, probably in his twenties. He looked like an artist. Maybe a poet.
Is he sad too? Kath wondered.
He looked back at her. His eyes felt familiar somehow. As if she had seen them before.
Kath stood to get off at the school stop. The man got off too. He walked toward the corner tobacco shop. Kath ran toward the school, out of breath. She rang the bell, hoping the porter would let her in without comment. She had no energy for a lecture. Thankfully, the gate opened.
Katherine rushed into her classroom. The lesson was already underway. The teacher stopped mid-sentence—she had been explaining Caesar's reign—and raised a questioning eyebrow.
- Sorry I'm late. The bus was delayed, - Kath said, using her rehearsed excuse.
- Alright. Sit down, - the teacher replied. Her tone was strict, but not unkind.
Kath sat next to her friend Freya. Freya gave her a look, sighed, and faced forward again.
- And the real reason you're late? - she whispered.
- I overslept. Again, - Katherine answered flatly.
Freya liked to show how much Katherine's chaotic lifestyle irritated her. But from the corner of her eye, she still glanced at her friend with concern. She worried. Katherine never really cared about herself, her future, or others—no matter how hard she tried. The loss of her parents didn't only break her grandmother. Deep down, Kath was crushed too.
The rest of the day, Kath tried not to fall asleep while Freya focused fiercely on the lesson. Her notebook was filled with perfect handwriting and highlighted key points. Katherine rested her head on her desk, watching her. She admired Freya—successful, disciplined, known by everyone at school. People disliked her for being better than them. She always won first place. No wonder Katherine felt like she lived in her shadow. She didn't even know why a popular girl like Freya chose to be friends with her.
After what felt like an eternity, school finally ended. Kath and Freya went to their favorite café—the place where they first met back in elementary school. Years had passed, but they were still together.
- Two lattes, please, - Freya said to the waiter.
Both of them brightened the moment the hot drinks arrived.
- Hopefully this wakes you up enough to go home and study, - Freya said, referring to Katherine's not-so-great grades. - You look like you haven't slept in a week.
Kath waved her off.
- Sure, sure, I'll study. Are you coming to the party on the 10th floor tonight?
- We have school tomorrow. So, no.
Katherine shrugged.
- Alright then, Miss Perfect.
Freya rolled her eyes at the nickname, but didn't respond.
They finished their coffee and said goodbye.