Going For Gold (Providence Gold 4)

CharlotteIt had been two days since my horse riding experience, and I was almost back to normal. Well, as normal as you can be when you’re exhausted.

I still wasn’t sleeping, so I’d picked up some Melatonin to try tonight. Apparently it ‘eased’ you into a natural sleep and helped your body get back into a sleeping pattern. I wasn’t sure how much of a pattern I actually had considering my job was days for one shift then nights for the next, but I was willing to give it a whirl.

I was at the stage of being so tired now that I was freezing and couldn’t get warm. It was November so yeah it was cold out, but normally I was better at it than this. I came from a much colder city than Gonzales, but this winter was kicking my ass.

Taking a shower, I picked up my t-shirt, shorts, and the thick high thigh socks I normally wore during the winter to bed.

I was a creature of habit – anything constrictive while I was sleeping woke me up. I’d seen an ad online for one of those weighted blankets but even thinking about being held down like that while I was sleeping made my anxiety peak. It might work for some, but I liked freedom when I was sleeping. I couldn’t even have a feather duvet because they were too heavy for me. Instead, I had a microfiber one with a brushed cotton cover on it that I could kick my leg out of, move around freely under, and that moved when I did.

The need for freedom while I slept meant that I normally slept in shorts, and for some reason the thigh high socks didn’t affect me, but they sure as heck kept my feet and legs warm.

Wandering through to the kitchen, I picked up the hot water bottle I’d bought on my way home. The cute pink unicorn cover on it had been what first got my attention, and when I’d realized what it was and that it would keep me warm, well it was a must buy. I wasn’t an impulsive shopper - I didn’t have the money to be able to do that - but this hadn’t been expensive and it would keep me warm, so I’d snapped it up.

And now I was going to fill it up, take the recommended dose of Melatonin, and hopefully sleep through the night.

Once I boiled the water and poured it in without burning myself, then screwed the lid on, I picked it all up and walked back to my bedroom, frowning when I felt a blast of cold air. Taking a look over my shoulder, I made sure that the door to my apartment was closed and that none of the windows were open, and then headed for my bedroom again.

Being tired does strange things to people. Some get angry, some hallucinate, some struggle to stabilize their body temperature, it was different for each person. And the fact that I hadn’t slept properly in weeks now, that was worrying me a lot. I couldn’t afford to go into work and fuck up someone’s life, or have an accident while I was driving Levi’s tank, so I needed to sort my shit out, switch my brain off, and get some damn sleep.

Crawling under the duvet, I curled up around my new favorite thing in the world – Princess Sparkle Tits, the unicorn hot water bottle from heaven – and reached out for the two pills I’d left beside the bed along with the glass of water to take them with.

Slowly but surely, I started to fall asleep, and for once my brain stayed quiet.I was lying on a soft feather the size of a bed, watching the rainbows playing tag. The sun was warm and made my skin tingle, and I was in heaven.

Opening my eyes, I watched the blue unicorn walk toward me, smiling when it sneezed glitter.

“Bless you.”

Tilting its head, it stopped and stared back at me. “Charlotte,” it whispered, walking over to where I was still lying down. “Open your eyes, you bitch.”

I thought they’d be nicer than that. Just then, one of the rainbows dropped and wrapped around my neck, giving me a rainbow hug. It was squeezing, and squeezing, and…

Gasping, I woke up, trying to get some air into my lungs and failing. That damn rainbow was still there, wrapped around my neck. I’d had some strange dreams in my time, but this was the weirdest and most realistic one ever.

“Listen, you bitch,” a voice hissed next to my ear, scaring the shit out of me and waking me up fully. “I’ll let your breathe if you promise not to scream.”

How the fuck was I meant to do that? I couldn’t even breathe let alone make a promise, and it felt like I was about to have a heart attack my heart was beating that fast.