[i]In her dream Charlie was falling. Gradually at first, like she was in slow motion, travelling at a painstakingly slow rate down a winding dark tunnel that seemingly lead to nowhere. With time she picked up speed; her body went from levitating downwards to falling at full speed. The wind whipped her limbs around like they were that of a child's plaything. Her stomach clenched as she felt air playing violently with her hair, ripping at her clothes like an aggressive lover. The black abyss loomed before her and when she reached a hand blindly forward she found that she could no longer see her slender fingers because the depth of this darkness was too much. Fear overtook her body as she lashed around, hoping to find something solid, something real that she would be able to hold onto. But there was only the wind beating roughly against her face, and the feeling of the free fall as she plummeted faster and faster into the unknown. 

It was one of those dreams where you didn't realize you were dreaming. It felt real as the darkness engulfed her like a throat. Maybe that's what this was. Perhaps she had been swallowed whole and was now falling through this throat and into the fatty acid of someones stomach. Or perhaps she was dead and her hell was to fall in this bottomless pit for all of eternity. Either way, Charlie was terrified. Her body was not at all her own and now belonged to this overwhelming emotion of fear and angst as she continuously plummeted downwards. It felt like forever. Forever in this formidable darkness. That is until it was shattered like a piece of glass and all of her fear drained from her body as if someone had pulled the plug in a bathtub. She could feel the emotion slide through her being, washing out of the tips of her toes as another feeling of intense pleasure took its place. 

It was like being suspended in the air, dangling there as all the darkness gave way to light; bright and beautiful. She felt relaxed, comforted and, more then anything else, at peace. The tranquility was like a warm summers day on the beach. The waves lapping at your feet in slow, ceaseless cycles as the sun beat down on your skin filling you with warm pleasure. The sand bit into your skin, uncomfortable at the same time pleasant. This was what she felt as she stayed suspended in this white light that enveloped her like a blanket of satisfaction. Her entire body caught in this moment of perfection as the luminosity around her faded slowly, leaving her in the darkness again. However this time there was nothing in the dark. No falling, no beaches, just peace.[/i]

The alarm clock at Charlie's bedside table went off, pulling her awake from the deep oblivion that had taken over her. She couldn't remember last nights dream as she reached over to slap uselessly at her clock. All she had was the faintest memory of a the dark and a current feeling of weakness all through her body. She was tired, despite having slept soundlessly the entire night before, and as she dragged herself out of bed she found her legs to be feeble as the connected with the icy floors. Char groaned, pulling the loose hair elastic from her misshapen hair so that she could to pull said hair into a sloppy bun on the top of her neck. She didn't bother to look into the mirror as pulled a loose tank top and a pair of shorts from her closet to replace her warm, sweaty night clothes. Quickly she threw on the outfit, the ill-fitting clothes hanging off her thin frame, and migrating towards the smell of food that wafted from her kitchen. 

It was weird, having the scent of something non-microwavable float through her house, which only ever saw real food at Christmas time when Char's sister made an appearance. Her bare feet made soft noises against the tiled floor as she came into the kitchen eyebrows raised. Her body still felt shaken and the food made her empty stomach gargle in hunger. "Oh my god that smells so good." She mumbled, opening the heavy fridge door and pulling out a cartoon of orange juice. "I knew there was a reason I liked you so much." Looking up at Mila she grinned, an expression which faltered some when she saw her roommates radiant beauty in the morning light. Charlie hadn't exactly missed Mila's beauty the night before but her over-exhausted mind must not have been able to comprehend just how gorgeous this woman actually was. Looking down and biting her lip, Charlie felt incredibly exposed and vulnerable. With a deep breath she lifted the carton in Mila's direction. "Thirsty?"