Afterlife - Stephanie Hudson Page 0,24

a play through a foggy window. The more I tried to think about the details the more I began to lose it.

In the end I convinced myself it had to have been a dream! There was no other explanation for it. But something burned inside me every time I tried to look back as if there was some sort of line I couldn't cross to access the information. I could just remember the outline or snippets but not the dream as a whole and it frustrated me.

Libby could tell there was something wrong but didn't press me for any more information. I was definitely irritated, so I decided to get a shower to try and relax before bed, at this rate I could see it being a long night of twisting and turning, only the thought did cross my mind that if I went back to sleep I may be able to access the dream again. There was one part in particular that interested me the most. Who was that guy? It was weird, I couldn't remember him fully but it was as though in the dream he had made so much of an impact on me that it didn't really matter that he was a blur because I knew deep down that he was perfect - if there was such a thing.

I got into the hot steamy shower still in my annoyed state, more frustrated with myself than angry. Losing my mind was a definite sore spot with me, so not knowing what I did for a whole afternoon was somewhat distressing.

I let my towel bathrobe drop to the floor and stepped into the cubicle, instantly feeling better as the hot water rained down over my body. I could feel my muscles relax and the tension in my neck ease. I loved water, I loved everything about it, when it rained, the sound of a stream or a river, or even the sound of droplets lashing against my window in a storm. But most of all, I loved the way it felt on my skin. As if it not only cleaned your body from everyday life, but could also wash away any bad thoughts or memories, making you feel like new.

I let my long hair fall down my back and held my face under the rushing water of the power shower, wishing it could be more like a waterfall in some exotic rainforest far away, somewhere hot and full of mystery. This immediately brought me back to my dream as I closed my eyes and let my mind wander in and out of blissful remembrance.

I had washed my hair and my body with Libby's extensive supply of bathroom products, wondering if she wasn't a little bit consumer mad. There were six different types of shower gels and bottles of all shapes and sizes holding God only knows what. I used what I needed and came out of the shower smelling like a mixture of jasmine, coconut and a touch of apple. I would have to read the bottles more carefully next time otherwise I could come out of there smelling like a fruit salad or a cocktail.

I hadn’t realised how long I had been in there until the water had started to go colder and my fingers had gone wrinkly at the ends. This used to fascinate me as a child. I got it into my head that if you spent too long in the bath you would grow old quicker and get wrinkles.

I looked in the mirror at my face and frowned, no wrinkles, but I looked so pale even though I had just come out of a hot shower and the bathroom was still steamy. I wiped the mirror again with my arm and noticed dark purplish circles around my eyes. No wonder Libby thought I looked ill; I looked like something from an old black and white horror movie. Considering I’d had a good sleep this afternoon my body felt tired and sluggish.

I dried myself and changed into my sweat pants and a vest top with an old hooded zip up my dad had given me years ago. One he used to fit into until a beer belly had gotten to him. He knew it was one of my favourites. It had his old college football team logo on the front and it was lined with fleece inside. Most of all, it reminded me of home and kept me warm in more ways than one.

I tidied