Star woke quietly.

She squinted, her mind clear for a moment... that little moment of bliss before you realise where and who you are when your brain is waking up. She revelled in it for a heartbeat, then she squeezed her eyes closed as the weekly events flooded back to her and hit her like a brick.

Star slowly, painfully pushed herself up onto her knees, and sat there, slumped, her hair cascading around her shoulders. She brushed it away from her face and sighed deeply. Her head was pounding from the sobbing she had done last night. She rubbed the sleep and salt from her tired, bloodshot eyes. She really needed that sleep, and although she felt terrible, she was grateful that it had been uninterrupted by dreams.

Yawning, she stared around her room with bleary vision, trying to gather her thoughts. After a moment of dull dread settling into the pit of her stomach, she let out a small,

"Ugh." And fell back onto her face.

She was still fully dressed, so when she finally found the will power to drag herself out of bed, she showered and raked her hair out of her eyes. She shoved her devil headband onto her head and then stood in her underwear staring at herself in her full length mirror. She heaved another great sigh and pulled on jeans and a Love Sentence band T-shirt. She didn't feel like wearing a dress today. She didn't feel like herself today.

Star felt like she was wading through thick treacle. Her thoughts were muddled and upsetting. Her mood was constant storminess and general confusion. After a half hearted breakfast, she returned to her room and sat on the bed, determined to arrange her thoughts.

Marco.