Vilja shifted restlessly in her plush bed. She turned over onto her back. She had been lying on her side, a position so comfortable that she had almost been asleep! But for some unknown, accursed reason her eyes snapped open and now she was wide awake. She breathed deeply through her nose. She was trying to stay calm. Whenever something like this happened, it usually resulted in a few more hours of wakefulness and the bubbling mixture of anger and anxiety threatened to add to it. She really didn't want to go through that tonight. She just wanted to sleep.

She stared past the ceiling, then closed her eyes, trying to imagine something calming. A flag unfurling in the breeze. A grassy meadow also being affected by a breeze. Tree leaves fluttering in the breeze. Why were all her thoughts wind related? Wind was a weird phenomenon, wasn't it? That reminded her, she needed to purchase a new fan. Summer was coming quickly. Ugh, summer. What a horrid season. That meant she was going to suffer in the heat again. That meant she would also have to wear sunglasses more often. That meant she would have to watch for skin irritation more often, from multiple sources. How annoying. That also meant that it was time to get the citrus candles out. That also meant that-- oh, no. Her calming train of thought was completely gone. Great. Now she was annoyed. Great. She furrowed her brow. She inhaled, held her breath, then exhaled and growled low.

...She wasn't going to be able to do this alone.

She turned to her other side to face her nightstand. Her phone, clad in its sparkly electric blue case, waited silently for her there. She reached out for it. She misjudged how far away it actually was. She strained her arm to reach it, grabbed it with a flailing hand, nearly dropped it, and finally pulled it towards her face. The screen lit up. She felt the pain of fast shrinking pupils. For a brief moment, she could see the red, green, and blue pixels of the screen. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the pale synthetic light, the same type of light that assaulted her retinas daily. She opened the Punch.tv app and searched for her favorite sleep streamer, Selene.

Selene did not live on Vilja's timezone, so she'd have to watch a recording. That was okay. She wasn't here for the thrill of watching someone sleep, live. She just needed an external thing to focus on, to calm her down. She selected the most recent recording and flipped out her phone case's kickstand. She stretched her arm back over to her nightstand and set her phone there as a miniature television. She blinked and breathed deep, trying to still her mind. She watched as Selene greeted the audience, bidding everyone a night of good rest. Espousing about the importance of sleep. Vilja felt a warm feeling in her chest. Selene was so adorable.

Selene's past self got into bed and pulled a soft sleep blindfold over her eyes. Vilja wondered how Selene would look with another kind of blindfold on... No, no, those were not good thoughts to have right now. Vilja cleared her throat needlessly, trying to get rid of her inward awkwardness. She focused on Selene's breathing and began to count her breaths.

Finally, after breath fourty-four, Vilja managed to reach a calmer state. After breath eighty-eight, Vilja was entirely focused. After breath one hundred thirty-two, her mind drifted away into a strange semi-dark silo. She could still halfway percieve the light of her phone, but she was at least on the doorstep of proper rest. She remained like this for about an hour before she woke back up enough to turn off her phone screen and turn over to her other side, finally falling into a dreamless deep.

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By Adaline Guerra