𝑨 𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴 𝑰𝑺 𝑨 𝑾𝑰𝑺𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑴𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑺

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝟐𝟖

She couldn't nap. That was a fact Delphina was trying to force herself to accept at the moment. It wasn't that she didn't want to or that she had too much to do. Mal's spell made it physically impossible for her brain to sleep. The most she could do was lay in bed and dissociate as she stared at the top of her canopy. Anyone else with as much responsibility as Delphina would've taken this as a blessing or an opportunity to get more work done. But after Fairy Godmother's confrontation and the emotional breakdown Delphina was still trying to recover from? The last thing she cared about was her work.

She just wanted to take a goddamn nap.

Delphina groaned softly, rolling over in her bed and curling further into herself, pulling her comforter around her tightly. She was trapped in the most aggravating cycle; she would try to sleep, give up, try to do something valuable with her time, then get lost in her thoughts and fears, then try to sleep again.

Sometimes, she cried a little.

It was the same over and over again, and the sensations just kept getting weirder. She didn't feel tired. Her body was still alert on running on a dangerous level of adrenaline and dark magic, but she somehow still knew she was supposed to be tired. Whatever motivation she had to work was constantly squashed by the overwhelming urge to pass out.

Thinking about it made her want to slep even more.

She was currently in the 'lost in her thoughts' stage of the cycle, mind running on overdrive at the thought of Fairy Godmother doing something impulsive and blowing everything to bits.

A hasty knock at the door pulled Dephina back down to reality. She groaned softly, stomach turning at the idea of any random, nosy students trying to get information to sell to tabloids.

"Leave me alone!" Delphina doubted the person behind the door could hear her with how quiet her groan was. The person knocked again and Delphina huffed, tightening her grip on the comforter. She had a talent for waiting people out.

"Fina? You awake?"

Delphina shot up in bed at the familiar, concerned voice, head still partially covered by the comforter.

"Ben?" She demanded in surprise, hastily stumbling out of bed. She tried not to trip over the comforter and faceplant as she hustled to the door, fumbling with the locks before quickly throwing it open.

As soon as he saw her, Ben seemed to deflate with relief, immediately pulling her in for a tight hug. "Oh, thank god." He muttered, nose pressed against the top of her head. "Audrey and Chad told me about what happened at breakfast." He pulled away, hands cradling Delphina's face gently to examine her for any possible injuries. "Fairy Godmother told me you were on bedrest, but I didn't like the idea of you being alone and you wouldn't answer my calls and I was worried you had collapsed again and–"

Delphina chuckled softly, moving her hands to take a hold of Ben's wrists, halting his frantic twisting of her head. "Ben, Ben. Calm down. I'm fine." She assured, running her thumbs across the back of his hand comfortingly.

Ben stared down at her for a moment and his frown deepened when he fully took in the state of her face. "If you were fine, you wouldn't have been crying, Fina." He murmured, taking in Delphina's puffy, red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Ben's thumb gently ran across Delphina's face as she winced at the observation.

"It's just been a rough day." She lied lamely, looking at random things in the hall to avoid eye contact. "I promise, I'm f–what the hell is that?" A large basket by Ben's feet caught her attention, derailing her train of thought. Ben raised an eyebrow in confusion, then followed her gaze and he flushed softly.