cold showers, morning dew

When she wakes up in the morning, the first thing that Luz notices is that her feet are cold. She wiggles her toes, and finds them poking outside of the bedsheets. She flips onto her side and folds her legs up, rubbing her feet together. Outside, the rain taps softly against the windows, wind whispering through the trees.

Luz brings her hands to her face to rub the crust out of her eyes, only to discover her fingers are cold too. She shivers and burrows further into the covers, tucking her head underneath the sheets. She swallows, and finds that her throat is dry.

Luz groans and throws the covers off, finally deciding to get out of bed. Her bare feet pad gently against the wooden floor, and she walks into the kitchen of the one-bedroom apartment. Her eyes are still half-closed when she grabs a cup by the sink and fills it with water. She brings the cup to her cracked lips, and takes a long sip.

After finishing the cup, she refills it and drinks another. Once satisfied, she sets the cup back down and ambles back to her bedroom. Luz spots her phone on the nightstand, and picks it up to see if she has any messages. She clicks the power button a few times, but it's dead. She sighs and places it back down on the table, choosing to flop face first onto her bed. Luz wriggles her way back under the sheets and sinks into the mattress. Her neck is stiff, but she pushes the discomfort to the back of her mind.

Just when she's about to nod off, the doorbell rings.

Luz grits her teeth together, and pulls herself out of bed again. She's now fully awake, and extremely annoyed that someone is interfering with her plan to sleep in today. It's been a long, stressful week at work and she wants nothing more than to relax.

So she moves quickly through the apartment, and once she reaches the door she doesn't hesitate to throw it open.

"Yes?" Luz asks tersely.

Then she blinks, and takes a step back in surprise.

Standing in front of her is none other than Skara, completely drenched from the rain outside.

"Luz." Skara is on the verge of tears, voice quivering as she struggles to get the words out. "I'm sorry."

Fear coils tightly in the pit of Luz's stomach, and she asks tentatively:

"What happened?"

Skara opens her mouth to respond, but is overcome with a wave of tears. She breaks into a sob, and buries her face in her hands. Luz feels cold dread wash over her as she watches her friend crumple into herself. Skara, who can fill up a room with sheer force of personality alone, has never looked more small.

Luz grabs a jacket off of a hanger behind the door, unzipping it and draping it over Skara's shoulders. Then, she steps forward and pulls her friend into a hug.

"It's okay," Luz murmurs, not quite believing herself. "Take your time."

Skara nods, still sniffling. She shifts her arms and slowly reciprocates the hug. It's a bit stiff and awkward, but Luz pushes those thoughts aside to focus on comforting her friend. Water drips onto the hardwood floor, slowly forming into a puddle, and Luz isn't sure if it's from the rain, tears, or both.

After some time, Skara pulls back and rubs her eyes. She crosses her arms over her chest, and looks off to the side.

"There's been an accident." Her voice is strained, but steady. Skara brings her eyes to meet Luz's. They're dull charcoal, far removed from the usual warm grey. "A car crash. Amity's at the hospital, they're operating on her now."

Luz's knees buckle, and this time Skara is the one to catch her.

"No..." Her voice trails off as the shock sets in. The cold feeling spreads to her chest, and Luz doesn't feel so much as taste the salt on her lips as tears stream down her face.