Believe

A sweet, musky taste lingered in the back of Karla's throat. She felt dizzy as she coughed up something pearlescent and slimy.

"Here, drink this." A glass of water was held up in front of her nose. She'd forgotten about Kayla. Taking the glass from her sister, Karla drank until there was nothing left. She looked around the living room, not wanting to believe the hazy, intermittent images scrolling through her mind.

"Hold on!” Karla sputtered as her gaze rested on the coffee table. “Where did all those beer bottles come from?”

“You were out of it for an hour. Maybe longer. I got a bit anxious waiting for you to wake up.” Kayla rushed over to the table and grabbed as many empties as she could. Karla listened to the clatter and slamming coming from the kitchen when another wave of dizziness hit. The smell of cotton candy and clove hung heavy in the room.

"I was what?" Kayla returned from the kitchen in time to hear her sister's agitated question.

"I don't know what, but it freaked me out. You were sitting in that chair the whole time with your eyes wide open. Didn’t blink once. It happened as soon as those came." Kayla pointed to a vase filled with pink roses sitting atop the mantelpiece, still nestled in a florist's cardboard box.

"Why didn't you do something, like call 911? I could have died!" Kayla played with a button on her cuff while she avoided looking at Karla.

"The card with the flowers said not to disturb you once your eyes got big and glassy." Kayla paused as she pulled the small, white button loose from its thread. "Boy, were they ever."