Sleepless - A BFB Grimdark

Part Three - A Sickness Brews

"Ow! G.B!" Pencil moved to sit up, but the restraints around her head kept her down. She squeezed her eyes shut as Golf Ball held her foot on her nose. Golf Ball ignored the tall girl, focusing on keeping the nose straight as her friend, Tennis Ball, wrapped bandages around her nose to keep it in place. From the cracks in her nose, drops of super glue oozed. Tennis Ball tore the edge of the bandage off and taped it.

"There we are, all fixed!" Tennis Ball smiled down at his work. Golf Ball grunted and raised her foot. With a click, the belt around Pencil's head was released. Pencil groaned and rubbed her aching forehead.

"Did you need to hold me down like that?" Pencil asked, her tone sharp and irritated.

"Do you want your nose to be fixed properly?" Golf Ball asked back. Pencil opened her mouth to snark back, but shut it, resorting to mumbling as she rubbed her nose.

"Ah, I would recommend...not touching it, Tennis Ball said. "We don't want you coming back with your nose all crooked," He chuckled, but his face soon fell. "Speaking of noses, how did you break it?" He asked. "Did you trip and fall off a curb again?"

"No, no," Waving her hand, Pencil resisted the urge to rub her nose again. "I went a little too far last night, gave Book some caffeine in her drink," Pencil sighed. Wow, that... does sound kinda crappy. She shook the thought from her head and chuckled. "A-All in good fun of course, but...Book didn't seem to think so," At this, Tennis Ball blinked.

"Wait, Book?" Tennis Ball blinked, his eyes wide. "I didn't think she was capable of hitting anyone," He scrunched up his nose to readjust his glasses. Golf Ball, who had returned to her work desk, snorted.

"You really didn't learn from when she froze you, did you?" Golf Ball teased her friend. "She can be quite testy if you're not careful," She shook her head, returning to the papers on her desk. "What was it you gave her, anyway?"

"Er...it was some kind of coffee from another continent," Pencil began. She pulled out the small baggy and looked at it. "Said a handful could keep someone up a whole night," Golf Ball looked back and perked a brow.

"Let me see that," Golf Ball said. She walked up to Pencil and grabbed the baggy in her mouth, then returned to her desk. Pencil watched the small, armless woman with a look of confusion. She looked at Tennis Ball.

"Er...GB," Tennis Ball turned to his friend. "What do you need the coffee for?" He watched Golf Ball clean off her desk and pull out a petri dish. Carefully, she poured some of the grounds into the dish. She shut a cap on top of it and scribbled on it with a pen.

"Hm? Oh, I'd like to try some testing on this," Golf Ball said. "I want to see if I can use it for...experiments."

"You want to pull more all-nighters, don't you?" Tennis Ball smiled softly. Golf Ball paused, then nodded.

"...Observant, are we?"

——

Book stared at the ceiling, her eyes twitching more than ever. Her foot bounced against the bed, making the bedsprings creak with each bounce. She chewed on her upper lip, a pulsing headache forming from behind her eyes. The air filled with the irritating buzz of an alarm.

8:00 AM

She had officially been awake for twenty-four hours.

Book grit her teeth as she rolled onto her side. She glared at the alarm clock as if threatening it with a mere gaze would shut it up. Mocking her, it continued to beep, the electronic shrill cutting through the peace of her apartment. Book grabbed the clock and pressed the button on its top, shutting it up. She grumbled and sat up, rubbing her aching eyes. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and slid off. The cold hardwood shot through her feet and up her spine, sending a shiver through her. The cold jolt woke her up, allowing the fog enveloping her brain to dissipate as she stood up, though this was soon replaced with a wave of dizziness. She leaned against her nightstand, letting the world come to a halt as her mind spun.