*Kate*
Her body shook as the lights flashed. Music boomed out across the field. Right and left, young adults screamed and danced to the beat. Kate's world started to spin. Her mind spiraled. Her breath came in short gasps. She couldn't let this happen. Not here of all places. She reached for something to hold onto but nothing met her grasp. She felt herself slam into the concrete patio and then everything went dark.
This was the first time it had gotten this bad. The first time it happened in public. She always could control the attacks that pierced her mind and her body. She could stop the spiraling thoughts. This time it didn't work. She couldn't outrun the darkness anymore. She was alone.
***
She awoke in the middle of a darkened room. She could still hear the sounds of the concert outside. Moonlight filtered in through the covered window. She felt her body rebel as she tried to take a calming breath. She didn't want to know how she got there. Who had touched her? Who had seen her?
Where was her best friend? The one who had dragged her to this stupid concert. The one who promised that she'd be there for her. She pulled herself up off of the floor and surveyed the room. There was a folding chair and a small bucket in the room. "This must be a storage area," she thought. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. Her hands shook as she pressed the wake button. There were no messages. None from her best friend, Jess, who had brought her into this mess. Her ears rang. Her legs trembled violently. Tears started rolling. She heard people filing into the house for the after-party. She had to find a bathroom.
