Something is wrong

The first wave of nausea hit me while I was brushing my teeth.

I clutched the edge of the sink, my knuckles whitening as the basin steadied me. The toothpaste foam in my mouth felt like acid. I spat it out quickly, trying to convince myself it was something I ate last night. Maybe the leftover lasagna had gone bad. Maybe it was just a random spell of dizziness.

But deep down, I knew better. My body was speaking a language I was only just starting to understand. And that terrified me.

I rinsed my mouth, splashed water on my face, and stared at my reflection. There were faint shadows under my eyes. My skin looked pale. My lips were dry. I looked like someone who hadn’t been sleeping well, which was partly true. But there was something else, something I couldn’t quite name, a hollowness spreading in the pit of my stomach. I pressed my hand to it as if I could stop whatever storm was brewing inside.

I had barely stepped out of the bathroom when the dizziness returned. I staggered, caught