The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

A pins-and-needles sensation was the first thing I
became aware of. It started in my feet and then crawled up
my calves to spread over the rest of my body. Heat followed.
A fever swept through me, drying my already parched
throat. Thirsty. I was so thirsty. I tried to open my mouth,
but my lips felt sealed together.
My toes curled, and I didn’t like the feeling at first. It
caused the rest of my flesh to become aware of the blanket
lying on me and the mattress under me. My skin felt too
sensitive, the material too scratchy.
I was so thirsty.
My fingers twitched against my bare stomach. The skin
felt jagged, uneven. I concentrated on my mouth, willing my
lips to part. If I could open them, I could ask for…for water.
No. I didn’t want water. I wanted something else.
I wasn’t thirsty. I was…hungry. Starving. I forced my lips
to part, and a shallow breath worked its way in. There were
scents. Fresh pine. Something wild. My skin started to tingle
and grow tight, becoming even more sensitized. My ears
vibrated with sound. A whisper of a breeze. A fan churning
lazily. The sound was pleasant, but I was hollow, an empty
void.
I was so hungry.
I was so hungry, I ached. The inside of my mouth
throbbed, and everything inside me felt as if it were drying
out, becoming shriveled and brittle. My muscles cramped as
I struggled to open my eyes. They felt sewn shut, but I was
hungry, and I needed to open my eyes. What felt like a
lifetime passed before I managed to pry my lashes apart.
Everything was a hazy, fuzzy array of shadows and
splotches of light. I blinked several times, half-afraid my