The Nighttime Sleep Thief
She opened her eyes with a start, her gaze meeting the stark white ceiling of the Hospital, the IV line distorting into a grotesque helix before her.
The vital signs monitor emitted a rhythmic pulse, each beat like a heavy hammer blow against her temples, triggering a splitting headache.
"You are awake?" A nurse pushed the door open, the tray in her hand emitting a light metallic clatter. "How do you feel? Your organ failure was severe; any later, and it would have been critical."
Organ failure...
Eileen Collins's fingers trembled slightly, the phrase a rusty key violently wrenching open the floodgates of memory.
She remembered herself curled into a fetal position on the Dormitory floor, her heart clutched in the grip of an unseen hand, each breath tainted with the metallic tang of blood.
Lorelei Jones's ostensibly concerned face flickered before her eyes, a subtle glimmer of triumph lurking within.
And Kevin Chow, her once deeply beloved boyfriend, had only ever shown impatient disgust whenever she tearfully recounted her suffering from insomnia.
She threw back the covers, intending to sit up, only to find her arms skeletal, the blood vessels beneath her skin starkly visible.
This was her condition preceding death in her previous life: weak, desperate, abandoned by the entire world.
But now, she had returned.
Eileen Collins abruptly looked at the electronic calendar at the head of the bed – September 17th.
A full three months remained before her sudden death in the dormitory in her previous life.
Lorelei Jones's Sleep Exchange System must have been installed recently, still in its debugging phase.
This time, she would not be at anyone's mercy again.
The discharge formalities were completed with uncanny ease.
Eileen Collins stood at the Hospital entrance, the autumn sun casting an almost surreal warmth upon her.
She inhaled deeply, the sterile scent of Disinfectant now replaced by the cacophony of the street and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket, a message from Kevin Chow: "I heard you were hospitalized. Are you alright? Lorelei mentioned you haven't been yourself lately. Burning the candle at both ends again?"
The familiar accusatory tone, identical to that of her previous life.
Eileen Collins offered a cold sneer, offering no response.
She turned and headed towards the bus stop, her destination clear: the school Dormitory.
When she pushed open the door to Dormitory 302, Lorelei Jones was seated at her desk, reading. Sunlight streamed through the window, painting a picture of idyllic serenity.
Seeing Eileen Collins enter, Lorelei Jones immediately set down her book, her face adopting a perfectly timed expression of concern: "Eileen Collins, you're back! How are you feeling? What did the doctor say?"
Her eyes were bright and lively, her skin fair and delicate, a perfect smile played on her lips, making her appear energetic and radiant.
Eileen Collins surveyed her with studied indifference, noting the complete absence of periorbital dark circles beneath her eyes, and the smooth, lustrous quality of her hair—gifts bestowed by deep sleep, gifts that rightfully belonged to her.
"It's nothing, just a touch of hypoglycemia." Eileen Collins set down her backpack, her tone even. "Probably haven't been resting well lately."
"Then you must get some rest." Lorelei Jones said with concern, "We have to submit our term paper next week. How will you manage like this? Should I help you look over the materials?"
"No need, thank you." Eileen Collins pulled out her chair and sat down, switching on the computer. "I can manage on my own."
She didn't immediately start writing her thesis. Instead, she opened a browser and typed "the scariest movie" into the search bar.
A string of horror film titles materialized on the screen...
A frigid smile played at the corner of Eileen Collins's lips.
So, Lorelei Jones enjoys pilfering other people's pleasant dreams?
Then she would personally transform those sweet dreams into nightmares.
Over the next few days, Eileen Collins acted as though nothing had changed, attending classes and returning to the dormitory as scheduled, maintaining a carefully neutral distance from Lorelei Jones.
But her computer was already saturated with various horror movies and high-definition ghost face images, its hard drive capacity nearing depletion.
She had even purchased a small projector, concealing it within her desk drawer, awaiting the stillness of night to deploy it.
Friday night, only the two of them were in the Dormitory.
Eileen Collins, feigning nonchalance, browsed the movie website, then abruptly turned to Lorelei Jones, stating: "Lorelei Jones, what are your thoughts on this newly released horror movie? The reviews appear favorable; would you be interested in watching it together?"
Lorelei Jones, in the midst of applying hand cream before the mirror, paused, a flicker of hesitancy crossing her face: "A horror movie? Perhaps not. I am easily frightened and fear it would disrupt my sleep."
"Is that so? That's a pity." Eileen Collins feigned disappointment and shrugged. "Then I'll watch it myself."
Lorelei Jones turned around, her eyes regarding her with a somewhat complex expression. "Haven't you been having trouble sleeping lately? Won't watching a horror movie further disrupt your rest?"
"It's okay, I'll only watch it for a little while." Eileen Collins offered a harmless smile. "Maybe after watching, I'll be tired and actually get a good night's sleep."
Lorelei Jones said nothing further, lowering her head to continue fiddling with her skincare products.
Eileen Collins noticed her fingers lingered on the bottle cap for an extended moment, as if deep in contemplation.
Midnight. The Dormitory was shrouded in absolute darkness.
Eileen Collins, headphones on, watched a classic Japanese horror film playing on her computer screen.
The pale face of the female ghost flickered in the darkness, her shrill screams piercing through the headphones and invading Eileen's ears.
Eileen Collins watched expressionlessly, while simultaneously casting a sidelong glance toward the opposite bed.
Lorelei Jones's breathing was even, clearly indicating she had already drifted into slumber.
Her brows were slightly relaxed, a faint smile playing on her lips, as if she were having a pleasant dream.
Eileen Collins recognized this as the telltale sign that the Sleep Exchange System had initiated – Lorelei Jones was greedily siphoning her deep sleep.
The time is now.
Eileen Collins quietly activated the Projector, casting a carefully chosen macabre image onto Lorelei Jones's bed curtains.
The image, specially treated to emit an eerie green luminescence in the darkness, presented distorted features and cavernous eye sockets of profoundly sinister terror.
Almost instantaneously, Lorelei Jones's body convulsed, her rhythmic breathing abruptly turning shallow and rapid.
Her brow furrowed deeply, a faint moan escaping her lips, as though trapped in a nightmare.
Eileen Collins switched off the Projector, watching silently, a cold smirk twisting her lips.
Over the next few hours, Lorelei Jones slept restlessly, uttering terrified ramblings intermittently, her body frequently tossing and turning.
Eileen Collins, however, slept soundly through the night, slowly opening her eyes only when the morning sunlight pierced the curtain's seams.
This was the first deep sleep undisturbed since her rebirth, and the sensation was exquisite.
Eileen Collins stretched, her body surging with strength.
She glanced at the bed opposite hers. Lorelei Jones was still asleep, her face ashen, pronounced periorbital dark circles accentuating her exhaustion.
"Good morning." Eileen Collins intentionally raised her voice as she swept open her bed curtains.
Lorelei Jones startled awake, sitting bolt upright, her eyes unfocused and betraying a profound fright.
She saw Eileen Collins, hesitating for a few seconds before responding, "Morning... Good morning."
"What's wrong? You look like you didn't sleep at all." Eileen Collins, feigning ignorance, spoke with a subtle, almost imperceptible, mockery in her tone.
"Nothing," Lorelei Jones rubbed her temples, her voice raspy, "I probably just had a nightmare last night."
"Really? How coincidental; I slept exceptionally well last night." Eileen Collins said with a smile, "It seems horror movies truly do possess somniferous qualities."
Lorelei Jones's expression flickered, and she ceased speaking, hastily rising to perform her ablutions.
Watching her unsteady retreat, a surge of vindictive gratification surged within Eileen Collins.
But she knew that this was just the beginning.
During the morning's lesson, Lorelei Jones remained drowsy, drawing criticism from the instructor on several occasions.
Eileen Collins, conversely, was alert and engaged, answering questions readily and earning frequent commendation from the instructor.
As the class concluded, Kevin Chow materialized at the classroom threshold, proceeding directly to Lorelei Jones and inquiring with solicitude: "Lorelei, what troubles you? You appear quite pallid."
Upon seeing Kevin Chow, Lorelei Jones's eyes immediately welled with tears, and she stated, aggrieved, "I don't know. I suffered nightmares throughout the night and couldn't sleep."
Kevin Chow's gaze immediately snapped towards Eileen Collins, who stood beside him, his tone laced with accusation: "Eileen Collins, what have you done now? I knew no good would come of you watching those horror movies!"
Eileen Collins nearly choked on her anger.
The man was forever blinded by Lorelei Jones's perceived distress, yet remained utterly oblivious to her own pain.
In her previous life, she had been utterly ravaged by this very brand of blind favouritism.
"Kevin Chow, which eye witnessed me doing anything? " Eileen Collins retorted, her voice glacial, "What does Lorelei Jones's nightmare have to do with me? Is she incapable of experiencing nightmares on her own?"
"You were up late watching horror movies last night; you're the one who influenced her!" Kevin Chow's voice escalated, drawing stares from nearby classmates. "Eileen Collins, I know you've been in low spirits lately, but you can't target Lorelei like this! She's always been so good to you. How can you be so vicious?"
Vicious? Eileen Collins felt a needle pierce her heart, but a surge of anger eclipsed the pain.
Compared to Lorelei Jones using an illegal System to steal my sleep, leading to my death from organ failure, what does posting a simple scary picture even amount to?
"I'm vicious?" Eileen Collins laughed, a laugh bordering on tears. "Kevin Chow, you are truly blind."
She ignored Kevin Chow's furious gaze and turned to leave the classroom.
Behind her, Lorelei Jones offered a disingenuous remonstration: "Kevin Chow, don't speak to Eileen Collins that way; she didn't mean it..."
Hypocritical woman.
Eileen Collins clenched her fist, her nails digging deep into her palm.
The pain sharpened her focus—she had to leave this Dormitory as soon as possible, escape Lorelei Jones and Kevin Chow.
However, the process of moving out of the Dormitory proved far more difficult than Eileen Collins had imagined.
The Dormitory Auntie listened to her request and shook her head repeatedly: "Absolutely not. Dormitory assignments are prearranged; you can't simply move whenever you please. Besides, isn't your dormitory quite satisfactory? Lorelei Jones even praised you to me just yesterday."
Eileen Collins attempted to explain her incompatibility with Lorelei Jones, only to be interrupted by the Dormitory Auntie: "Young people encounter disagreements; it's perfectly normal. Just be considerate of one another. Lorelei seems like a very sensible girl; you should try to be more accommodating."
Seeking out the counselor yielded a similar response: "Eileen Collins, I understand you haven't been feeling well lately, but this is a crucial period for your studies; changing dormitory would disrupt your academic rhythm. Furthermore, Lorelei Jones is one of the class's top students; learning from each other would be beneficial. I'm happy to mediate any conflicts, but a dormitory change is out of the question."
Even her parents, phoning from their distant hometown, advised: "Eileen, living in the dormitory is so convenient. Why waste money on a hotel? Are you quarreling with your roommates? Just bear with it; it will pass. Don't let it affect your studies."
Everyone sided with Lorelei Jones. No one believed Eileen, and no one even bothered to seriously consider her explanation.
As in her previous life, she was isolated within an invisible cage, while Lorelei Jones played the perfect victim, basking in everyone's sympathy and trust.
Eileen Collins felt a surge of helplessness, but quickly regained her composure.
She could not give up. Absolutely not.
Back in the Dormitory, Lorelei Jones sat at her desk, reading. Seeing Eileen Collins, she looked up and offered a smile: "You're back? Kevin Chow was looking for you earlier, but you weren't here."
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