Vertigo

Thea got home late. She crept in through the front door, kicking her shoes off so her socks let her step be quieter, a pack of pills clutched in her hand. She breathed out, slumping in relief, as the door clicked quietly shut behind her.

It had been harder to sneak home late since Ollie had come back. Her mom only rarely caught her, but when Oliver himself wasn't out late he always seemed to catch her. Island instincts, she supposed. Still, that gave her a bit of time to herself. Taking care to avoid any noisy floorboards, Thea hurried upstairs.

She dry-swallowed a couple of pills, then collapsed onto her bed as she waited for the high to kick in. After a few seconds she kicked herself back up onto her feet, still buzzing with excitement. She'd had a fun night, as staying out this late attested, now for the kicker. She might not be at a party but there was something to be said for trying out a new in the privacy of her room. Safe, quiet, just as intoxicating.

She made sure her door was locked, then tugged off her sweaty top, grimacing. She'd been out a while, her outfit stunk of booze. She kicked off her pants next, throwing them onto the floor on the far side of her room, and glanced up and down her wardrobe. She plucked out an old pair of PJs and threw it onto her bed. Good enough for sleepwear, she couldn't be bothered with much else.

Idly she started undoing her bra, just for comfort. Something started buzzing at the back of her head, and she smiled.

Ah, she thought, throwing her bra to rest with the rest of her clothes. The Vertigo was kicking in, finally. She lay back, basking in the high. She squirmed, letting the rush claim her, halfway to kicking her panties off so she could get dressed again.

Well it wasn't like anyone else could get in. She wouldn't be doing this otherwise. God, why had she waited so long to try this stuff?

She finally managed to kick her panties off, blearily looking sideways. The was still coursing through her system when she glimpsed the comfy pyjama top beside her. She watched it seemed to twitch, and Thea shrieked, falling off the side of her bed.

It didn't hurt. Not much did, now, but her legs were shaky as she tried to get back up. Her pyjamas were still lying on the bed, but something seemed... wrong. She swayed nervously. It was hard to stay upright as high as she was.

The shadows looked wrong, and she was sure she'd seen them move... She backed away nervously, but instead found herself going sideways, far enough to glimpse the pile of clothes of the far side of her bed. She screamed again, not worried about waking Moira, almost forgetting that anyone else was home.

They looked wrong too. She couldn't put her finger on it.

Part of her mind knew that paranoia could be a side effect of , that this might just be a bad trip, but that part of her mind was overwhelmed by the blissed-out panicked mess of the vast majority of her brain. Suddenly terrified of her clothes, the nude Thea staggered unsteadily out of her room, ass-first, too afraid to take her eyes off the clothes for an instant.