Tangled

166

166

166 Lisa: Fevers and Dreams

LISA

How long has it been?

A few days?

Weeks?

The sun should keep me oriented, but a fever gets me the first night I'm there.

The girl, Marisol, comes by every so often. Always with food. A few times with bowls filled with some noxious liquid that has my nostrils trying to close, avoiding the smell coming from within. She's expressionless as she shoves it down my throat, and I'm too weak to fight her off.

It's medicine, I think.

I think that because I slowly get better after the third bowl,

In between moments of lucidity, I dream.

Normal life. Home. Mom and Dad.

Working with Ava at Beaniverse.

Flirting with that cute guy who accidentally wandered into our professor's Eng Lit class instead of some sort of philosophy class

two doors down.

Cozy, happy dreams, of a place far from here..

An escape from the reality that chains me.

17:37

At some point the dreams turn from happy comfort to something uneasy and dark.

Sunshine warms my face as Ava and I relax at our favorite cafe,

sipping lattes and chatting. For a moment, the world feels right again, like I'm back where I belong

But then the shadows come

ground. I try to warn Ava, but

behind her.

The shadow reaches for Ava, engulfing her, dragging her away as she kicks and struggles. I lunge for her, but my feet are rooted.

making a joke about the turbulence. I reach for her hand to comfort her, but the plane lurches, throwing us forward. Oxygen Ava's

Impact.

Flames erupt. Pain sears. Ava's

coming, each more horrific than the last. Ava, drowning in a sea of blood. Ava, burning alive.

55000

unseen monsters. And always, I'm helpless to save

watch as she suffers.

can't escape. I can't wake up. The horrors play out again and again, an endless

finally, mercifully, I

my limbs heavy and weak. Marisol kneels beside me. holding a

bitter liquid hits my tongue, but I force myself to swallow. Anything to chase away the lingering images of

torment.

watches me with a curious intensity. "How often has the Master fed from you?" she asks, her voice almost

her, surprised by the question. "Just once," I rasp out, wincing

her head. "The withdrawal shouldn't be this strong, not for a single feeding." There's something in her tone, an undercurrent of emotion I can't quite place.

you

favor y greatly, for a single taste to

respond to that. The idea that this monster might favor me fills me with nothing but a sickening twist of

]]

mast but no

weten, my mind dealle

Mariel's

want is to curl up

ere will die

mure endle

she doesn't wees to care

hate prodding at

that

she's doing. Her fingers press against my neck, my wrists, my ankles. It's only when she peers down at my

out, my voice rough from

looks at me with a strange intensity. "Only once," she repeats, as if tasting the words. "But the withdrawal... it's so strong. He must have

the agonizing pain, and the

return.

trying to push the

strange girl settles back on her heels, crossing her arms and resting her check on them as she stares at me. There's something wistful in her expression, a longing that I can't quite comprehend. "When did you know? she asks

Lisa Fevers and

For