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

creep in at the edges of my vision, dark tendrils snaking across the ground. I try to

behind her.

her away as she kicks and struggles. I lunge for her, but my feet are rooted.

plane, Ava beside me. She's gripping the armrests, making a joke about the turbulence. I reach for her hand to comfort her, but the plane lurches, throwing us forward. Oxygen Ava's screaming. I'm screaming. The world outside the windows is a blur

Impact.

Pain sears. Ava's hand.

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

55000

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

watch as she suffers.

escape. I can't wake up. The horrors play

I do

back in my cell, shivering and drenched in sweat. My throat feels raw, my limbs heavy and weak. Marisol kneels beside me. holding a bowl of that foul-smelling liquid to my lips. "Drink," she

bitter liquid hits my tongue, but I force myself to swallow. Anything to chase

torment.

"How often has the Master fed from you?" she asks,

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

shakes her head. "The withdrawal shouldn't be this strong, not for a single feeding." There's something in

you

mutters, "He must favor y

don't know how to respond to that. The idea that this monster might favor me fills me with nothing but

]]

room, tie lase mast but no words

weten, my mind dealle

with Mariel's

all I want is

ere will die

mure endle

doesn't wees to care about my discomfort.

her hate prodding at my

detach that make me

first, I'm not sure what she's doing. Her fingers press against my neck, my wrists, my

rough from disuse and screaming. "He only bit me

"Only once," she repeats, as if tasting the words.

don't know how to respond to that. The memory of his fangs sinking, the agonizing pain, and the sickening rush

return.

to push

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 softly, her eyes never leaving mine. "When did you

Lisa Fevers

For