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 my voice won't work. She keeps talking,

behind her.

her, dragging her away as she

me. She's gripping the armrests, making a joke about the turbulence. I reach for her hand to comfort her, but the

Impact.

Flames erupt. Pain

Ava, drowning in a sea of blood. Ava, burning

55000

unseen monsters. And always, I'm helpless to

watch as she suffers.

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

mercifully, I do wake

raw, my limbs heavy and weak. Marisol kneels beside me. holding a bowl of

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

torment.

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

"Just once,"

"Only once?" She shakes 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

you

she mutters, "He must favor y

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

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room, tie lase mast

weten, my mind dealle

Mariel's odd

I want is to curl up

ere will die

mure endle

wees to care about my

to me agan her hate

that

my neck, my wrists, my ankles. It's only

voice rough from disuse and screaming. "He only bit me

repeats, as if tasting the words. "But the withdrawal... it's so strong. He must have

his fangs sinking, the agonizing pain, and the sickening rush of pleasure that followed, makes bile rise in my throat,

return.

swallow hard, trying to push the

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

Lisa Fevers and

For