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

the edges of my vision, dark tendrils snaking across the ground. I try to warn Ava, but my

behind her.

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

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 of sky and ground,

Impact.

and rends. Flames erupt. Pain sears. Ava's hand. slips from

nightmares keep coming, each more horrific than the last. Ava, drowning in a sea

55000

And always, I'm helpless to save her,

watch as she suffers.

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

I

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,"

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

torment.

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

stare at her, surprised by the question. "Just once," I rasp

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

you

she mutters, "He must favor y

The idea that this monster might favor me fills me with nothing

]]

room, tie lase mast but no words

weten, my mind dealle

with Mariel's

aut all I want is to

ere will die

mure endle

wees to

agan her hate prodding at my skin

that

fingers press against my neck, my wrists, my ankles. It's only when she peers down at my shoulder that I realize what she's

any I rasp out, my voice rough from disuse and screaming. "He only bit me

intensity. "Only once," she repeats, as if tasting the words. "But the withdrawal... it's so strong. He must

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

return.

trying to

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

Lisa Fevers

For