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

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

behind her.

but no sound comes out. The shadow reaches for Ava, engulfing her, dragging her away as she kicks and struggles. I lunge for her,

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

Impact.

Pain sears. Ava's hand. slips from

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

55000

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

watch as she suffers.

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

finally, mercifully, 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,"

force myself to swallow. Anything to chase away the lingering

torment.

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

the question. "Just once," I rasp out, wincing at the pain

eyes widen. "Only once?" She 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 greatly, for

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

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room, tie lase mast

weten, my mind dealle

with Mariel's

all I want is to curl up

ere will die

mure endle

wees to care

me agan her hate

detach that make me

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

rasp out, my voice rough from disuse

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

to that. The memory of his fangs sinking, the agonizing pain, and the sickening rush of pleasure that followed, makes bile rise

return.

swallow hard, trying to push

as she stares at me. There's something wistful in her expression, a longing that I can't

Lisa Fevers and

For