Evelyn & Henry

When I got to my room, I dead bolted the door. I knew there was nothing chasing me but maybe I really could lock the craziness out. I couldn’t, I could still hear everything, and see everything crystal clearly. I couldn’t shake it off.

I went to the bathroom to start the tub going. I didn’t know what to do but maybe I could drown out everything. When the tub was full, I stripped down and got in. I held my breath and closed my eyes. I slid into the water, submerging every part of me. It worked…for now.

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I woke the next morning, hoping all of yesterday was a dream. Some sort of effect from jet lag. I looked over at the clock next to my bed to see it was 7a.m. I wanted to run. Groggily, I got up to get dressed and brush my teeth. Before I walked out, I glanced in the mirror to make sure everything was in order. I had to double back. I stared at myself. I rubbed my eyes and reopened them. It seems that no matter how much I tried to shake this off or rub it out of site, change is happening.

Everything was still crystal clear, but my face looked different. My skin looked like it was glowing, like the luminescent glow of a pearl; my cheeks where blushed without the heat and my lips where a rosy pink. I know I washed all the makeup off last night.

My eyes where more green then usual, crystal clear, and almost every color of green tourmaline. My hair, although I slept on it last night and it should look like a crows nest, was perfectly neat. Each curl set in perfect place. The color of my hair was still its dark brown but now had a golden glow to it.

I stood there in shock, staring at my face.

Would this wash away? I jumped in the shower. When I was done, I didn’t look in the mirror. I was too afraid. I still wanted to go for a run, to free my mind a little. I stuck my wet hair in a messy bun, not wanting to look at it, afraid it would still look effortlessly perfect. Then I dressed in my running clothes and put on running shoes and was out the door.

When I was out the hotel doors, I jumped into a run. To my surprise nothing was a blur of colors like it usually was when I ran this way – at my highest speed that I could push. Come to think of it, speed has never been so effortless. I didn’t want to think that maybe now I also had some freaky super speed to add to the list. So, I looked straight ahead and tried to focus on where I was going. Only I couldn’t escape my super eye sight either, everything was crystal clear. Every last detail looked as if I held it close to my face examining it. In a way it was nice to see, all the colors where now brighter. I tried to ignore it, pretend it was just normal. After all, I didn’t want to end up in a dark room all locked up.

I could still hear everything too. People talking in the buildings, slow and steady breathing of the ones still sleeping; kitchens to restaurants coming to life as they are getting ready for the day and the chiefs calling out the specials of the day to the rest of the staff. When I got to the park I could hear the leaves of the trees rustle together as the wind blew threw them. It sounded like music. This was starting to feel more magical then creepy.