Infatuated

Shrill screams assaulted my eardrums, the sounds of a fight breaking out were everywhere.

“Bring her back.” I heard a low voice hiss, followed by a large thump; someone’s back hitting a wall. “Bring her back or I swear to god I’m going to rip your heart out and feed it to you.”

“I already told you.” Rache said in a sing-song voice. “It’s too late Gerard. This time you can’t save her. And this is all your fault, and you know it.” Rache let out a small screech of pain; Gerard must have hit her.

“You killed her.” Gerard hissed, but his voice was broken and defeated, “I had nothing to do with this.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Gerard.” I could hear the smirk in Rache’s voice. “She ran away from you, from your brother and your friends. One of the only real families she’s ever had since her mother was killed.” My heart leapt into my throat, how did she know about my mother?! “So what did you do Gerard? What made her run from you like you had the plague? Did you hit her Gerard? Did you almost bleed her dry? My brother said that she was weaker than usual when he found her. Was that your fault too? Did you starve her?” She let out a malicious giggle.

“Shut up!” Screeched Gerard, “Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! You know nothing!” I could hear sobs ripping through his chest. There was one last shrill scream from Rache and then all was quiet. Blissfully quiet.

Suddenly long, cool fingers were loosening all the straps that had bound me to the hard steel table. My left arm rolled off the edge, my fingers curling limply. Someone tenderly brushed a piece of long, blonde hair that had fallen across my face away, and then let their hand stroke my cheek sadly.

“Oh Tessy.” I heard Mikey sigh, and something wet splashed down onto my cold cheek. Mikey was crying. “Why’d you have to run?”

Suddenly a second pair of arms scooped me up, pressing me tightly to their chest. My head lolled backwards painfully; but I didn’t cry out. I couldn’t, I was trapped inside my own body, unable to control my limbs. “I’m so sorry Tess.” Gerard’s voice was broken, desperately pleading with my seemingly dead body. “Please forgive me. I got scared Tess,” Gerard’s wintery breath tickled my ear. “I got scared and I ran, and I shouldn’t have.”

Suddenly Gerard laid me down gently on the slab, his hands never leaving my skin.

“Come on dude.” I heard Frank say gently to Gerard, “We can... we can bury her in the backyard. We’ll get her a proper headstone.” Frank trailed off, his voice thick with sadness.

Panic seized my stomach. They were going to bury me alive. Ever since I was a small child that had been one of my biggest irrational fears; that along with spiders. Desperately I tried to lift the mental block that I had ever so carefully placed on my mind, trying to shoot frantic thoughts at Gerard. ‘I’m alive!’ I thought hysterically, but it was no use. To Gerard my mind was still silent. For some odd reason I couldn’t lift the mental block; it was stuck there, pressing down heavily on my already pounding head.

I was lifted up softly, my feet dangling uselessly; a cool breeze tickling my exposed toes.

No, no, no, no, no! I panicked mentally, They’re gonna put me in the ground and pour dirt over me and I’m going to suffocate to death! Of course Gerard didn’t hear me. His cool lips pressed against my forehead slowly, and my mind reeled in surprise. What the fuck is he doing?!

“I’m so sorry.” He muttered, pressing his lips to my cheek, his voice quiet and miserable. “She’s right.” He murmured brokenly, “I did kill you.” He buried his face into my curls, breathing in deeply. “This is all my fault.” He pressed his lips gently to my nose, then to my other cheek, then finally, to my lips. Behind my closed eyelids a million colours exploded, warmth shooting through my icy veins. I had forgotten how good his lips felt on mine, how safe, how right...

Suddenly my body lurched downwards, then suddenly stopped. The idiot almost dropped me. I seethed.

“Did you hear that?!” Gerard asked excitedly, squeezing me tighter in his arms. Hope coloured his tone now, his voice catching in his throat.

“Hear what Gerard?” Mikey asked gently, laying his cool hand across my forehead.

“Her heart!” Gerard almost shrieked, “I heard it just a second ago! When I.... when I...” He trailed off, his fingers running through my hair absent mindedly catching in big knots every couple of seconds.

“When you kissed her Gerard?” I heard Bob ask quietly from a far corner of the big sterile room.

“Yeah.” Gerard muttered, his voice less hopeful now. I guess he realized how fucking crazy he sounded.

“Gee.” I heard Ray sigh, “We all loved her, but...” He stumbled, his tongue not able to get out a finished sentence.

“But she’s dead.” Frank said his voice low and dull. There was no life in his voice; it was empty and hollow, just like I imagined his expression to be.

“NO!” Gerard roared, “I heard it, I swear to god I heard it. I swear!” Gerard’s voice cracked in a desperate plea.

Believe him. I pleaded. I’m here. I’m here. I’M HERE! Suddenly Gerard pressed his lips to mine again, and the colours I saw before danced behind my eyelids, and the pleasant warmth shot through my veins, almost chasing the corpse-like coldness out of my system. The pounding pressure of the mental block that had been almost crushing my mind suddenly wavered.

This is it! I though, determination flooding my body, This is my chance. I have to make Gerard hear me.

I gritted my teeth together and concentrated, trying to erase the block like Bob had taught me too in the backyard all those weeks ago. It was harder than it had been then; whatever Rache had forced down my throat had not only paralyzed my body but had fucked with my mental capacities as well.

Suddenly it was gone, shattered into a million pieces. I was free of the overwhelming pressure.

Gerard! I thought, praying to god that he way paying attention and heard me. For fucks sake Gerard I’m alive!

Gerard suddenly gasped, and set me down on the table roughly. “Tess?” He asked excitedly, his hands touching my arms, my legs, then my face. “Tess is that you?”

“What?” Mikey asked, “Gerard, what are you going on about?” He sounded strained.

“I’m not crazy Mikey!” Gerard hissed angrily. “She’s not dead! I can hear her thoughts!”

“Dude.” Frank said, his voice tense. “I think you need to get out of here. Take off for a while. Sort some shit out. Tess is-”

“Don’t you dare say dead.” Gerard threatened, his voice low and threatening.

Gerard. I thought again. Rache fed me something. I can’t move. Or talk. I can barley breathe. If the guys don’t believe you and still think that I’m dead, get them to put their heads to my chest. I barley have a heartbeat, but it’s there. I can feel it faintly. Weak, but I have one.

“She says listen!” Gerard relayed to everyone, “Put your ear to her heart Mikes! Listen carefully, you’ll hear something!”

“Gerard...” Mikey hesitated.

“Just do it!” Gerard snapped, and abruptly I felt someone’s head slam into my sternum. The cool plastic of Mikey’s glasses cut into my skin. I assumed that Gerard had become fed up with Mikey’s hesitance and slammed his head to my chest.

“Gerard I don’t-” Mikey stopped suddenly. “Oh my god.” He breathed, and pressed his ear closer to my heart. “I- I can hear something.” He seemed amazed.

“No way!” Someone exclaimed, and suddenly I felt several heads press against my chest. They were all quiet for a second then they all stepped away.

“Why couldn’t we hear it before?” Bob pondered quietly, his voice full of happiness.

“It’s so faint.” Gerard muttered, “It’s barley even there. Even with vampire hearing you have to get in real close to hear it.”

“How do we fix her?” Frank’s voice had a little life to it. “I mean- how do we... well, how do we wake her up?” He heaved a giant sigh.

“Maybe you should kiss her again Gee.” Ray said dumbly.

I’m not fucking sleeping beauty. Gerard chuckled.

“Yeah, she’s not too happy about that idea Ray.” He smiled. “She says that she’s not sleeping beauty. This isn’t some type of fairy tale; a kiss won’t wake her up. We aren’t in a book.”

A book, that’s it! My mind raced to the rows and rows of leather bound journals that Rache kept on her desk and the surrounding shelves. She wrote everything down in them, everything about her curses and her experiments. There had to be something in there that told them what to do to get the paralyzing liquid out of my system.

Gerard the journals! I thought frantically. The journals she keeps. There must be something in there.

“Guys.” Gerard said anxiously, “Grab her books. Tess says she remembers Rache writing everything down in the books near the wall. Find something!”

The next few minutes were filled with the frantic sounds of searching; pages being torn from books, chairs tipping over. Finally I heard Bob cry out in a sound of victory.

“Here!” He exclaimed, “She’s written an entry about the curse she put on Tess!” I heard everybody crowd around him, murmurs filling the air.

“This is risky guys.” I heard Frank mutter, “Either this is going to work or...”

OR WHAT??????

“Or it’ll kill you Tess.” Gerard deadpanned. “Either this will rid your body of the poison or it’ll consume you. Rache hasn’t tested it yet, so she’s not sure if it works properly. We’re lucky she actually keeps antidotes for cases of emergency, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to make one and, well, we’d be beyond screwed.”

Well I’m dead either way, I thought impatiently. I don’t want to live if I’m gonna be like this for the rest of my life! Just do it.

“All right.” I heard Gerard mumble, and he rummaged around in several drawers for a while, not stopping until he found what he needed. I felt four pairs of icy hands place themselves around me; ready for the make or break moment. Someone’s hands stroked my cheek lovingly.

I had to admit I was scared.

Petrified.

Terrified.

I wasn’t ready to die.

Not yet.

Hell, not ever.

Tell the guys I love them. I thought to Gerard, In case this doesn’t work out.

“Everything’s going to be fine Tess.” I could hear tears in Gerard’s voice. “I promise. Now I’m sorry, this might hurt.” Gerard forced my lips open and poured a thick sludgy liquid down my throat.

It burned all the way down, and slowly it spread out until it engulfed my entire body, pain burning white hot throughout my figure. This is it then. This was going to kill me. Rache finally won. I would die, Gerard completely helpless.

“Come on Tessy.” I heard Mikey’s broken whisper. “Come on, you can make it.”

Those little words gave me strength. I wouldn’t let Rache win. I fought against the pain that was threatening to pull me into oblivion. Suddenly it started to ebb, the pain fading, taking the heaviness with it. Soon I could move my toes, my legs, my fingers.

Then it was gone. My heart started to pound away crazily in my chest, and I took it several large gulps of dusty air, my lungs expanding fully in my chest.

Slowly I opened my eyes, the light streaming in from the windows near the ceiling hurting them at first. Five pairs of eyes stared down at me, large goofy smiles plastered on their faces. Some had tear tracks running down their cheeks, others looked as if they hadn’t slept in days.

“Wow.” I rasped, my throat raw, “You guys look like hell.”

“Well hey there sleeping beauty.” Gerard grinned. “Glad to see that you’re finally gracing us with your presence.”

I sat up slowly, the vertigo making my head spin. I groaned, letting my head drop into my hands. “I feel like total shit.” I moaned out, “I fucking hate Rache.”

Gerard chuckled in relief, bundling me into his arms like a child. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his shoulders, sagging into his chest, completely exhausted.

“Well,” Mikey shot me a lopsided grin, “I think it’s fair to say she didn’t like you either.”