Tied

I woke early from dreams of clouds and night sky, stars and silk, pleasant and peaceful.

My shoulder blade ached a bit, but when I pulled down my shirt to look, it wasn’t quite words I found. It was paint, a tiny image of a beautiful woman’s face and a single star hovering over her in the dark sky. The title Inclinazione, Italian for inclination, was penned underneath in swirling italic letters. I could tell that it was only part of a painting or perhaps a frieze, but even so it was quite stunning. Better than words, I supposed.

I searched through my closet desperately, trying to find a long-sleeved shirt that would still be fairly cool. There was a lace-front one with solid sleeves, and I tugged it on in slight defeat. It would be hot as hell for another couple weeks, and I was stuck with this. Maybe tonight I would try to find a bracelet or something long enough to cover up the words. By the time I finished getting ready, yanking my blond hair- so similar to Zhenia’s- into a messy bun, I was already sweating. I headed into the kitchen to grab a breakfast bar that only barely resembled edible food. Zhenia came in after a minute, and we both signaled the location of our new marks with a soft touch. I would have to explain the painting part later.

The thought of potential help carried me out of my room and into the car. I truly believed there had to be someone out there who could help us, and if it was my psychic, then I would be ecstatic with relief. I wanted so badly to know what was going on. Things like this didn’t just happen.

The school day passed in a colorless haze. I met Raven and Rhea for lunch, back in the closet where they had called me before. They seemed okay, though understandably nervous about returning to the location of the weird visions, the awkwardness having transitioned into something else. It was like they were finally realizing that the other cared for them just as much, and the thought brought a smile to my lips. I couldn’t help but notice the glances that passed between them. The whole world could see how well they fit together. It was about time they noticed it too.

“Hey. How were your dreams?” Raven greeted me, sitting closer to Rhea than was really required.

“Kind of nice.” I stuffed my face with peanut butter and jelly while Raven pulled out a sandwich and handed it to Rhea, who smiled graciously. “Except I didn’t get words.” They snapped their attention back to me. “Just a little bit of a painting and its title.”

“What a hipster.” Raven elbowed me, grinning through a full mouth of sandwich. “Can we see?”

I pulled down my shirt just enough to expose the skin. The whole thing was thankfully low enough that my shirt covered it. Rhea’s fingers hovered over the paint, while Raven just straight up poked it. Rhea swatted her away, and I didn’t even try to hide a laugh. We were mostly silent for the rest of lunch, lost in our own thoughts. When the bell rang, we separated with promises to see each other soon.

I marched on to next period, ready to face whatever came at us.