Tied

My dreams faded gently through a kaleidoscope of colors, soft blurring words in the background that left only an impression of security. I was home. I was safe. I was happy. And even when I woke up, the feeling remained.

A familiar burning occupied the skin of my thigh. I pulled up my pajama shorts and traced the words that circled around the top of my leg, beginning in the front and winding around the back of my thigh and again to the front like a snake. The words were in such tiny cursive as to be almost illegible, but with the use of a mirror and a few yoga-worthy poses I could make out “Always stay near me, for tomorrow I will have much to do and more than I ever had, and tomorrow blood will leave my body above the breast.” It was rather morbid, but for some reason that part didn’t quite bother me. The quote made me think of Raven.

I frowned over at my phone as I got dressed. Raven had turned down my offer of dinner with some silly excuse, and I didn’t understand it. I could feel that there was something undeniably good, undeniably intimate, between us, but it was like we were just dancing around it. It was incredibly frustrating, and it needed to stop. With that in mind, I choose a tight shirt with a flattering fit over my jeans. My supply of scarves was running low. I would have to get some more over the weekend or figure something else out to hide the words.

My phone buzzed just as I was getting ready to head downstairs for breakfast. I couldn’t help but grin when I saw the message. “Little rebel.” I liked that moniker more than I probably should. I sent a quick reply and allowed myself to stare at the screen for another moment before moving on.

I was humming as I waited for my toast to become sufficiently crisp. Carlos gave me several side glances before sighing. “Rhea, what’s up?”

I put on my best poker face. “What do you mean?”

He merely rolled his eyes. “You’re happy.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that was a crime.”

“No, it’s not, and I’m happy you’re happy, but you usually aren’t quite so vocal about it. And I’m pretty sure you’ve just been humming the same verse over and over.”

“I like that song.”

“Come on, you haven’t talked to me in forever. Tell me what’s up.”

“I talked to you last night at dinner.”

“You asked me to pass the pepper.”

“That’s talking.”

Carlos groaned. “I mean actually talking. I mean a deep conversation, I mean a why-do-we-exist?-what-is-life?-are-aliens-real? type of talk.”

The toaster popped, and I moved around him to grab the toast. “Everyone knows aliens exist.” I stuffed my face and left before he could ask any more questions.

When Raven pulled up a few minutes later, I was ready.
________________________________________________________________________

Apparently it was physically possible to be floating while remaining seated.

I couldn’t stop smiling. Everything had happened so fast, but her lips- those I remembered in perfect detail. My fingers kept wandering up to my mouth, like every part of me was straining for the return of that feeling. My body was literally buzzing. The teacher kept glaring at me, like she could sense I couldn’t care less about today’s lesson.

A slight vibration in my pocket alerted me to a new message. I started to ignore it, but the vibration continued. A phone call. I never got phone calls during class. A dread curled around my lungs, cold and cruel. I pushed myself up and walked over to the teacher’s desk, focusing on one step at a time.

“May I use the bathroom?” I asked, trying desperately to keep my voice level.

Mrs. Hill peered up at me through her glasses. Whatever she saw obviously didn’t impress her. She smiled a bit before responding in her typical sniveling voice. “No.”

My hands clenched the edge of her desk. “It’s an emergency.”

“Then you should have taken care of it before class.”

I started to turn around, then forced a gagging sound and sprinted to the door, hands over my mouth, the perfect image of a student about to puke all over the floor.

No one stopped me as I ran to the bathroom.

I was fumbling for my phone just inside the doorway when Raven came in. She was unusually pale. “Did Aurore call you too?”

I nodded. “Did you answer?”

She leaned against the wall, breathing in sharply through her nose. “No, I couldn’t answer in class. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Me too. Only one way to know.” I called Aurore back and cut the phone on speaker.

“Rhea.” Aurore’s voice came through choked and weak.

Raven and I shared a worried look. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, God, Rhea,” I could tell she was forcing back tears. “Something absolutely horrible has happened.”