(Disclaimer- no ownageeee.)
Okay. I have to apologize to my friend, Megan, before she rips my throat out.
I had to lie to her about what happened in the last chapter, after i read most of it over the phone.
I didn't want her to know it was just a dream Lana Hensley was having.. because I didn't want to
give it away yet. so i had to lie. because megan kept guessing!
i was surprised she didn't guess I was lying to her, though. i was giggling the whole time. ahah.
but yeah. so megan, I'm sorry. :D
now here is chapter 14! WOOOO! please leave reviews.
i don't think i have all that many readers for this story. i only ever get like.. two reviews
per chapter. it kind of stinks. but oh well. at least someone's reading it..
thanks to those who are leaving reviews. i really, truly appreciate it.
oh, and uh, we're back to anna's pov.
also, this is probably the shortest chapter I've ever written, and I'm sorry
about that, but it needed to end there. so. yeah. ahah. okay bye.
Reunion
A low, muddled echo filled my ears. The deep cadence of the far away chant hurt my head, made me flinch. I could feel the furrowing of my eyebrows, the frown of my mouth. Felt the weak bones of my arms wrap slowly around my torso, covered by a thin sheet of cold skin. Though I felt all of these things, knew it was me who was moving them, they felt like they were someone else's, like I was watching from the inner corner of another person's body, sitting there, only a small fraction of the brain. I felt disconnected from myself, from the world. Every slowed thought in my mind trickled hesitantly under the thick haze. I felt like I was floating, swaying back and forth in the cold, wet breeze, and there was a strange pressure building in my throat and chest.
I wasn't breathing.
More, different pressure tainted my wrists, my neck. I wanted to move, to wiggle away from the unusual touch of weight, but I couldn't seem to command my body to move itself. It moved only on its own. It didn't do what I wanted. My fingers tightened against the side of my ribs, and my eyelids fluttered lazily. I was still floating. Far away. I would have groaned if I could have found my lungs. But they weren't there.
And then I remembered.
I was alone. Nothing existed. I didn't want to exist.
Where was I now? Was I still on the side of the road, lying on the ground, my lungs filled with rain? Was only my body to be found there on the wet concrete, my soul somewhere else, floating into death? Was I dead? I wanted to be. But I couldn't be. Could I? I was still able to remember, to feel pain, to feel grief for my lost, non-existent life. I'd always hoped that death would bring with it numbness, a lack of feeling. That I would simply not exist anymore. But I was still thinking. I was still somewhat here. And I didn't want to be.
"No." The low echo flew back into my head, still so far away from me. It sounded like it was coming through a long tunnel, reaching me at the very end. Everything was black; I couldn't locate the cause of the sound. I recognized the word, but I didn't understand its meaning. My eyebrows furrowed deeper, acting on their own. Breath still evaded me. My head spun. "No! Wake up!"
A hard, sharp pain whipped across my back. It stung. Breath whooshed out of my mouth, along with it, a flow of salted water. Flames escalated in my throat. A horrible barking cough filled my hollowed ears and swung in my head, ricocheting inside of my skull. My eyelids tore open, pushed upward with the strange weight that'd once been placed on my wrists. Fingers, my brain whispered to me. Someone's fingers.
"Look at me!" The voice commanded. I tried to do as he said, but I still couldn't control myself. There was an immovable blanket of fog covering my vision. A slow whimper fell from my chest, molten lava flowing inside of me. It felt almost like the time James had bitten me. That impossible dream conjured up by my lunacy. My head rolled back on the concrete. Someone was gently tapping my cheek. "Wake up! Please, wake up." He begged.
My eyes decided to work then. Cool fingertips pushed back the moisture in them, letting me see. I focused on the face in front of me. My mouth fell open, more water escaping my lips like liquid fire. My insides were alight with the blaze. He smiled a tortured, relieved smile, ducking his head against my shoulder and letting out a defeated, reassured chuckle.
"Finally." He whispered against the skin of my cheek. "You came back to me."