Barry collapsed on his bed, contented and tranquil; he gleamed as he relayed the whole night over in his head. He had a lot of fun talking with Yugen, making her laugh and blush. He was pretty excited to find out what she was like as a performer, he felt warm and at ease as he remembered the sound of her voice; imaging it as a melody. Eventually, he fell asleep and was back in the room with the others, standing in the middle of the incandescent portal. He was greeted with whistles, cheers, glares, and looks of concern as he walked to his chair.
"Bro, she was hot!"
"I didn't think you had it in you, Barry!"
Heinrich and BT shouted from across the room as Mary Reynolds tall, stocky form stalked over to Barry.
You know, depending on how this ends it could mean trouble for the system, especially the way you've been slipping up." Mary stood glowering at Barry with her arms crossed over her chest.
"The beast will take care of her." Patricia saunters by with a nefarious smirk, pissing off several of the alters.
"Not that shit again!"
"Fuck off, horde!"
Patricia could sense the uncertainty among the group, and was intentionally trying to shake the system. It was time for Barry to step up, "O-okay everybody, lets just calm down, alright!"
Barry put his hands in the air, and moved them up and down to control the group. He made eye contact with Mary, his eyebrows knitted and his eyes glinted with concern as he attempted to reassure her. "I understand your concern Mary, but I promise if anything happens, I WILL take care of it."
"You don't have a choice at this point! You're too impulsive! For gods sake, you said you name was Barry!" After scolding Barry, Mary dropped her arms to her sides and walked away, shaking her head.
Barry leaned against his chair, Luke walked over to him and slapped him on the arm amiably. "Hey, Barry. That Yugen, she's really something huh? I really like the fact that she's from Texas."
Barry looked at Luke and gave a tight smile, "I figured you would."
Luke's thin lips curled into a lopsided smile, "look, whether it works out or not, you gave it a shot..."
Barry cut Luke off, "she's different Luke, I can feel it! She's not like other girls."
Luke wouldn't allow it to show, but he was unsettled by his friends growing infatuation, "yeah man, we feel what you feel. I hope it works out, buddy. And if not, I got your back." He slapped his arm one more time before walking away.
Barry sighed and sat down in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had to accept the fact that it may not work out with Yugen, and he had to prepare for the emotional impact.
Yugen felt that familiar feeling again, that burning sensation in her solar plexus. She had just walked in the door and she was clutching her stomach, nearly collapsing.
"Oh God, not agai..." She nearly choked on the familiar, metallic tasting vomit that burned the back of her throat. Yugen ran to the bathroom, vomiting dry black chunks and blood, making her throat feel chafed and scratchy. It didn't used to be this intense, it used to be a warm blanket wrapping itself around her insecurities—but since Yugen was 17, it was like a cheetah, desperately trying to chew it's way through something hollow and empty; leaving Yugen sick and convulsing, right before the initial blackout. The only good thing that came from this loss of awareness was her art, the detailed paintings that were finished in a matter of minutes, sending her vivid yet vague messages.
Yugen sat back against the bathtub and rested her forearm on the toilet seat, she was shivering and covered in sweat. She was slipping into the abyss, but not before she reached for her clutch to pull out her phone. For Yugen, in this particular situation, time was everything. 9:20…
Tunnel vision consumed her as she was swallowed by darkness, and a black veil was draped over her consciousness.
Yugen emerged from the void, she sat on her knees naked—covered in blood, sweat, and paint. She sat between the fireplace and the table, fresh paint had been splattered heavily upon layers and layers of dry paint, making the carpet appear to be the work of Jackson Pollack. A portrait of what looked like Tom Felton sat in front of her, as well as a camcorder that stood a few feet away. She never met this man before in her life, but his blonde hair and blue eyes felt indistinctly familiar. Barry began to come to mind and her eyebrows drew together—these paintings were meant to tell her something, for the first time, she didn't understand what the message was. What does this man in the portrait have to do with Barry? Do they know each other? Are they lovers? None of these questions felt right…
Yugen's eyes went wide, her questions were quickly shrouded with a natural realization when she felt a gushing sensation between her legs, she stood up and a crimson stream ran down her inner thigh.
'My period, of course!' She thought to herself as she rolled her eyes, then ran to the bathroom.
Yugen peered at herself in the full length mirror—her braids were still intact, but her up-do was disheveled, the rest of her hair clustered together like wet sticky dreadlocks; her make up was smeared and ran down her face, from head to toe she was covered in gunk and muck, making her appear wild and primal.
'I look like Amy Whinehouse before the rehab.' Her face contorted into shock and disgust during her self assessment, she averted her gaze from the mirror and quickly turned the shower on. Yugen had gotten used to this happening every month, she loved the paintings and she was thankful it didn't happen in public. However, she really hated the mess—she hated the sickness that left her throat feeling raw and sore, most of all, she really hated how isolated it made her feel; the loneliness that made her feel less than human.
Strange things have always happened to Yugen, deep down she felt they were somehow connected to her strange abilities. As she washed the grime off her body, she decided that tomorrow, she would go to Harry's World and pay the crone a visit.
RECOMMENDED SONG: Jack off jill-When I am Queen
enolarevfore/benzaiten-fire/chapter7/