CHAPTER ELEVEN
She twisted the chrome handle of the shower, letting the cold water run onto the gray tile then slide down the drain.
She waited until she saw the vapors of the heat mixing with the cool floor to step inside.
Once she was under the water she closed her eyes and lifted her chin to let the liquid beat against her face.
The heat washed a thick layer of worries off of her, making her feel clean and rejuvenated.
A few seconds into her wash the smell of copper flooded into her nostrils.
It left a metallic taste on the tip of her tongue.
Her eyes flickered open watching the red water cake over her body.
She dipped out of the stream of the blood tinted rain, wrapping a towel over her.
Her heart throbbed in her ears and horrifying scream blasted out of her mouth.
She took sharp frequent breaths, then slung the curtain back, expecting the shower to be stained from the poisoned water.
There was nothing.
She hastily dressed herself in her shorts and tank top. When she looked up at the large mirror her heart nearly stopped beating.
the bathroom mirror was saturated with fog and in the center of it was large thick letters.
"Your next!."
Lyla felt a tear stroll down her cheek. Her chest ached with fear.
She could have lied to herself and said it was only a dream. But now, knowing someone was actively searching for her, made her sob uncontrollably.
She slid her back down the wall of the shower stall and hugged her knee's to her chest. She rocked back and forth trying to steady her frantic pulse.
She was wearing down to her bones. And it wasn't over, it would never be
over. But she has attempted to get away from Jesse. It didn't work. She needed him in a way she had never needed anyone before. Without him she was was weak, with him she was stronger.
The next morning her body throbbed with exhaustion. She looked at her reflection and saw someone she didn't recognize. This girl shared the same face as hers but with dark rings under her eyes, and her face was as pale as white chalk.
She sat on her bed, staring blankly at the empty wall. She didn't even bother to check the time.
She didn't care at this point if she was late for class or not.
It was peculiar for her, she had always fretted over her grades, now it seemed so trivial.
It felt like the life had been sucked out of her and her throat was hoarse and sore from screaming in the girls bathroom the previous night.
She lowered her head in her hands and let her hair drape over the side of her face like a curtain.
She looked at Dee's bed and felt guilty for being relieved that she had probably already made it to class.
She fell back on the springy mattress and watched the ceiling like it had a fascinating mural painted on it.
She must have stayed like that for hours until she had managed to peel herself off of her bed like a sticker.
She tugged on a long sleeve shirt that swallowed the majority of her and a pair of black leggings.
It was lunch time, but her appetite was non-existent. She didn't feel like dodging the stares of the sea of students that were in the cafeteria.
Instead, she decided to pay the withered garden that was nearly hidden behind her building a visit. She found herself going there more frequently.
The garden must have been beautiful in another life time. It was filled with wild lavender, star gazer lilies and roses.
Their thirsty stems drew a well of compassion inside of Lyla.
They seemed to mimic how she felt at this very moment.
She got on her knee's and pulled away the malicious weeds that had infiltrated the garden bed.
She sighted a faucet not too far away from where the plants were.
It took a few trips back and forth to give the flowers the water they needed.
She was pleased with her work.
When she got up her knee's were layered with wet dirt and particles of weeds.
She knew there wasn't enough time to go back to her room to change, and she was hardly prepared to face her last class of the day.
Lyla turned and felt herself collide into a firm wall of flesh.
She lifted her eyes and every small negative feeling that had been circling inside of her body was immediately released.
"Jesse.. what are you doing here?"
She could barely speak. How would he even know where to find her?
"You didn't show up to class. I wanted to make sure you were okay."
He cocked his head to the side and his breath taking uneven smile made her legs feel like Jell-O.
"I'm fine." She hugged herself and looked toward her garden.
Well it wasn't exactly hers, but it did feel like hers now that she had mothered it.
Her eyes were stinging, she didn't know why she felt like she suddenly needed to cry. Every time she was around Jesse, her walls caved in, leaving her soul bare in front of him.
Jesse took a step closer to her and the air that surrounded them became electrically charged. It was like a round sphere encased them, blocking them from the rest of the world.
Their own personal little bubble.
There was barely a centimeter between them. A miniscule margin of air that separated the two of them.
She felt the heat of his body, she wanted to tuck her fingers into his white shirt and pull him into her.
She could hardly contain the impulse that filled her.
Jesse lifted her chin with his index finger and thumb compelling her to look at him.
"What's wrong?" He said in a seductive voice that threatened to melt her.
"I... It's nothing."
In a flash of a second, Jesse had backed her against the exterior wall of her building. She felt her mouth dry, and her lips itched to be pressed against his.
To kiss him until the world ends and maybe even after death.
"Your lying." He said, showering the edge of her jaw with sweet nectar like kisses.
She exhaled a shaky breath.
"I'm terrified.. things keep happening.. I can't stop having nightmares.. sometimes I think I'm going crazy." She felt her voice waiver but she didn't care.
This was Jesse, her Jesse.
He frowned, and she saw his body grow stiffer.
"I know your not telling me everything... Jesse I need to know." She whispered.
His eyes softened and he looked at her tenderly.
"We still have time until our bond is sealed. For now their goal is to scare you, these creatures.." he stopped for a minute. His brows were furrowed and his lips pinched together.
"They thrive off of fear. Especially yours.. they feed on it, it gives them sustenance."
He breathed.
Absentmindedly he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
"I don't understand." She murmured.
"I know.. just remember your mind is the ultimate battlefield."
His tongue swept over his bottom lip and Lyla's heart began to palpitate.
He placed his hands on her cheeks and inched her face towards his, feathering his lips against her lips, but it wasn't enough to satisfy her insatiable hunger.
Her favorite uneven smile lit up his face.
"I want to give you something." He said, bringing her hand to his mouth and kissing it.
She laid her head on his chest and listened to the loud thumping of his heart.
Jesse had led her to the room of realms. Just as the first time he had shown it to her, she became lost in the captivating arches that signified the realms.
Jesse put his hands on her waist and leaned his head against hers.
The scent of lavender and black pepper reinstalled in her the peace that she had lost.
She wanted to get lost in him, forget who she was and renew herself in the sensations that buzzed through her blood when he touched her.
"Turn around." He murmured against her cheek.
She did as she was told.
She felt him ever so lightly lift her hair off of her back and let his fingers graze the back of her neck.
He slid a chain around her throat, letting it drop down her collar bone and glide to the center of her chest.
A magnificent crystal blazed against her black shirt, the light within it illuminated the cavern in a blinding blue light like a hand held star.
She let out a quivering breath. She had never seen anything so beautiful.
She turned around and was unarmed by the primal desire that filled his eyes like static electricity.
"This necklace.. it's a part of me. My race, every one of us is born with a quartz crystal. When we find our mate, we exchange them. It has a piece of my soul in it, that's why it's illuminated."
Lyla swallowed.
She was overwhelmed with the knowledge that he trusted her enough to give her a piece of himself. A very important piece of his self.
This kind of thing didn't exist, this kind of love. A love so powerful it could hold the key to death and life.
And it was hers.
"You said Priscilla told me what you are. Your a Realm Walker?"
Jesse gave a terse nod.
Lyla's eyes flashed with apprehension. Her inquisitive nature flaring in her bones.
"I thought they were destroyed?"
Jesse twisted his lips.
"That's a tale for another time."
"I... I don't know what to say. Thank you"
Jesse moved his hand around her neck and then his lips were on hers in an earth quaking kiss.
One that could burn the world down and rebuild it in the same breath.
She curled her body around his, pressing her weight into him. She could feel the smooth hard muscle beneath his shirt.
He slipped his hands beneath her thighs and lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist.
He pressed her back against the wall, holding her even closer than before.
She wanted to melt into his body, dissolve into his flesh. She breathed him in, tasting the sweetness of his tongue.
But the kiss ended too soon, Jesse leaned away and Lyla felt herself gasped for air.
They looked into each others eyes, panting.
Before she could stop herself, a question she didn't even know she had slipped off of her tongue.
"Do you love me?"
Jesse suddenly let go of her and stumbled, her feet touching the ground instantly.
She quickly bit her bottom lip and her cheeks tinted with red. She tried to avert her eyes but Jesse held her face in place.
His eyes were like a sea of living silver, they were filled with wariness and longing.
"More than you could even imagine." He's voice was gravely airless.
His lashes were lowered, and the muscle in his jaw was clenched.
"I love you." she whispered.
His body quivered against hers.
His lips crashed into hers with an urgency that made her feel like she was going to burst into flames. Her lips swelling from the roughness, but she didn't care.
Each kiss touched not only her heart, but her soul.
His hand crept beneath her shirt and rested on the barely there curve of her side. It fit there as if she was built just for him.
He moved back and leaned his forehead against hers. His eyes were closed and his breathing was uneven.
"We better go." He murmured against her cheek.
"It's hard to control myself." His eyes darkened with desire, making them look like iron instead of silver.
Lyla was soaring above the clouds, her head was spinning and her thoughts were completely scattered. Being with Jesse made her feel untamed, like she was a wolf running through the wilderness, fearless and free.
She could see now why girls' loved to date boys, why they'd risk the heart ache.
Then again she couldn't compare her situation with others, it was a bit more delicate. A bit more dangerous.
She slung her door open and every fabric of her being froze.
The air in her lungs crystalized into shards of ice.
There was someone standing in front of her bed with a hoodie covering their head.
Lyla felt bile rise in her throat, the haunting image of an almost forgotten dream slapped her back in to reality.
She felt her head begin to throb with dizziness, her lungs begging for even a scrap of oxygen.
The figure turned and she felt herself exhale a stale breath.
"What are you doing in here?" Lyla snapped. She didn't take kindly to finding a male in her room. One that wasn't Jesse.
Jay scratched his temple and lowered his eyes with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry. Dee asked me to grab something."
He flashed a bothersome smile and she felt a cold shiver break over her skin.
"That's my side of the room." She tried to keep her voice level but there was no denying the crackled sound of her hoarse throat.
"My apologies." He said, his eyes flashing with annoyance.
Lyla watched him with cynical eyes until he left the room.
There was something about Jay that bothered her on a deep level. She always felt wrong whenever he was anywhere near her. Like she was about to be forced over the edge of a cliff and plummet to her death.
Lyla finally calmed her anxiety riddled body after she had taken her medication.
She towed her notebook out of her leather satchel and skimmed through her assignments and decided to tackle English lit.
She had noticed her text book for literature was no longer in her messenger bag.
She dragged her hand down her face.
She probably left it in class. Then she remembered that their miniscule library usually had an extra copy of each textbook for each class.
She stacked her notes together and put them in her leather satchel.
She would never get use to such a poorly stocked library. It was almost a sin calling it that. Perhaps she could petition Regina to invest in more books.
She retrieved the textbook and sat at the long rectangular table prepared to tackle the endless pile of homework she had neglected.
Her activity paused when she heard the bulky old computer shut off on its own with a click that echoed through the empty space.
She Inspected the monitor but found nothing out of place.
She accepted the possibility of it being a shortage in the wiring.
Panic brushed over her making the hair on the back of her arms and neck stand up when she heard, "Lyla", slither out of the far back corner of the room.
She pinned it as her over worked mind conjuring it up. Or the lower realmed forces attacking her mental well being again. Perhaps after time she would build up an immunity against it.
Then again it could be one of Stacy's idea of a practical joke.
Priscilla and her were the only ones that spent a lot of time there, but she was sure Stacy's strong dislike for her made her more detail oriented than usual.
"Lyla!" The voice roared again. This time in an unfriendly color.
A gut wrenching chill settled over her, plaguing her skin with goose bumps.
` She squinted, catching a subtle movement in the blackened region.
A spiral made of black smoke began to take shape.
The edges of it flared with black stringy particles like cobwebs.
Between the rings of it purple sparks created tiny electrical pulses.
The static seemed to hold a rhythm of a beating heart. It was beautiful, a wrong warped kind of beautiful like the things in Alice in wonderland.
A warped ideal of an artistic creature.
She rubbed her eyes to be sure it wasn't a hallucination, but there it stood with its glory of gloom.
It lured her in with its song of temptation.
A song made just for her.
She treaded delicately to the alien presence, it was almost like she was under some sort of trance. It reminded her of the scene in sleeping beauty, when Aurora was called into the room by a glowing eery green light. But this one had no light, just fountains and shades of dark and demented colors.
Soon she was no longer in control of her actions, before she could register her hand extending, she had made contact with it.
She fell to her knees withering in pain from its bite.
Her heart began to gallop like rushing race horses followed by a stabbing pain in her chest. Her rhythmic beating of life was climbing, going too fast and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Only gasp for air that refused to grant her lungs with it's relief.
She could feel the creatures venom spread to her limbs disabling them. Weighing her down, like she had been thrown into a river with an anchor tied to her legs. Dragging her to the depths of the river bank and pressure climbing into her chest, crushing it.
She heard the library door slam against the worn flowery wall paper.
A few books jumped off the wall from the impact.
She lugged her head up as her vision began to dim.
The creature made a horrible hissing sound then disappeared at the sight of Jesse.
His eyes darted around the room then landed on her in an instant but she knew in that moment she was in the unforgiving claws of death, instantaneously falling into the talons of unconsciousness.
In the darkness, she felt herself swaying gently side to side like she was drifting away to the sea on a ship.
She couldn't recollect ever reading anything about heaven being in the ocean.
She heard muffled voices in the background, but her view remained in the abyss of darkness.
"What happened?" Said Regina.
"She was bitten by a leek." Jesse replied with trepidation.
Lyla felt him lay her on a long soft surface, cupping the back of her head with his hand.
He laid his ear on her chest, she could feel his lips curve into a smile when her heart sputtered.
"You don't have much time. You must do it now Jesse." Regina persuaded.
Lyla could hear her heels click against the floor as she walked toward her desk.
"I won't!" He hissed, jerking his head away from Regina. He slid his fingers in-between Lyla's lifeless ones.
"It'll seal the bond." He groaned in agony at the thought.
He slightly pressed back her sleeve where their promise had been engraved on her flesh.
Lyla wanted to comfort him, to tell him she would be okay.
It was sheer agony to hear such a sad song from a beautiful soul like his.
"The bond was sealed the first time your skin corresponded. Now all that's left is for it to be strengthened." She continued.
"She will die if you don't." She added.
The last thing Lyla heard before she was heaved into nothingness was a resonance of his anguish.
In her insensate state, images of numerous lifetimes showed on the black screen of her eyes.
However, these weren't her memories. She knew by the antique look of certain towns, and old fashioned apparel of the people that walked the streets of an earlier world.
Finally one memory came in to focus.
A dark alley painted with gray floated into view.
She glanced to the side of her where a rusted ladder laid against a three-story building.
She hoisted herself up the sand paper textured rungs placing just the right amount of weight on each foot to avoid making it creak.
When she reached the top, a Woman in white stood in the center of the roof.
Her linen gown flowed gracefully to her feet, her dark hair reached to her elbows.
Lyla ogled at the magenta areole that outlined the woman's body.
She seemed to recognize Lyla but she had never seen such a person in her entire life.
"Lady Rein." A rough masculine voice came out of her throat.
She gasped but the motion didn't transfer to the lips that were attached to her.
A spark of recognition came to her.
She was witnessing another memory of Jesse's.
"Jesse." The stunning woman bowed her head.
"The only thing I am able to tell you... Is that all the answers you seek will be at the room of the Realms." the revertabre of her words held a depth of meaning that was unfathomable.
Then the silver screen flitted out of view.
"Why isn't she waking?" Jesse demanded.
Lyla could hear his frantic pacing, the sound of his shoes scraping against the floor with each tired stride.
"She will. A bite from a creature of the lower realms drains your life force. It is a miracle she didn't instantly leave us. Come now, it's time for you to get some rest." Regina stated.