Chapter 14 - Chapter 14

TomCat's P.O.V

I could only stare in horror at the disfigured body that was once Tae. Blood pooled around her cracked skull and her limbs had been snapped and twisted unnaturally from the impact of her fall. It was a sight I never dreamed of seeing.

My performers were frozen to their spots in disbelief, but once they began to recover, they slowly gathered closer to take a closer look. My body was quivering from my experience as I pulled myself back up to the platform. I felt as if I were made completely of lead and my legs could barely support me. I had to take a few moments to lean against the tightrope beam and regain my strength to climb down. Once I did, however, I had to hesitate once more to escape my sudden dizziness. Everything happened so quickly... I couldn't... I can't. I just can't.

At the base of the high wire, I rested my head on a rung; I just couldn't push myself to approach her. BeastCat had evidently seen me from the crowd of people surrounding my best friend and she carefully made her way over, her features expressing a look of sad concern for me. She rested her hand on my shoulder to comfort me, but I was in no state of mind to be comforted.

"No... this isn't right... it isn't," I mumbled through choked whimpering.

"Sir..." BeastCat muttered sadly.

"No!" I growled, shrugging her hand off of me and marching towards the crowd of artists, who, by now, were giving me apprehensive stares as they began to part to let me through. Halfway through my path, I paused as a wave of dizziness hit me again and I proceeded to burst into hysterics. I sobbed as the image of Tae's mangled corpse flooded my mind and haunted me like a nagging parasite.

"No, no, no, no!" I pleaded incoherently. The artists all watched me intently now, thoroughly confused by my sudden change in attitude but I ignored them as I continued on my path to Tae, tears cascading down my cheeks as her body came closer, and the details became more visible.

I couldn't take the horrific image of my best friend so broken and stopped again within a few feet of her to scream and clutch my hair in horror. My body was acting on its own now as I began to pace with no clear pattern and wail like a madman.

"No, no, no! This isn't right! IT ISN'T RIGHT!" I screamed almost angrily in refusal to believe what I saw with my own eyes.

"Sir...?" an unnamed performer called timidly with concern but I didn't answer them. I was hysterical with grief. I continued to pace around and cry and mumble to myself incoherent nonsense. I didn't quite know what I was saying but clearly, it was enough to appal my performers, for they gave each other shaken glances and recoiled from me if I came to close.

"IT ISN'T FAIR!" I sobbed, my tantrum becoming more like that of a small child. I fell to the floor in utter defeat, hugging my knees close to my chest as I wept pathetically. I couldn't bring myself to stop and I'm sure if Mitten hadn't eventually stepped up to console me, I would've cried for hours... maybe even days.

Eventually, however, the sound of uneasy murmurs from the performers reached my ears. I assumed, at first, that the shock of my tantrum had worn off and they were slowly beginning to discuss it amongst each other to figure out what to do... howbeit, my curiosity was soon perked when the uneasy murmurings turned into shouts of alarm.

I wiped my teary eyes and forced myself to look around for their cause of alarm... and it happened to be Tae's body... but strangely... she was moving... Tae was alive! Immediately, I was ecstatic and I scrambled to my feet towards her, only to fall to my knees again to help her in some way. I regretted my decision, for I soon realised that I was the unlucky front-row seat to what was truly happening to her.

Her body was twitching and contorting itself in such a way that all her shattered limbs and joints snapped back into place with a vile, wet cracking sound. I watched in sheer disgruntled horror as her dead skin flushed with a healthy pink and returned to its natural glow. Her faint bruises and the many cuts and abrasions on her palms healed themselves like magic, leaving only the dust and spots of dirt that had settled on her body when she fell.

Her chest rose dramatically as she inhaled deeply with a raspy gasp and coughed up blood-ridden spit. She continued to gag and gasp as if recovering from drowning while I simply backed away from her in a mix of trepidation and awe. My artists backed away even further, quickly forgetting about my crazed hysteria to instead worry about the oddity before them.

Comments began to arise such as, "Good God!", or "What the hell?", and even, "God save us! She's a demon!"- and the more I watched Tae return to life, the more I began to agree with them... There was just... just... just no possible way for her to be capable of this.

Tae rolled onto her hands and knees, coughed up some more spit-blood, and finally stood. She stumbled on her feet as a heavy disorientation clouded her mind, but once she recovered, she finally noticed everyone was staring at her with frightened gazes, she grew uncomfortable, and then scared.

"What's going on?" she wondered worriedly and turned to me with a look in her glistening eyes that showcased her own fear of the situation.

"Tae," I addressed her shakily, "You fell from the tightrope... a height which kills... yet you came back," The girl's expression grew panicked and I could see the rise and fall of her chest slowly increase as she began to hyperventilate. I could tell the poor girl probably had just as many questions as we all did but to her dismay, she never got a chance to calm down so we could explain, as she soon fainted and collapsed to the floor again.