The Darkness Within Her

Chapter 10: Poison in my Veins

Timotheus was right; something was definitely different about me. After talking with him I had closed my eyes for a bit before getting up and rinsing off. I noticed that the bruises on my body were already fading, drastically fast. Yellow splotches now covered my pale skin. And where once bone had protruded from under my skin in an almost disgusting way, now it seemed as though I had gained weight. My joints weren’t as sharp as knives; you couldn’t stick a finger between my ribs without even trying. It was alarming and I had no idea how to handle it.

            When Heather came in, she too came to a startled halt. But I think that was because I was standing right there by the door. She looked at me haughtily with her red eyes, “What are you doing?”

            “I want to see Jon,” I stated.

            “Why?” I noticed that a protective expression flashed across her face.

            “Because,” – I said taking a step closer to her – “Please.”

            She hesitated before pursing her lips, “Damn it. Fine. Let’s go.”

            I followed her out the door, uncomfortably aware of the fact that I was barefoot. We walked down the hall, passing by people who were all dressed similarly to Heather and Timotheus. At the end of the hall was a door that was propped open, with the faint melody of classical music spilling from inside and into the hall. I recognized the music belonging to Zoe Keating. We walked in and I saw a man with who was slightly stumped over, with dark and messy hair. His skin was startlingly pale, almost translucent. Sort of like mine. Yellow flames covered him in this steady, crackling dance across his body.

            “Jaye Stone,” Jon turned to look at me, his lips twisting into a smile, “I’m glad you came.”

            “I hope I will be just as satisfied,” I replied.

            Jon quirked his lips and focused his gaze on Heather, “We’re good here.”

            “Are you sure?” Heather asked.

            “Yes, everything will be fine,” Jon reassured her. I could tell from the tone in his voice that there was something going on between them. It was uncomfortable being in between them because I felt as though I were in the middle of two tides colliding. Only these tides were of intimacy and emotion, not water.

            Heather gave me a silent warning look before leaving, closing the door behind her. I looked over at Jon for instruction on what to do next. He motioned to the table beside him, “Lay here.”

            I did what he said, scooting so I was in the middle. Sharp pain radiated from the back of my head as I did so. I winced and propped myself up with my left arm while my right shoved my hair out of the way so it didn’t get caught under me when I laid back down. Jon pulled a chair up next to the table that I was on, watching me with sharp yellow eyes. “So what brings you here Jaye?”

            “Both Timotheus and Heather said that when I got ill a few days ago, you said I had holes in my heart and that my organs were failing. Yet now, I feel better than I’ve ever felt before,” I frowned, “I was wondering what you thought now. About my health.”

            “When you first got sick, you were throwing up blood and were unable to function. I brought you in this very room and ran tests. I had your blood drawn, x-rays, even had a mammogram done. You seemed as though you were having withdrawal symptoms externally, but internally, it was as though your entire body was shutting down. It looked like acid had been injected straight into your veins and was slowly vaporizing everything,” Jon looked away, rubbing his jaw. “I’ve only seen a few cases like it, but none quite so severe.”