The 12 Elementals

Chapter 4

   Again when I woke up the lights were off. It didn't take long for me to realize I was laying face down. Slowly I rolled over and opened my eyes but the room was way too bright to keep them open for long. I groaned and pulled the pillow over my face.

   I will never get drunk if hang overs feel remotely like this. Lights too bright, sounds too sharp, a weird vibration under my skin.

    The first stage is a pain. Zayden said.

   What in the world are you rambling about now?

   He paused. I would say 'nothing' but I think it is best to not lie to you.

   Before I could digest what Zayden told me, "About time you're awake. I'm kinda disappointed though, I was hoping you were dead. I don't mean it in a bad way. It would be good for newspapers and stuff. 'Heroic teen saves baby, only to faint!' that was cool though." I would bet both my legs that was Ester.

   You call that your friend? Zayden laughed.

   You still exist?

  "Whatever Ester. You know you don't want her dead. You were crying like a baby! Your eyes are still red!" Vivian's squeaky voice rang in my ears.

   "No one likes a smart ass Vivi." Ester sounded rather cold.

   "I love you too Ester. Any who, Melody what's going on? Why is Alice back?" Vivian's questions started to bother me.

   She was bringing up the subject I really couldn't talk about. "Vivian, please, not now." My voice is muffled by the pillow but still understandable.

   "I know what, or should I say who, that made Mel faint." Ester was enjoying the fact that she knew something Vivian didn't.

   I shot up like a rocket, the pillow fell over the side. My searching eyes found Ester immediately. When her eyes met mine I glare so fiercely in her direction that she started to squirm. And squirming isn't something Ester does. I didn't let her look away, I didn't let her utter a word as I stared her down.

   "Mel! Release Ester from that death stare of yours. Please! It's creeping me out!" That child-like edge came back to Vivian's voice.

   "Grahh, fine!" I shifted my gaze to my lap as my breathing slowed. "I just don't want to talk about it."

   To occupy my mind I searched my room. I gathered that it was slightly bigger than a janitor's closet. I was sitting on a cot-like-bed. In the far corner was a wooden table and chair, Vivian in the chair and Ester leaning on the table.

   The walls are a sickly shade of green, like someone ate green peas and threw it up. The floor looked faded grey; I bet a long time ago it was pure white. Like a long time ago.

   "Where are we?" I demanded.

   "The Dolphins nursing room." Vivian answered while pushing up her glasses.

   I vaguely remembered him saying something along those lines. Thinking about him made my eyes tear up. I didn't want to alarm Ester and Vivian by crying, so I lifted my hands, intending to rub my eyes when I felt something in my left hand. It was only then did I snap that my hands were balled into tight fists. I unclench them and discover a folded piece of paper resting on my left palm. My mind was still muddled and I can't think of what the little blue paper could be.

    Open it. Zayden gently suggested.

   Gulping, I sluggishly unfolded the paper and read it. I stopped after the first word. It was the name I could never forget. There was a familiar loop to the words and I knew it was his. Of course it's his hand writing! Who else could it be, Jesus? The tooth fairy perhaps? There was more writing under the name but it wasn't a message, it was digits. His name, his number, was now resting in my sweaty palms.