Page 17 of Finding Her
My flesh crawled with unnatural heat like drops of oil singing on a pan over flame. Perspiration felt like evil spirits bleeding through my pores, filling the air with a toxic malignancy as it evaporated. I wanted to hold my breath from the fumes, but couldn’t stop hyperventilating.
Bile clung in my throat, but I wasn’t granted the mercy of vomiting. Instead, I was forced to squirm helplessly as every cell of my being protested its own existence. My stomach lurched. My abdominals contorted. My mouth opened to dry heave in desperate coughs.
“Come home.” The voice was soft and sweet. It provided the only comfort I could find in my torment.
“How?!” I screeched, rolling onto my knees and forcing myself to my feet. I had to get to her. I would feel better if I could just get to her. “Please, how?!”
Not allowing myself to waste any time in seeking out relief, I started running as fast as my trembling legs would carry me. I just needed to find her, and everything bad would go away. My eyes scanned the distance. Maybe there was a faint shadow or two, but they grew no closer no matter how much I walked in their direction. “Where are you?!”
“We miss you.”
I missed them more than anything. I had no concept of who they could be, but surely the way my body craved the relief of their presence was evidence enough.
“Where do I go?!” I spun around wildly.
“Come back to Earth.” The soothing voice faded away. My heart squeezed painfully. No, not further away. I needed to be closer.
“Wait! Where are you?! Come back!” I screamed into the endless light, falling to my knees and burying my face in my hands.
“Faeryn!”
“What?” I groaned through my teeth and put my hand on my heart. It was racing.
Where was I? I needed to find the woman. The white abyss had followed me back into reality and sabotaged my ability to think clearly. Everything felt wrong and painful, and I missed the comfort of that voice that occupied my dreams. Were they dreams? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I was afraid, tormented, and desperate.
“You kept mumbling in your sleep. Didn’t seem to be a good time.” Mykie was crouched next to the couch, her eyes locked on me. “Are you feeling alright?” she asked, sobered up and serious compared to the last time we were together.
“I just—” I held my head in my hands, subconsciously mirroring the tortured pose I’d just been in, “I have to get home. It’s lovely here, but I need to go back.” Overwhelmed by the vividness of my dreams, I feared any moment the pain would return and I would be helpless within its clutches. I needed to find the woman before that could happen. I would do anything to prevent another wave.
“Back where, Faeryn?” Her sharp brows pinched together, and her marble eyes bore into my soul. I looked away. I couldn’t stand it.
“Home.” I wiped sweat from my forehead and blinked my eyes repeatedly. I was disoriented, torn between two worlds. One foot in each, my ability to differentiate nightmare and reality lapsed moment by moment.
“Babe.” Her voice was low. “You’ve been through a lot. I think you need to take a few deep breaths and stay calm until Graysen is back from some errands. Maybe he can help.”
“I need to get back to Earth!” I insisted, shaking my hands as I spoke, wanting to rip my nails into something. Claw my way to sanctuary.
“Earth?” She spoke as if addressing a child. I was too distracted to be offended.
“I think it’s where the woman is calling me from.” The words “come home” rang in my head, aching me to the core. They had been absent for a blissful day and seemed to be trying to make up the lost time with their forceful imposition.
“The woman?” She rocked back onto her heels, the concern on her face melting into steely resolve.
“Or maybe I’m dreaming.” I threw my head back. “Maybe I’m in a coma. And they’re trying to reach me. But I don’t know how to wake up.” My voice was quickly becoming shrill as my heartbeat accelerated. I could feel my lungs trying to burst from my ribcage.
“Who do you think ‘they’ are?” She rose to her feet and stood over me with blank observation.
“I don’t know… Doctors? Loved ones? Friends?”
“I hear you.” She put a scaled hand empathetically on my knee. It felt more calculated than comforting.
“Maybe I should go back to the woods!” I gasped as I said it. Why didn’t I think of that before? Were they looking for me there?
“Which woods?” She disappeared from my sight as she moved towards the kitchen. I could faintly hear her digging through her bag in the background of my panic.
“The forest that Graysen found me in.” Driven by adrenaline, I grabbed the boots I’d kicked off by the couch and started tugging them on.
“I don’t think you should leave the house.”
