Coma (Paranormal Romance) (24 page)

His eyes mirrored his words, they radiated
love and vulnerability, and with it all, he forever captured my
heart, and sealed our faith. A fine shiver rushed through my body.
I put my arms around his neck, and said, “I love you, Zack, and
I'll follow you no matter where this path takes us.”

He smiled wide, and locked his arms behind my
back, “Forever?” He asked, I nodded with a smile, and he sealed our
promises with a kiss––so tender, and loving, and yet intense. His
hands pressed me against him as if he wanted my body to merge with
his, tugging me tighter with each breath.

A couple of minutes later, he broke away,
placing a kiss on my forehead, then turned me around in his
embrace, locking his arms around my belly. Resting against his
body, I leaned my head on his shoulder, and we watched the sun dip
into the ocean, and disappear behind the horizon.

~*~

Back at our rendezvous point, Sophie and
Ethan weren't sharing our mood. She was pissed about something,
pacing back and forth, and he was comfortably sitting down, playing
with the sand, and not giving a damn about her rage display.

“The creep felt me up,” Sophie said to us
when we came near, and our heads darted toward Ethan. He was
grinning, looking more proud of himself, than guilty.

“You were drowning,” Ethan said, slightly
chuckling.

“No, I wasn't! Something stung me in the
foot, and I had it under control,” she hissed, kicking some sand
toward him with her foot.

He cleaned the sand off of him, then said,
“Then why did your lungs gurgle when I pulled you out?” Ethan
winked at Zack.

Her head snapped back at him, “Is that why I
was kicking the crap out of you while you were carrying me
out?”

“I thought you were fighting the waves,” a
smug grin washed over Ethan's face.

“You're unbelievable!” She yelled, throwing
her arms in the air.

“That I am,” Ethan chuckled, stirring her
rage even more.

“Was my ass drowning as well?!” She stormed
over to him, dropped down on her knees, and swooshed straight into
his face, breathing like a raging bull.

“Probably,” Ethan chuckled, then grabbed her,
and forced a kiss.

She slapped him, and wiped her mouth, saying,
“Jerk!”

Although she fought off Ethan's assertions,
it was more than obvious there was some kind of weird chemistry
going on between them, so Zack and I exchanged glances, and decided
to let them handle it. Zack typed into his bracelet, and we were
back in my room in no time.

Exactly like we left it, my body was
peacefully resting on my bed. If it weren't for my parents, I
wouldn't have wanted to go back in there. Subconsciously, I touched
the coral ring on my finger.

“It can't go with you,” Zack said, putting
his hand over my ring. With a curved finger, he moved my chin up to
face him. I blinked away moisture in my eyes. “I can give it to you
when you get back in your body, or you can have it on your finger
every time you exit your body. Your choice.”

“Leave it on. When do I get a bracelet like
you?” I changed the subject, swallowing thick saliva build-up in my
mouth.

With his head bowed, and cheeks rounded by a
smile, he said, “When you're able to ground yourself in this realm,
and can travel to my century.”

“But, we've just been to Hawaii. Wasn't that
time travel?”

“No,” he smiled, “That was still inside your
chronological time. Linear travel, but faster than the bus,” he
chuckled.

I pursed my lips, grimacing, “How will I know
when I'm grounded?”

Zack took my wrist, “See this barely visible
red dot?”

I brought my wrist closer to my eyes, “Oh,
yeah! I see it now.”

“It'll turn green when you're done,” he took
my wrist and moved it from my face down on his hip. I felt my gut
trip over itself. Those dark green eyes held my gaze. “You have to
go back now,” he said, “But before you do, give me a minute.”
Absolutely hypnotized, I nodded. Slowly, he edged closer, putting
his arms around me. Inhaling deeply, he hugged me tight, smoothing
his hands over my back. Like a swan, I curled my neck around his,
enjoying the warmth of his skin. A few moments later, he detached
saying, “There. Now I can let you go.” His bracelet pressed against
my wrist, and I felt that prickling sensation, then blacked
out.

My eyes snapped open, bringing the ceiling in
my view. I was back in my body, feeling rather sad. Zack was next
to me, gently stroking my hair.

“How do you feel?” He asked, feeling the
pulse on my neck.

“Okay,” I said, my voice slightly hoarse.

“Ethan asked us to meet them,” he said,
touching a place where the coral ring was just moments ago.
Something deep inside me responded with pain, but I forced a smile,
and climbed out of bed. My legs were a bit shaky.

~*~

Cold wind outside chased away the memory of
warm Hawaiian air. With our noses beet red from the cold, we
entered Mario's. A sweet smell of cinnamon hit our nostrils. Ethan
and Sophie seemed to be back on speaking terms, sitting closely to
one another, sharing a steaming cup of tea. Their backs were turned
toward us, so when we crashed down across the table, they quickly
separated, leaving us wondering what was really going on. Zack
looked at me, slightly narrowing his eyes as if he suspected the
same thing—they were up to something.

“What's up?” I asked, casually, folding my
scarf in my lap.

“Nothing much,” Ethan answered. “Sophie's
busting my balls for groping her, so now she wants to suit up as
payback.”

“Suit up?” I asked, completely not
following.

“Yes,” Sophie said, putting down her tea. “I
want those cool boots and their clothes.”

“I offered to give her mine,” Ethan smirked,
“But she has issues with me being naked.”

Sophie elbowed him, frowning. “The last thing
I need is your hairy body in my face all the time!”

I chuckled, “And she'd swim in it.” She was
half his height, not to mention weight.

“So, we're going back?” Zack asked Ethan,
locking his arms behind the chair.

“Sophie's wish is my command,” Ethan replied,
eying Sophie sideways. She slightly blushed, smacking his hand that
edged closer to her. “We'll need your sizes,” Ethan added, pulling
his hand back.

“Sure,” I said, “Besides looking cool, what
else is up with those suits?” I knew they worked as some sort of
personal air-conditioning—keeping them warm in winter, and cooling
them down in summer, but that was it.

“Everything is made out of graphene. It's the
most resistant fabric there is. Strong, and it's wired with
nanotech, so it's a computer, as well,” Zack explained as briefly
as he could, stretching his arms over our booth.

“And yet, you use my desktop computer,” I
chuckled.

“Would you use NASA's high tech computer to
Google lasagna?” Zack snickered, bringing his arms back down.

I narrowed my eyes, saying, “If it's a
special kind of lasagna, I would.”

“Hey, are you guys talking about sex?” Ethan
interjected, looking at us suspiciously, a sly grin breaking free
on his face.

“NO!” Both Zack and I yelled at the same
time, grimacing.

“You really should get some,” Sophie said to
Ethan, “To stop obsessing so much,” she giggled.

“Are you offering?” Ethan grinned wide.

“Get him out of my face,” Sophie turned to
Zack, “Or he won't live another day!”

“Be back soon,” Zack said, playfully.
Instantly getting up, Ethan followed. “You two go back to your
room,” Zack said to me, “You'll have to try it on when we get
back.” He lowered a kiss on top of my head, and they were gone.

“Cool,” Sophie breathed. “Can't wait to do
what they can.”

“Me too,” I replied. “Tell me... What's up
with you and Ethan?”

Sophie blushed to her roots, chewing on her
lip, then said, “He gets me so worked up that I want to rip his
soul out, or his clothes,” she giggled. “Mostly his clothes,
though.”

I chuckled, “Why don't you? He obviously
feels the same.”

She sighed, closing her eyes, “I don't want
to ruin what we have.”

“Bickering?”

She darted a glare, “No. I'm afraid if we
cross that line, things could get weird. Or change to something I
won't like.”

“That's always a possibility. I mean, are
there ever guarantees when relationships are in question?” I
snorted.

“I know, but this is great now. He's open
about his intentions, I fight him off––”

“––are you afraid he'll grow out of it if you
stop fighting?”

Sophie lowered her glance, folding her hands
in her lap, then said, “Kind of.”

I reached across the table, smoothing my
hands in front of her, tapping to get her glance back up, “Look.
I'm not gonna lie to you. He might be into chase and stuff, but he
might be the real deal, as well.”

Sad look in her eyes disapproved, “I'm not
willing to take that risk,” she said.

“Oh, c'mon! I was the one scared to take
risks. Not you!” I protested, banging my hands on the table to
shake her up.

“Our roles have reversed,” she smiled,
faintly.

“Even now, I'm not risking as much as you
are. This life we chose is a lonely path, and you're walking down
all by yourself, while I have Zack to lean on,” I took her hands in
mine, and stared in her eyes. She was the brave one, not me, I just
had to make her remember that.

“You don't get it,” she snatched her hands
back. “I've been locked up in a hospital for the most of my teen
life. Alone, I can do just fine. I'm used to it, goddammit!”

“Okay, I get it,” I said, understanding her
position, but reluctant to let her give in.

“Highly debatable,” she snorted, “Being alone
is my safe haven. I really like Ethan, and––” her voice broke.

“––and you can't afford to lose him,” I
finished her sentence.

She looked at me surprised that I did
understand. A faint “No,” was all she said.

For her sake, I hopped that Ethan was the
real deal. I would hate to see her overcome her fear of
abandonment, and then get hurt by a random jackass, so I said, “I'm
sorry, Soph. I won't push you where you don't want to go. But if
you decide to play the Ethan card, I'm here for you.” I wanted to
say that I'd personally bust Ethan's balls if he ended up hurting
her, but that would be a sour consolation.

“Thanks,” she smiled. “I'll wait on that one
for a while.”

~*~

“
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to
entertain a thought without accepting it.”

–– Aristotle

On a Sunday morning in May, a week before my
nineteenth birthday, the red speck on my wrist turned green. My gut
clenched. It was done. My frequencies were grounded in that other
realm. I gulped down a knot that formed in the back of my throat.
That meant it was time to execute the plan Antarctica, and to say
goodbye to my parents forever. Absently, I rubbed my thumb over the
wrist.

Suddenly, what used to be a distant plan, was
now an imminent reality. I felt weak in my whole body. My palms
became clammy, and buzzing in my ears dominated over the
surrounding noise. My breathing became erratic as if I were coming
down with a panic attack.

With toothbrush still stuck in my mouth, I
slid down on the bathroom floor, and scooped my legs closer to my
chest, hugging them. A faint knock on the door winced me.

“Lyra,” I heard Zack say, “Are you okay in
there?”

“Yes,” I squeezed out, wondering if that was
even true.

“You’re in there for quite long,” he said,
suspicion coloring his voice. “May I come in?”

I didn’t answer. My mind was decomposing, I
couldn’t decide whether to say yes or no. Slowly, the door opened,
and Zack carefully peered in. Seeing me crippled on the floor, he
rushed over, crashing down next to me.

“What’s wrong?” Fear widened his glance.
Still unable to speak, I raised my wrist to his eye level. His face
relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief. “Let’s get you out of
here,” he said, taking the toothbrush out of my mouth, then
scooping me off the floor. I burrowed my head in the whole of his
neck. With me still in his arms, he lowered us on the bed.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he said, idly circling
down my arm. “What they don’t know, won’t hurt them.” He picked up
my chin. Those dark green eyes searched mine, teal specks deepening
the shade, reaching down into the abyss where my heart had sunk,
and bringing me back to the surface. He smoothed his thumb over my
chin, and smiled, “We won’t go through with it until you’re
sure.”

As if sedated, I nodded, closing my eyes. I
knew I had reached that splitting point on my palm, the lifeline
that had always been there, telling me that one day I would have to
make that decision.
I
would have to make it, not Zack. No
one could do it for me, and I'd have to live with my actions. A
part of me was ready, the part that anticipated it my whole life,
and craved for adventure. But that other part that was still my
daddy’s little girl was shitless scared. That part needed Zack to
be the anchor it could grab onto whenever it felt threatened. That
Lyra needed to feel safe above all.

After a while, my fears had subsided, and I
managed to relax, so Zack suggested we tried switching realms to
see if grounding frequencies had indeed worked. Slightly scared, I
stretched out on my bed, rhythmically breathing. Easier than ever
before, I found myself out of the body. Zack pressed his bracelet
on my wrist, and the small, black patch came out of my skin with
the usual prickling sensation.

He stepped back, and waited, impatiently
tapping his foot on the floor. When I didn't flicker out, he
smacked his palms together, saying, “It worked! You're grounding
yourself.”