Emergence (18 page)

“That looks nice,” she said, pointing at them. “You ever try that?”

“No,” he answered quickly, “I’m usually working. So . . . I thought tomorrow, after we do some research, maybe I’d take you down to the training field for nuria players. They have a good workout, and they’re a great bunch of guys -- Vincent even knows a few of them.”

“I don’t know . . . I probably should be training to apply the concept I’ve learned.”

“Yeah, well, you should also think about getting some exercise. I mean, people might think of it as cheating, when you use your sussa to do your daily chores. And you can’t eat more than anyone else, no matter if you’re special. It’s probably about time you thought about . . . losing some of the weight you put on. I mean, what would happen if you lost your sussa? You’d be unprepared to take care of yourself.”

Melissa sighed heavily. “Oh, just hold me Richard.”

He gently pushed her away. “No, not now, not in front of all these people,” he said, glancing around.

They danced a little more, with Melissa becoming depressed and sad. “Do you like my dress?” she asked weakly.

“Yeah, it’s alright. I’ll bet Daria would look really good in it. Maybe it’s a little too revealing for you. What happened to that big sweater you used to wear? That seemed to cover you pretty well.”

Melissa kept dancing, but her heart sunk like a rock in the ocean of her soul. And though a large part of her wanted to skulk off somewhere and cry, the power she felt using sussa commuted her misery into fury.

“Is this what you’re all about?” she shouted, as the music stopped and slowly everyone sunk back to the floor. “You can accept me as a heretic, as an Archsussa, use my talents, but oh no, when I get close to you I’m too fat for you? You
stinking liar
!” she shouted, starting to cry. “You lied to everyone, but I can see past that, and I’ve only been truthful to you, and helped you, but you can’t see past this,” she said, gesturing to her stomach. “Well this is
me
, Richard; as much as my sussa is me, as much as my hair is me,
this is me!
And it’s too bad you can’t accept me for who I am, when I can accept you for who you are.”

She ran out of the cavern, and back up along one of the passageways. Daria tried to follow her, but Melissa gestured her to leave her alone. On a rock she sat, crying.

How could I be so stupid? I’m so fat, no one wants to be with me. Why couldn’t I be like I was before, thin, and small? Why do I have to be an Archsussa; why do I have to be fat?

“Sorry about him.”

Melissa starts, and saw Vincent leaning against the wall nearby. She pulled her dress closer, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

“
Whatever
.”

“No, really, I’m sorry,” he said softly, sitting down next to her. “I don’t know why all the girls like him, but they do, and that’s what they get when the find out what’s under that big brain of his.”

“He’s just a liar.”

“Yeah,” agreed Vincent with a slight smile. “You deserve better.”

Melissa sighed, and wiped her eyes. “Maybe he’ll change.”

“Open your eyes!” he shouted. “All Richard cares about is
Richard
. He is all about his image and his standing in the community -- even over his own family. He’s put me down so many times, just so he could look good.” Vincent put a hand on her knee. “Even if you were thin or something, he would find something else wrong with you. Look at Daria! He’s led her along for years now.”

Melissa felt better. “Thanks. “

Vincent squeezed her knee. “You should be with someone who wants you, for you.”

Suddenly Melissa looked up into Vincent’s eyes, and saw only truth and sincerity. She suddenly felt not just warm, but hot, as the pit of her stomach tightened. His face came closer to hers, and in an instant she felt an animal attraction to him. Clumsily she threw her arms around him, and kissed him, and much to her surprise, he kissed her back.

“I was wondering if you’d let me do that,” he said softly.

“Why do you like me?” She regretted asking the question as soon as she uttered it. “Never mind -- don’t answer.”

“No, I want to answer. You are so strong, Melissa, to stand up to my people, to help all of us when all we wanted to do was hurt you. Your whole world has been devastated, all your friends lost, and yet here you are, making music for us!”

“Oh!” she squealed, “that reminds me.” She extended her sussa, and the music thumped back into existence, to the joyful squeals of those inside. She could hear them chant;

“Lissa! Lissa!”

She couldn’t help but laugh, and that was when he kissed her again. Except this time it was deeper and fuller, filled with an intricate dance of their tongues. As they kissed, he wiped the tears from her face with his hands, and ran his hands through her hair. For the first time, she wanted to feel her hand on a man’s chest, feel his heart thump against hers.

“Do you want to try something with me?” he asked cautiously.

“Anything.”

“Are you sure?” he asked carefully.

Melissa nodded, her eyes locked in his. She felt warm inside; felt the thrill from the opportunity for danger. “Anything you want.”

“I know Daria gave you a bad impression of glleli, but it really is sweet. Not only can it change how one person feels, but when shared, it makes two people seem as one.” He stopped, and smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Do you want to share this with me? Do you want to be one with me?”

“Yeah,” she answered eagerly, “more than anything.”

She felt stupid again, but couldn’t help it. After Richard’s rejection, Vincent acted the perfect gentleman, and she felt as if she was in a dream. He brought out a small packet of blue leaves from his pocket, along with a small knife.

“What’s that for?”

“This is so our fluids can intermingle.” He cut a small slit on his forearm, a few inches long, and put a small cluster of the tiny leaves on the opening. “Now hold out your forearm, and do like I did.”

Melissa pulled up her sleeve, and extended her arm. In her mind, a dim memory surfaced of pain exactly where she was about to cut. Faintly, she could recall the Freilux exploiting just that same spot.

“Hurry up, Lissa! I’m gonna stop bleeding any second now.”

“Oh . . . okay,” she said, looking back up into his deep, warm eyes. She reached out to take the small knife, and as she did, Yllinae’s voice screamed in her mind.

Never cut yourself! Never inflict bodily harm upon yourself! It is a fatal mistake!

Melissa knew it was wrong, but was desperate. Seeing all Daria’s friends dancing close and being intimate with one another made her jealous, and she knew she might not ever get another opportunity like this.

She was probably exaggerating things
, thought Melissa, as she took Vincent’s knife.
It’s just a little cut -- how bad could it be?

She pressed the blade against her skin, hesitating for a minute.

“Don’t think about it, Melissa,” said Vincent softly. “Just draw it quickly across, and you won’t feel a thing.”

She took a deep breath, and sliced across the skin, making a small cut, from which oozed a little blood.

“See, that wasn’t so bad! Now let me put these leaves on you, and we’ll press our openings together.”

Melissa held up her arm, laughing at her own worries, as Vincent pressed his arm against hers.

“Now just relax Melissa, and let the glleli do its work.”

She did, but began to feel extremely weak. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, and she felt like she was falling over. She tried to grab onto something, but couldn’t close her hands or make a fist. Her heart thumped loudly and heavily, so much that she was worried Vincent would hear it. The center of her body felt warm, and the sensation was utterly intoxicating. Backward and backwards she fell into an invisible void, as Vincent’s face grew more and more sinister.

“What a stupid Archsussa you are,” he hissed. Suddenly his eyes were of red fire, and his skin pulsed beneath his clothes. Through the shadows, Melissa could see his body change, his limbs looking more like slate, and two immense thick black wings spread out from behind his shoulders.

Is this . . . is this what an Archsussa really looks like?

“So soon after you did so much, after opening a temporal portal, you do these silly antics for these children? You have no reserves to fight me; nothing left to resist me!”

To Melissa, she existed in an eternity of pain, both physical and emotional. Not only was her body dying, but she had been betrayed; had lowered her defenses, and the first time she did, she suffered.

“The Freilux will be so happy to have you back.”

“Why?” she screamed through a wall of tears. “I trusted you! I believed in you!”

“Your father made my father suffer, and I will revenge myself upon his daughter. Oh, the arrogance of the Archsussa knows no bounds!”

Melissa struggled to keep her consciousness afloat in the limitless void it was thrust into. “You sound just like your brother.”

“I am nothing like him!” he yelled, “nothing at all!”

“And I am nothing like my father,” she said weakly. “Where he only wanted to hurt, and to hoard power, I only want to heal, and make things right.” She moaned in pain. “Don’t do this, please . . .”

Chapter 15

Melissa felt she was conscious, but was genuinely scared to open her eyes. She lay somewhere, on something soft, but other than that she didn’t know what happened to her.

Am I alive?

A sharp pang of hunger was her answer.

Yup
.

She sat up and opened her eyes, and found she was in her room. Daria sat beside her, along with Richard and Vincent.

“You’re awake!” cried Daria. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah . . . what happened?”

“When the music went out, I went looking for you,” said Vincent. “I found you had collapsed, and had that cut on your arm.”

Melissa stared intently at Vincent, trying to figure out what his game was.
Is he going to pretend like all that didn’t happen? Is he really going to protect me, instead of turning me over to the Freilux?

“Yeah,” said Melissa slowly, “I tripped on something and fell down -- I must have cut my arm on some rock or metal.”

“Well, as long as you’re alright -- you gave everyone quite a scare.”

“Sorry. I feel like such a fool! Was the whole party ruined?”

“No!” cried Daria, “That was the best time any of us ever had!”

Daria got up, and motioned Richard to do the same. “If you’re up for it, come down and join us for lunch. They’re making something special for you . . .”

Daria opened the door to leave, but Richard stood there, a woefully pathetic expression on his face that made Melissa want to laugh.

“I’m . . . sorry, Melissa, for what I said last night.”

“Apologize all you want brother,” snapped Vincent, getting to his feet, “your lies don’t mean anything.”

“Fuck you!”

Richard shoved Vincent hard, so he fell off the bed. Vincent got up, grabbed him, and slammed him against the wall. While Richard was older, Vincent was stronger, and Melissa knew now he harbored some terrible power underneath his sheep’s clothing. “You fuck with me, I fuck you up!” he yelled.