Unusualdidn’t even coverit.
My job at the hospital had always been to help people pass peacefully; to take away their pain, any regrets, and put the family at ease, knowing that their loved one died in the most comfortable way possible. But I wasn’t here for the patient this time. Doctor B wanted me here for his family.
I studied his social media for forty minutes before I was ready. Leo had sat beside me, silent, but peeked over my shoulder endlessly with that curious look. Normally, I’d only need to see their face, and then I’d pull them into my daydreams. The emotional toll was the hardest part. This, though… it was an entirely new form of torture.
Chin-Hae was already past the point of what I could do for him; he had no brain activity left, which meant there was no one to actually send off anymore. His body was on life support, but there was nomindto manipulate.
“Are you sure about this, Alex?” Dr. B hovered his palm over the door, as if he’d actually let me walk away when we were so close. “I know this was a big ask, but I figured with your ability… I do believe this could change their entire grieving process.”
I swallowed hard. “I can do it; they deserve it. They deserve to see him again.”
There was a lump forming in my throat. Chin-Hae was twenty-six-years-old, born only two hours from Joon’s home town, before moving to Nightmyre with his family when he was fourteen. Joon was twenty-six when he died, too. The similarities between them were overwhelming, nauseating. His last social media post was a picture of lilacs that he’d taken in a park.
I can handle it. I can do this.
We didn’t have a body to bury, and Chin-Hae’s family couldn’t recognize him as he was now. He was a firefighter who was off duty—he ran into a blazing building anyway, without his gear, to rescue a child that was stuck inside. According to the news articles, he’d managed to get her out the window and onto a ladder before he got trapped. The fire took away every recognizable piece of him after that.
Chin-Hae was a hero, too. Not with credentials, or class, but with honor and bravery.
I can do it.
“Okii-dokii, here we go,” Dr. B let out a long breath before opening the door.
Chin-Hae laid in his bed; body charred, his nose, ears and lips completely erased, a mass of flesh that didn’t even appear human anymore. Machines breathed for him now. They beeped endlessly while wires hung around the space like vines in a morbid, trauma-inducing jungle.
I sat beside him, forced my fingertips to touch the wrist I knew he could no longer feel.
“Hey there, Chin-Hae,” my voice cracked. “We’re gonna make you look real nice for them, alright? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
He didn’t respond, of course. Dr. B stayed silent, too, while I went to work. I’d taken special care to study the parts of him I knew would be exposed, the parts his family was most likely to fixate on. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d attempted a real illusion; one of substance that could hold up before I collapsed.
Sixty percent. You’re working at sixty percent capacity now, Alex. You can do this.
The air above him shimmered, and my illusion started to come to life. Black hair sprouted, shining and healthy. I had to ask Doctor B if it had still been cut into a stylized mullet, like in his pictures—it was. He had a small mole below his left eye, and another on the bridge of his nose. A full face, tanned skin, and a tattoo of a tiger on the back of his hand.
When I was done, he looked like he was merely asleep, the blackened skin no longer visible. I made sure they could see the rise and fall of his chest, the pulse in his neck. Every detail was solidified in my head.
“How long should it last?” Dr. B gasped as he inspected my work.
I took a deep breath, my lids growing heavy as I forced them to stay open. “I don’t practice illusions too much anymore…” I blinked, and had to rub at my eyes as my muscles grew heavy. “They’re more difficult to maintain than the daydreams; taking something out of my head is harder than putting something inside it. I’d say two hours at most, to be safe. I’ll stay close in case anything goes wrong.”
He crossed his arms and frowned. “Let’s call it an hour and a half, and I’ll have nurses checking on you.”
My head bobbed with a nod. Doctor B helped me to my feet, linking an arm with mine to walk me into the hall. I’d wait there, close enough to keep my hold on the illusion, but not too much to intrude. The moment we stepped out of the room, Leowas there. He reached around my waist, relieving Doctor B of balancing duty.
“I’ve got her,” he said, and his voice was hoarse.
“Were you waiting?” I squeezed my eyes shut as he started to move me to a bench two doors down.
My head was pounding, and the new horns hummed, growing warm. After Leo sat me down, a low vibration jostled the hair around my attachments, and the headache began to fade. I yawned, but sleep wasn’t imminent anymore, just desired.
“You thought I wouldn’t?” Leo towered above me, standing with crossed arms as those eyes scanned for any hint of side effects. “There’s no chance I’d walk away after you got sent into something like that.”
I smirked, but my lips were trembling. “Did you see him?”
He didn’t reply.
“After, I mean. Did you see what I did?”
