“She popped my thousand-year-old cherry, you might say. I would like to think it was more or less reintroducing me to my five senses.”
The room is dead silent as Knot’s words sink in.
Can we have another earthquake, but this time can it swallow me whole?
Worrying my bottom lip, I turn to glance at JP staring wide-eyed back in our direction. Before I could think of something to say, anything to explain how selfish I was for fucking Knots in his bed, JP lets out a loud and boisterous laugh, shocking me.
“Did you happen to remember to change the sheets?” JP manages to choke out, and both Knots and I give each other worried looks. Maybe he thinks JP is losing his mind also. It’s confirmed when Moni starts laughing next to me and rolls off the chair.
What the hell is going on?
Picking up on my confusion, JP hurries to explain. “Guys, it’s okay. I figured my payback was coming.”
Huh?
“He did the same thing in my room one time and I told him that karma was going to come knocking one day. The thing is, I would never have known if he would have at least changed the damn sheets,” Moni sputters out.
A weight has been lifted off my shoulders as they continue laughing at my slip instead of being angry like I was expecting. Can I just say I love the little family I have here? I just wishhewas here too. As I sit on my stool, staring off into space in shock, JP gets dressed and heads off to class while Knots washes the dishes. It takes a few frustrating moments of Moni trying to show him how to use the dishwasher before he decides to wash them by hand.
Moni goes about gushing over her phone when Chester messages her, and Knots wants to explore the dorm room more. So, after showing him how the machines worked in the home gym, I decide to try and face my own demons during the day.
Standing in front of my bedroom door, I try to physically reach out and touch the wood. I know it’s irrational; deep down I know I’ll walk in and see that nothing has changed, but in some way, that’s the scariest part. That Lynx’s imprint of being here with me will somehow be wiped away and I’ll lose everything I had with him. My trembling hand reaches out on its own to press against the smooth surface, and a breath rushes out of me as I take my first step in this process.
Slowly, my other hand joins and I step into the door, resting my forehead against the back of my hands. I don’t even realize I’m crying until tears land on my hands, one after another. They cascade down my cheeks as I lean against the entrance to my most vivid nightmare.
“You don’t need to do it if you’re not ready.” Knot’s smooth voice comes up behind me. Instead of being embarrassed he caught me crying, I only feel resigned and more motivated that this is what I need to do, more than anything.
“No. I have to.” My voice comes out weak but it doesn’t crack.
“Then you won’t have to do it alone,” he says, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“We’re here for you, Rez,” Moni agrees, shrinking down and sitting on my shoulder. I hold back the sob that threatens to break me further and stand up straighter, looking at my door.
With my support system by my side, I open the door and watch as that night replays out in front of me, suddenly freezing me in place. In my mind, I can see Lynx hauled up roughly by a cloaked Rebel, and pressure seizes my chest making it hard to breathe. It’s as if my body is frozen completely and I can’t take in a breath to save my life. As the Rebel shakes Lynx, Knots runs out in front of me, making symbols in the air and yelling out words I can’t make out. My lungs start to burn as my vision turns black at the edges. I feel it coming and there’s no way to stop it, the blackness is calling me. And then there’s nothing as the last feeling I have is hitting the floor hard.
The urge to pee wakes me up, but my throbbing head advises me not to move.
“Ah. I see she lives,” a familiar voice calls out, announcing I’m not alone, wherever I’m at. The comfort surrounding me leads me to believe that I’m in a bed somewhere. Prying my eyes open, I notice the bed is mine, and like I had already guessed, I’m not alone.
Dr. Steinbeck is sitting in my desk chair just within reach, and Moni and Knots are sitting at the end of the mattress, all of them give me concerned looks.
“Dr. Steinbeck? What are you doing here?” My voice squeaks as I force the question out of my dry throat.
“Well, I came over to do my initial check on you and was knockin’ on the door when apparently you were being attacked,” he comments like we’re talking about the weather.
“What happened?” I ask, clearing my throat. Moni pulls a water bottle out of thin air and passes it to me. Nodding my thanks, I reach for it and groan as every muscle in my body screams at me.
“That is a very good question. While you’ve been resting, I’ve been briefly caught up on what’s happened so far. From what your Door Knight has told me, it seems you walked into a trap designed to kill you.”
Sputtering, I choke on the water I’m drinking. “W–What?”
“I’m sorry, Rez, I should have realized sooner,” Knots pleads, looking defeated as he hunches over and runs his hand through his hair. “It was a curse meant to paralyze your organs as you watched your nightmare replay until you died. I didn’t realize what was going on until you started wheezing.”
“All we saw was a normal room. We are so sorry.” Moni’s sporting her beautiful blues that make my heart melt because I know she’s blaming herself.
“It’s okay, guys, really. I was planning on coming in here alone, so if anything, you guys saved me.” I give them both a weak smile while inside I’m screaming that this can’t be real.Did they really say someone tried to kill me?Looking over at Moni, I see her perk up a little bit and realize I can have my melt down later. There’s no point in making my friends feel worse about this if I lose my shit in front of them. She flys in and gives me a gentle hug before sitting back down. Knots still looks like he blames himself, so I’ll have to take a moment to check on him after Dr. Steinbeck leaves. Speaking of which, I turn to give him my full attention.
“How are you feeling?” Steinbeck asks, and that’s how his hour-long checkup begins.
