The Vessel

by Felicia Tatum

  I shook my head. “No. I heard her. Like her voice…”

  Her face fell. “Oh. How in the world did you hear her voice? Are you sure it was really her, or could you maybe have imagined it?” she asked gently.

  “I didn’t imagine it, Sadie! I heard her. She said, ‘Scott, please help me.’ She sounded so scared.”

  My little sister didn’t look convinced. It angered me, but I could also see why. It was a bit far-fetched. And it happened so suddenly…why now? Why did it take her two and a half months to tap into it? “Sadie, I know it sounds crazy. Believe me, I doubted myself, too. But there’s something telling me it was real…”

  “Ok. Then we figure out how she did it. We can’t get in…but she maybe could get out. How are we going to get that information to her, though? I mean, you heard one sentence. I wonder if she has any idea she reached you.”

  My sister continued to ramble. I focused on my Livvie’s voice. Her soft, sweet voice I missed so much. I ached from not having her. Grandma kept concocting her special remedy for me, but I knew I would get seriously ill soon. I was ignoring all the pain, determined to find her, but I couldn’t do it forever. Eventually, being apart from her would put me in the hospital.

  “Scottie, are you listening to me? What are you thinking about now?” Sadie questioned me.

  “It’s getting more difficult, sis. I’m physically hurting from not having Livvie. I fight it, and Grandma’s remedies help some, but it’s getting stronger. What if it kills me before we find her?”

  She grasped me in a tight hug. “It won’t, Scott. It can’t. Don’t tell anyone, but you’re my favorite brother,” she said in a joking manner.

  I smiled and chuckled. Shaking my head, I pulled away and sat on my couch. My body needed to relax. Everything was taking its toll on me. It wasn’t enough the curse was affecting me, but I couldn’t sleep well either. Leaning back, I rubbed my temples with my fingers. “I need to rest, Sade, but I don’t know how to relax and put all this out of my mind.”

  “I understand. I haven’t been sleeping well either. This situation sucks.”

  “Mmhmm,” I agreed.

  “Why don’t you try? I’ll stay right here in case she tries to contact you again. And I’ll do some research…see if there’s some way to connect when her voice is here.”

  I nodded slightly, half hearing what she said, because sleep overcame me.

  Olivia

  The next morning, I woke before Aiden. I attempted to project my spirit out again, but it was useless. Nothing happened. Aiden stirred in his sleep, a lot, and kept distracting me. His wounds were healing, but he still looked like he was in pain. The guy was strong, though, because he didn’t complain. He moaned or groaned here and there, but it was nothing like I imagined I would be. Tears, anger, and things flying across the room would probably accompany any intense pain I experienced.

  “Olivia,” he croaked out, trying to move by himself.

  I leaned over to him, “Yeah, Aiden?”

  “Good morning.”

  I laughed, “Good morning to you, too.”

  “Did we get breakfast?” he asked, his voice hopeful.

  I shook my head.

  He nodded, his eyes averting away.

  I got up and helped him to the bathroom. He hardly had the strength to get there, his feet shuffling one at a time, then stopping. I stayed at his side, one arm around his back for support, and the other on his elbow to guide him. His knees buckled a few times, and I had to use all my strength, which wasn’t much, to stop him from falling. He held on to his side with his free arm, making me worry he had internal injuries I wasn’t aware of. He desperately needed medical assistance. We shuffled a few more steps. He lost balance, and I sidestepped to catch him. His breath was in my face, his bright blue eyes looking at me with an intensity that scared me. His eyes searched mine, but I don’t know what for. There seemed to be something brewing underneath. It was frightening.

  “Aiden, you have to help me get you standing again. I’m not strong enough,” I said, coaxing him to stand.

  He nodded, putting his hand on the wall to push off me. Between the two of us, we had the strength of an eighty year old. When he finally got off my body, and I could breathe again, I grasped him tighter to walk the few more steps. We shuffled slowly, each step making a loud scuffing noise on the floor. His feet weren’t injured, it was all from weakness. I must find a way out of here, and save him. My guilt of hurting an innocent person, though technically I didn’t know at the time, was gnawing at my heart.

  We finally got to the door, and I went first so he could lean on me. I got him in the room, telling him to yell when he was ready for me, and softly closed the door. I leaned against the wall, my back scraping the hardness of it when I slid to the floor. I pulled my knees to my chest as a single tear slid down my face.

  ###

  Aiden and I played twenty questions most of the afternoon. Mr. Psycho brought us both lunch. Surprisingly, though, it was only a hard ham sandwich. I sat cross-legged on the end of Aiden’s bed, his feet right beside my knee, and picked a crumb off my shirt. “Your turn.”

  He contemplated his question. His eyes looked to the ceiling, and his lips slightly smirked. His wounds weren’t covered today, and there were huge, scabbed sores on his cheeks. He couldn’t smile too big or one could rip open. “Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked shyly.

  I gasped. His question was unexpected, and I didn’t know what to say. Scott technically wasn’t my boyfriend, but I loved him. It was crazy and unexplainable. “Kind of,” I said with a shrug.

  “What does kind of mean?”

  I shook my head, “Nope, you can’t ask that. It’s my turn for a question now. Do you have any siblings?”

  He huffed. “Yeah, I have an older brother. He’s in his twenties, though. He always picked on me when I was little. I didn’t like him much, actually,” he said with a chuckle.

  I laughed, too. “I know how you feel. My older brother never had much to do with me. I’m not sure why we have such an awful relationship. I haven’t spoken to him since the holidays, and then it was only greetings.”

  He pursed his lips, and nodded in understanding. “Can I ask what kind of means now?”

  “Ha. Ha. I guess so. I only just met Scott, that’s his name, when I was taken. He visited me in my dreams for about a year, but I didn’t know he was real until recently. I fell for my dream man, but I’m just now getting to know him in the real world.” I caught myself smiling at the memories of the dance.

  “Visited you in your dreams? Huh?” Aiden’s face was full of confusion. His eyes were wide and staring at me, his mouth hung slightly open.

  “He’s a sorcerer. But not a bad one like the guy that inhabited you. He’s good. He was actually fighting…you…old you…the evil sorcerer…oh, heck, I don’t even know who he was fighting. He fought you when you weren’t you!” I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air and shrugging my shoulders. This whole situation was extremely confusing.

  “Yeah…I wish I remembered some of that time. I feel like—“ he paused, leaning his head back and clenching his eyes closed. “--I lost a lot of time being me.”

  “I can understand why…you did lose a lot of time. It’s not fair! I hate that it happened to you. I wish I could somehow fix everything,” I admitted.

  “Thank you. You’re doing plenty by trying to help me get better. It’s more than most people would do.”

  I bit my lip to hold back tears. “But not just anyone did this to you. It was me. The least I can do is help you heal after I almost killed you,” I exclaimed as the tears poured from my eyes. Sniffling, I hung my head, burying it in my hands.

  “Whoa, Olivia. No! I wasn’t me, like you said earlier. You were only trying to protect yourself. I know that.” His voice was sincere. He didn’t blame me. I only blamed myself.

  Aiden

  Olivia wanted me to be the look out while she tried the leaving-her-body thing again. I still wasn�
�t sure if I believed all of this stuff, but what choice did I have? If it was true and could get me out of here, then I was all for it.

  She placed the thin white blanket from her bed on the floor beneath the window. We talked it over and decided it would be less conspicuous if the captor came in. We didn’t know what she looked like while doing this, but we were both really hoping it just appeared like she was asleep. I was leaned in the sitting position so I could keep an eye on her. She glanced at me, her eyes wide and scared, like a deer in headlights. She nodded and lay out on the floor.

  Her lean body was completely straight. Her legs looked miles long. Her arms rested at her sides. Her eyes were closed, but her face showed the apprehension we both felt. I watched her eyelashes flutter against her cheeks, her fingers curl and extend. Her breathing was heavy. She hadn’t accomplished it yet. Nostrils flared as a deep breath escaped. Her breathing was now less intense. Rising and falling at a steady pace now, her chest wasn’t tense like it was. The whole body no longer looked rigid. Her head lolled to the side. She seemed to be sleeping.

  ###

  I didn’t know how long I sat there, watching her tiny body on the floor, but it felt like hours. Every sound I heard made me jump. The captor, or Mr. Psycho as Olivia called him, stayed absent. So far.

  It happened so suddenly. Her body convulsed, lifting from the floor. She gasped loudly as her body slammed back down with a thump. Her hands clenched into fists while her eyes flew open. Glancing around, she gathered her bearings. She sat slowly, her eyes wide yet dancing with excitement. She leaned against the wall, now sitting with her legs crossed. She rubbed the back of her head, right in the spot it hit when she fell back down.

  “What happened?” I questioned her, worried she may be hurt.

  She smiled brightly, licking her lips before answering. In the softest whisper, she said, “I left.”

  My heart beat rapidly. She really did it. She left the room somehow. My chest hurt from my heavy breathing, but I didn’t mind. “Where did you go?”

  She massaged her lower back as she spoke. “The same room as before. But this time, there was someone there. I don’t know who it was, but they couldn’t see me. Let me tell you, that guy did not look friendly, so I’m glad he couldn’t talk to me.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “He was tall and muscular. Honestly, he looked like one of those body guards from the movies. His hair was blonde. He wore jeans and a black shirt with a jacket over it. He was guarding the room. I tried to get in, but I couldn’t. Apparently I can’t walk through walls when I do that.”

  I laughed at her admission. “Darn. So what did you do?”

  “Well, I knew I wasn’t getting anywhere in that spot so I tried to project myself somewhere else…”

  I waited for her to finish. She looked down, picking imaginary lint off her shirt. “And?” It was like pulling teeth to get information from this girl.

  “I projected myself to Scott. I think…I think I can do the same thing he did when he visited me in my dreams. I can’t remember what he called it…. Anyways, I got myself to his apartment. He wasn’t there, of course, just my luck, so I left a note. I have no idea if it worked or not, but I’m hoping he can find us from it.”

  “You left a note? What did you tell him? I mean…we have no idea where we are, do we?”

  “I just told him I wasn’t the only one being held captive; that we needed help as soon as he could find us. And I signed it ‘Livvie’.”

  “Livvie? Is that what people call you?” I inquired.

  “No. No one calls me that except Scott. It’s sweet, he gave me a nickname before we even met.” She smiled again. Her face was soft, and a look of longing passed over her eyes.

  I turned away. Jealousy tugged at my heart, which was stupid, because I barely knew this girl. She didn’t have feelings for me, she was only in the same situation I was. And she was kind at heart, so she wanted to help me. I forced a smile in her direction and said, “Yeah, that’s awesome.”

  She seemed to be in a daydreaming state now, so I left her to her thoughts.

  Scott

  My palms were sweating, and my heart ached. My body was shutting down from not being near my heart mate. Sitting at Grandma’s oak table, I tried to steady my nerves. My arm twitched, the muscles clenching tightly. She would be here soon to make my half-curing concoction. I just had to hold on until then. Sadie sat in front of me, hunched with worry. She picked at her nails, her leg bounced up and down under the table, and her brows furrowed. Why she was worried, I wasn’t sure. I longed to ask, but I couldn’t bring my mouth to form the words. I leaned back, closing my eyes, trying to not think about what could cause her antsy behavior.

  Grandma came bustling in the door, slamming it behind her. I heard the rustling of a plastic bag. Or maybe bags. My senses weren’t doing the best job lately. She hurried in the kitchen, her shoes clicking against the tile. I opened my eyes to see her set three bags on the table in front of me. A small baggie of herbs peeked out of the top, and I knew then these were ingredients for my “cure.” It wasn’t really a cure. It only curbed my pain from not being around Livvie. Since she was my heart mate, my body was in tune with her. When I was away from her, it physically hurt me. And these past few months were hell without her. Luckily Grandma had found this potion that would strengthen me for short periods of time.

  “Little one, are you ok?” She asked, her fingers resting on my shoulder.

  I grunted in reply. My tongue felt heavy and dry in my mouth, making it difficult to speak.

  “Sadie, help me,” Grandma demanded. Sadie jumped up to assist her in the potion making. She was as good at this stuff as Grandma was, so she didn’t have to instruct her on much. For as long as I could remember, Sadie would follow Grandma around and learn about sorcery. She had a small touch of healing, and sometimes I thought that’s why Grandma was so fond of her, because she was more like her than any of us. Yeah, I was her first grandchild, but Sadie possessed her favorite power, and she was her only granddaughter.

  They had the mixture ready in record time. “The longing heart” was the name of this specific potion. Because it was really only used when a sorcerer was away from his or her heart mate.

  “Are you ready?” Sadie asked me. Her eyes were wide. and I could see the fear in them. I was getting weaker more quickly. Finding Livvie was more imperative than ever.

  I nodded and took the glass. It was heavy in my hands. I tilted it back, the liquid warming all the way down my throat. I felt it trail through my esophagus and down to my stomach. The magic worked quickly as I felt my spirit strengthening. I breathed deeply as it spread through my body. Each limb came alive as my muscles reacted. The tightening I felt earlier loosened as the fatigue was replaced with energy.

  “Much better,” I stated, licking my lips. The cracked skin loosened under the wetness of my tongue, making me wish I had chapstick with me.

  I heard a loud sigh come from Sadie, and saw her whole body relax. I hadn’t even realized she was so tense. “You had me worried that time, Scottie.”

  “Sorry, sis,” I said with a grin. I stood up, allowing my legs to steady before I attempted walking. When I became this weak it was a long process to get me back to par. “I just came to get the book and go on my way. I will see you ladies later.” I hugged them both tightly and gave my grandma a kiss on the cheek. She stroked my face with worry in her eyes, but I ignored it. I would find Livvie soon. Both of our lives depended on it.

  ###

  I parked my truck in the driveway when I felt a sinking in my stomach. It was a mixture of nerves and excitement, though I wasn’t sure why I would have either. I slowly made my way up the stairs to my apartment as the feeling grew stronger. The hairs on the back of my neck stood, and goose bumps covered my arms, from wrist to shoulder. The key clicked as I turned it, the door creaking open when I pushed. I looked around, searching for an intruder. I saw nothing out of order. I inspected every room, leav
ing the kitchen for last. My feet thumped as they hit the tiles and my heart beat faster. There was an energy consuming the room, pulling me towards the stove. My breath quickened. I strode over, glancing at the counters first. Lying in the middle of the stove

  0. was a piece of paper, the paper I would write my grocery list on. My fingers inched closer. My hand shook all the while. I knew it was from Livvie. It was her energy I felt in the room.

  “Scott, please save me. I’m being held captive and I’m not alone. Love, Livvie”

  My heart stopped for a minute. I thought I was going to die before I finally let a breath out. Livvie had somehow figured out how to espy like I did. She could send her spirit out. And now that I had her energy, I knew we could find her.

  Olivia

  It had been two days since I left Scott the note. I was on edge, jumping at every noise I heard. I worried about Scott’s safety, and my own if Mr. Psycho found out about the projections. My heart beat fast and loud. I was sure I would wake Aiden. He slept soundly, his face turned to the side. His wounds were healing nicely. There was a deep gash on the side of his face, though it was closing, I knew there would be a nasty scar. I still thought his face was handsome but worried other girls wouldn’t. He was so kind, and I didn’t want him to have to deal with any rudeness over what I did to him.

  The door clicked and the knob turned. My breath quickened as my breasts rose and fell. He walked in, and I knew he was angry instantly. His face was blood red, and his lips were pursed tightly. His chest heaved, and I could hear his breathing from my bed. I pushed myself up closer to the headboard, terrified he was here to kill me.

  “What did you do?” he questioned me.

  I shook my head, not understanding what he was talking about. “I don’t know.”

  “Did you feed him? He should be dead by now,” he spit at me, his voice laced with hatred.

  I released the breath I didn’t know I had held. My eyelashes lowered to cover my guilty eyes.