Coma (Paranormal Romance)

by Lilly Mance

“You make it sound like a game, but there are so many casualties.”

  “That’s the thing. They are casualties at the moment. If we learn what we’re supposed to, they will be brought back to life as if it never happened. If we don’t, we’ll all be casualties for good.” Zack placed his arm over me, and snuggled closer, burrowing his face in my hair.

  “Zack,” I said, slightly absentmindedly.

  “Mhm,” he mumbled next to my ear, causing my body to shiver in response.

  “That’s bigger than us,” I said, staring wide open at the ceiling.

  “Maybe,” he tugged me closer, sending a wave of pleasant ripples to my gut. “Depends on how you look at it. To me, nothing is bigger than us.”

  ~*~

  Chapter #15

  First thing in the morning, way before it was time to go to work, Ethan had informed Zack that Sophie fit the profile through the bracelet thingy on Zack's wrist. Zack cussed at him, and we went back to sleep, our bodies tattooed to one another.

  Zack's popping up in my room was one thing, but waking up seeing Ethan’s face next to my bed when the alarm clock sounded, nearly cost me my life. My heart stopped, and thank God that Zack remembered to cover my mouth, or I would have screamed my ass off, kicking half of my neighborhood out of their beds. Pissed, Zack made Ethan promise to never do that again, or he'd kick him into next century. This time, I didn't mind his alpha bull, I welcomed it. Reluctantly, Ethan had agreed to meet us after my shift at Mario's, and left my room.

  “Is he ADD or something?” I asked, getting out of bed.

  “He means well,” Zack said, smiling. “We spend so much time as ghosts, whispering to people that are unaware of our presence, so when we're around people that can see us, we forget the rules of normal behavior.”

  “Tell me about it,” I snorted, and splashed back on the bed. “That's how you behaved when we first met,” I chuckled.

  “Yeah,” he flipped me on my back with such ease, and like a predator, was already hovering on top of me, pinning me down. “You were saying?” He raised a brow, devilishly grinning.

  “Not a thing,” I snickered, trapped between his arms.

  “Didn't think so,” he kissed me softly, “I'll get Sophie up to date, and meet you later,” and got out of bed.

  ~*~

  My working hours flew by mostly because I was wrapped up in my thoughts. I struggled with figuring out what to do. My parents had one another, had their lives, but my faked death could destroy that. I've seen what sorrow does to couples. That amount of grief makes people say things they never would, pain eats them, and ultimately drives them apart. Only the strongest get through it without divorce, but nevertheless, their lives are forever changed. I couldn't live with that much guilt, knowing I had a choice, and that I decided to hurt them.

  On the other hand, if I didn't go with Zack, my parents would be fine, life would proceed as usual, but Zack and I wouldn't be okay. He's the only person that ever made me feel normal, like I belonged. With him, I was whole, and I loved him like I never thought was possible. Losing him was never an option. I'd rather die. That thought sobered me up. I'd rather die? If I died, I'd hurt all three of them. Check-mate.

  Faced with a choice of who to hurt, parents I loved, or the man I loved, I wondered where was moral and ethics in that. No matter what I decided or didn't decide, someone would have to suffer the consequences. Stakes were high. Quite similar to Zack's temporal war. There had to be something other than hurt and pain to base my decision on.

  Ethan rolled in first, swaggering, and going straight at me. I glared at him, grimacing to make him understand that I couldn't talk to him. Regrettably, he wasn't as perceptive as Zack. Panic stirred inside my veins. I had to do something, and I had to do it fast.

  “Where are they,” he yelled from across the floor. Packed Mario's didn't seem to bother him. And why would it? They couldn't see him. I remembered Sophie's classroom event with dread.

  I took my scratch pad and wrote: “Can't talk. Sit somewhere. They'll be here soon,” and handed him the paper, then stormed off to the other side of Mario's. He slid in a booth and slouched back as if he owned the place.

  Half an hour later, Sophie and Zack strolled in. I expected Sophie to be worried as much as I was, but she obviously took it better than I did. She came up to me glowing.

  “How cool is that, eh?” She pinched my hip. Zack walked behind my back, slightly removed my hair, and placed a kiss on my neck. Goose bumps zigzagged down my back. I cleared my throat.

  “Not cool,” I frowned, thinking maybe she didn't know we had to die to our loved ones.

  “Where's that Ethan guy?” She asked, raising eyebrows up and down.

  I shrugged out of frustration, “Follow Zack.”

  “You go on,” she said to Zack, “I have to tell Lyra something in private,” she winked. Zack glanced at me, arching his eyebrows, then went to join Ethan. Sophie turned to me and said, “Gotta see what he looks like first.”

  “He's kind of cute,” I said. He wasn't my type, but I had to admit the truth, he was good-looking.

  “Oh, he's a hunk,” she squealed, and clapped her hands.

  “A hunk? Really, Soph? A hunk?” I snorted. Sophie shot me a glare, and then started toward them. I twisted on my heel, sighing out loud, and went to get out of my working clothes.

  When I came back, Sophie was giggling, and Ethan was cracking jokes. Zack's face showed frustration as soon as his eyes connected to mine.

  “I told her to fake being on the phone,” Zack said to me as I was sitting down, “But would she listen? NO!” He sighed, and rolled his eyes.

  “Oh, c'mon, Zack,” Ethan said, “What are they gonna do? Lock her up?” Both Ethan and Sophie burst out laughing, while Zack and I stared at one another in disbelief.

  “There's a bright side to this story,” Zack cocked a smile, “He's gonna be her handler,” now we broke out laughing. Poor Sophie. She had no idea what she got herself into.

  “Can't wait,” Sophie said, twirling her curl around a finger.

  “Did you decide already? To become a temporal guard?” I asked, looking at her dumbfounded.

  “Sure! I've nothing better to do,” she darted a look toward Ethan.

  “What about your parents?” I continued what made her scowl.

  “What about them?” Sophie let out a snort. “They didn't have a problem with locking me up, and throwing away the key. Why would I care now?”

  “It wasn't their fault,” I argued. “They thought they were helping you. Mine would have done the same.”

  “They abandoned me in there! They wouldn't listen, and they should have believed me. Unlike others, they had tons of proof. I'm doing this, and that's it!” Sophie's eyes flared a fiery glow.

  Zack leaned in, and whispered, “Let her be. She's just angry.”

  “You're not on board?” Ethan directed his question at me.

  “I don't know,” I answered, glancing at Zack. He remained quiet, keeping to himself.

  “Is it the parents, or not having kids?” Ethan cocked his head.

  “Parents,” I answered. “What's that about kids?”

  “He didn't tell you?” Ethan's eyes widened.

  “I didn't,” Zack said, shifting in his seat. “It hasn't come to that.”

  “Once we get frozen, we won't be able to have kids,” Sophie sputtered. “Not that I ever wanted any,” she snorted, darting her gaze toward Ethan.

  “Pretty confident statement for a twenty-year-old girl,” Ethan retorted.

  “Not entirely true,” Zack interjected. “If you decide to have kids later on, you can get defrosted, and live the rest of your life like normal people do.”

  “But you can forget about getting pregnant by me,” Ethan said to Sophie, throwing a quick glance at me.

  “Eww, that's gross,” Sophie grimaced, pushing him on the shoulder.

  “Yap. Unlike you ladies, frost kills all our spawning abilities for good,” Ethan explained, una
ware of Zack's teeth grinding in silence. Although he was talking to Sophie, I felt as he was telling that to me by the way he looked at me.

  I took Zack's hand in mine, and threaded my fingers through his. He glanced at me with troubled expression, then said, “Step with me outside.”

  I followed him out of Mario's, and down the street. He stopped further away, and leaned against the wall, keeping his gaze lowered.

  “I couldn't tell you that yesterday,” he said, then turned to looking at a distance.

  “I know,” I leaned my shoulder against the wall next to him.”There's so much to cover.”

  “It's not that I wanted to keep that from you,” he jerked his head toward me, eyes glazed over, “Things between us are... It's not a random piece of info. I didn't know how to bring it up––”

  I cut him off by placing a finger over his lips. “I understand. Don't––”

  “No,” he removed my finger, “I know things between us are,” he sighed heavily. “Well, intense, and unusually fast,” he wiggled in place, searching for words, “And––” he sighed again, averting his glance to the side, then back to my eyes, “Shit! Marriage and kids matters should be discussed later on, not at the beginning,” he stepped away, shaking his head, and turned around keeping his gaze on the floor. I moved toward him, but then he snapped back around and said, “We're practically forced to deal with so many things in such a short time, and I––”

  I sealed his lips with a kiss. He made several attempts to speak, then gave in, losing himself under my assertion. By the look in his eyes afterward, I knew he got the message. I understood his side of things, but he must have felt the need to unload what bothered him, so he continued as if I didn't stop him.

  “I'm afraid that––” He ran his fingers through his hair, “That it'll break us,” dark green eyes I loved so much stared at me for a brief moment, then disappeared behind his lashes.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, and connected my lips to his, then breathed, “We'll get through it all. I promise.”

  His eyes snapped open, “That's not a promise you can make.”

  “It is. I don't care about those things, Zack. I never did.”

  “Maybe now you don’t,” he cupped my face, his breath caressing my lips, “But you might later on.”

  I had to put my foot down, so I said, “You’ll just have to trust me on this one, and don’t presume you know everything there is to know about me. Okay?” I stared wide into his eyes to make the point. Maybe one day, I'll feel comfortable to talk about what happened between Damien and me, and tell him that I cannot have kids even if I wanted to. My chlamydia infection had long term side-effects. He returned the stare, then gave in, and nodded, sighing out loud.

  ~*~

  Ethan and Sophie were busy chit-chatting when we came back. As soon as we sat down, Sophie said:

  “We'll be young forever!”

  I forced a smile. That wasn't on top of my priorities list, but I was curious to hear more. “Really?”

  “Your body gets frozen, and so does your age,” Zack explained, lacing his fingers through mine.

  “Of course, frozen cells don’t age,” I said more to myself than Zack, but he nodded just the same.

  “I don't understand why you're even thinking about it,” Sophie formed a challenging glance. “Forever young, traveling through time, saving the world,” she flipped up her left palm, “Or getting old, working at this place, raising kids, and be bored till the rest of your life,” she flipped her right palm, weighing both options, ending in favor of the left hand.

  “I don't want to hurt my parents,” I said, clenching my throat. “They have to go through immense pain of losing a child, so I could have fun? I don't think so!”

  “Oh, I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see their child withering away once we're gone,” Sophie huffed, her blue eyes striking me down. “Once Zack is gone!”

  Pain shot down to my stomach. I knew how hopeless my situation was without her reminding me.

  “Sophie, that's enough!” Zack hissed at her. “She knows all that. Let her make that decision for herself.”

  “Do I get the same perks as Zack does?” Ethan flashed a sly grin.

  Sophie punched him in the shoulder. “No, you don't. That's something you'll have to earn.”

  “Oh, please, do tell,” Ethan edged closer to Sophie, “How do I earn them?”

  “Shut up,” Sophie giggled.

  ~*~

  Friday came too soon, and it was time to say goodbye to my friends. Summer wasn't officially over, but one epoch of our lives was. When school had finished, we thought we would spend each day together, and make the best of it, make it a thing to remember. But, as all things in life don't go as planned, our summer ended up being completely different. Now I was about to see my best friends with a knot in my throat. They were mad at me for not spending more time with them, and I was sad for not being able to merge the two worlds I resided in. The worst thing was, they would have loved Zack if only they could see him.

  Going away party was scheduled at Brad's place. This time it was a small gathering without college people, and chaperoned by Brad's parents. The rift in our friendship was tangible, especially while I was getting ready. No wardrobe conference calls, no picking me up with huff'n'puff. All I got was a text message stating place, time, and a type of party. Zack couldn't stand seeing me sad, so he suggested:

  “I’ll come with you,” he flipped my ponytail over my left shoulder.

  “Not this time,” I smiled. The truth was, I needed time alone with Maya and Helen to try to mend what was left of us. I couldn't do that with him listening. “And no secret lurking, either!”

  He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes, then said, “Damn! You don’t allow me to have any fun,” he made a fake pout.

  I threw my arms around his neck, and said, “You can have fun later.” He turned his head away, as if offended, but really just hiding a grin. “Besides, you’ve got Ethan now to keep you company.”

  Zack's head darted back. “You look beautiful, by the way,” he kissed my neck, igniting that spark deep inside my gut.

  “Thanks,” I said, and then went downstairs.

  Dad took me to Brad's, informing me that Mom would pick me up later. Unease gripped my chest as I was walking up to my friends. Their sour smiles added to the anxiety. As if I wasn't lonely enough, their cold shoulders made me feel utterly unwelcome. We exchanged superficial hugs, and then they carried on chatting with other people, pretending I wasn't there. With nothing better to do, I reclined in a chair, thinking I probably deserved it anyway. It wasn't their fault, I could have made an effort to include them in my other life, and I didn't.

  An hour and a half later, I took out my cell phone, wanting to call Mom to come and get me. It was obvious Maya and Helen wouldn't even talk to me, so what was the point of being there. Just as I was about to push dial, Zack startled me by saying: “Don't,” behind my back. I winced, surprised he was there after all.

  “Didn't I tell you not to come?” I tried to scowl, but I couldn't. I was glad he didn't listen.

  “I was bored,” a small smile tugged up one side of his lips, “And I didn't plan to make my presence known, but...I have an idea,” a wide smile reached his eyes.

  I goggled mine, and said, “I'm all ears.”

  “Let's play,” he extended his hand for me to get up. I took it with a smile. “By what I've seen, Brad isn't happy with the way they're acting.”

  “I didn't notice,” I averted my gaze toward Brad. He smiled at me, then bowed his head, repentantly. Zack was right.

  “Go to him, and ask him to get your friends somewhere private. And make sure they bring their drinks!”

  I nodded. Wasn't sure where he was going with it, but I trusted he had a solid plan, so I did as he asked.

  A couple of minutes later, on the back patio, Maya and Helen came up to me. Their faces expressed anger and aggravation. I swallowed a knot, looking at Zack. He just
nodded with a smile like everything was going to be alright.

  “What?” Helen said, gruffly, placing her hands on hips.

  “Tell them there's someone who'd like to meet them,” Zack instructed me.

  I cleared my throat, and said, “I'd like you to meet someone.”

  Their eyes rounded. Without warning, Zack swooped their drinks out of their hands, and they shriek in horror.

  I chuckled, “Meet Zack.”

  Maya turned pale white, and Helen jerked her head around looking for the perpetrator. “This isn't funny, Lyra,” Helen hissed.

  “It's not supposed to be funny,” I said, suppressing a grin. They both looked like someone who didn't believe in ghosts, and then saw one.

  At that moment, Zack put their drinks back into their hands, emptied of its contents. There was a piece of paper stuck in each glass. Helen looked at me, completely perplexed. Maya giggled. I didn't know what was written, but their faces lost that angry edge once each of them had read what was written. They exchanged papers, and looked at me, softening their gaze.

  “Okay,” Helen said, a smile creeping up on her face. And just like that, both of them edged closer, giving me a hug. I looked at Zack, confused. He was grinning wide, victoriously.

  “What did he say?” I asked them, flabbergasted.

  “Oh, something cute,” Maya pressed a little piece of paper on her chest.

  Zack put another piece of paper in Helen's glass, and waved goodbye to me, blowing a kiss while walking backwards.

  “This one says he's leaving us to catch up,” Helen read the contents, smirking.

  “That explains it,” I said, “He just left!”

  “Come on,” Maya motioned for us to follow her. “Let's sit over there.”

  Crashing down on a chair, I asked again, “Aren't you gonna tell me what he said?”

  They exchanged looks, and smiled, then Maya gave me her piece of paper, biting her lower lip. It said “I love her more than anything in the world. Don’t hold it against her if she loves me back. ” Officially, I melted into a pile of gooey. Helen giggled, and handed me her piece that said, “This love transcends space and time. If I died tomorrow, it would have been worth it. Imagine saying no to that.”