Coma (Paranormal Romance)

by Lilly Mance

  We timed the whole thing for my birthday. Zack though it would be easier for me to fake excitement over the job if I had some natural reasons to be excited about such as my birthday. I couldn't have agreed more. Chocolate wasn't enough to boost my dopamine levels sky high.

  From early in the morning, I started shoveling sugar down my system. Zack stocked my room with candy, so I wouldn't have to go downstairs before the letter came. As hours went by, anxiety was getting the best of me, but sugar induced hyperactivity balanced the impact. A few days earlier, Mom and Dad started whispering among themselves as soon as I would turn my back on them. I really hoped they didn't go overboard on the gift, or I'd feel guilty as hell.

  “Ly,” Zack called, glancing at his bracelet.

  “Is it time?” I gulped, nervously twisting my fingers in my lap.

  “No,” he smiled, “But as soon as we see the mailman, I'll tell you something that might work in your favor.”

  “Oh, c'mon!” I whined, “You had to add curiosity to the pile?”

  He chuckled, and crashed on the bed next to me. The bed rocked underneath us, stirring all that candy in my belly, leaving a taste of bile in my throat. I glared at Zack, but his deep green eyes were no match for me. The cat-like calmness in his gaze was my personal brand of sedative.

  “Lie down, and I'll show you something,” he said, maintaining an enigmatic grin. I stretched beside him, inhaling his sweet scent. He propped himself up, and removed a few strands of hair that were left on my face. “Try to relax, and exit to my realm.”

  “Impossible! I'm too worked up.”

  “It'll be worth it,” he grinned, mischievously.”I promise.”

  “Alright,” I decided to give it a go, interested in what that grin was all about.

  At first I couldn't relax at all. Everything itched, I didn't feel comfortable enough, I couldn't steady my breathing, I kept listening to outside noises, and my parents invaded my thoughts no matter how much I tried not to think about that.

  Seeing me struggling, he raised a brow at me, then said, “I can't give you my birthday gift if you don't exit,” then chuckled. He knew perfectly well what that did to me. “Imagine my room, and what went on in there. Travel to that moment in your thoughts.”

  Oh, that was wicked. Sneaky move. With my eyes firmly closed, I went back, and replayed every instance up to that moment where he stopped me because we had to go back.

  “See! It worked,” he exclaimed, pinching my nose.

  I pried my eyes opened, meeting his sparkling stare of anticipation.

  “I haven't done this before,” he said, typing into his bracelet. “But I'd like to try.” He stared into my eyes as if I had a clue what he was talking about.

  “What are we doing exactly?” I had to ask as he was typing something into my bracelet, as well.

  Zack drew a sharp breath, then bit his lower lip that started to curl into a smile, “I want to give you a piece of me,” he gazed into my eyes expectantly.

  I had no idea what he meant by that, but I smiled anyway, and said, “Okay.”

  “Here's what we're gonna do,” he sat up on the bed, crossing his legs in a lotus position, motioning for me to do the same across him, and then said, “I connected our bracelets. It will allow you to feel what I feel.” My eyes widened, and so did my mouth, but he put his finger on my lips, saying, “We have to hold hands to make a full circuit.” His lashes swept down, briefly hiding his eyes. He took my hands in his, then snapped his eyes open, revealing a set of fully dilated pupils covering the green. “Ready?”

  “Uh-huh,” I breathed, already feeling somewhat strange.

  He exhaled long, then said, “This is how I feel about you.”

  At first, a surge of unexplainable feelings overwhelmed my senses. I was absolutely aware they weren't my own. It was as if another being had entered my body. Instantly, my pulse picked up, quickening my heartbeat, sending thrilling warmth all over my body. My breathing gradually sped up, as if something outside of me was directing it, then it reached heights beyond my control, making me frantically gasp for air, swelling my lungs until I felt as if my chest would burst out open. Zack 's eyes widened, then firmly locked on mine, hypnotically staring, with tears shining at the corners. He smiled. A hit of what could only be described as a mad flock of butterflies crashing against each other entered the pit of my stomach, rising up, choking me with their intensity, then gripping my insides, and leaving hunger and want in its wake. Zack's lashes swept down, and he drew a long, steady breath. My bloodstream responded, scorching me from within, making me dizzy, searing the remains of my will power, subduing me whole to the opium that flowed from Zack into me. Lastly, my chest became too small to harbor all that I felt, painfully spreading my ribcage in attempt to make room for more, ultimately making my body weak, and on the verge of collapse.

  “Happy birthday, my love,” Zack breathed, then cupped my face, sealing out lips passionately together. My body felt too small to house all that I felt. Zack smiled against my lips. I returned the smile, staring closely into his glittering eyes. “It wasn't all me. It was both of us. Together,” he said, closing his eyes, leaning his forehead against mine.

  “Incredible,” I breathed. A new emotion was born inside of me—utter devotion. And something else I couldn’t yet define.

  After a couple of silent moments, even though I knew it was a futile question, and that fairy tales weren’t possible, I went ahead, and asked anyway, “Do you think we’ll be able to feel like this forever?”

  “For sure,” he chuckled somewhat nervously, placing his palm against my cheek, and smoothing his thumb under my eye.

  “What if we don’t? What if one of us—”

  “—that can't happen!” He cut me off, staring strongly into my eyes, his face serious.

  For a moment, I actually believed him. That’s how reassuring he sounded. “It can happen,” I said, barely audible, sinking my heart along with it.

  “I was selfish, Ly. Please, forgive me,” Zack bowed his head, avoiding looking at me.

  I felt a stab of fear, “Forgive what?” I narrowed my eyes, anticipating something awful.

  “Um...I took advantage of you,” he said, sheepishly looking up at my expression.

  Sucker-punched straight to my gut, I urged myself to ask what, but nothing came out of my mouth. I just stared open-mouthed at him. I didn't want to know; I didn't want anything to ruin the bliss I felt after that emotional exchange. But it was too late.

  He meddled with his fingers a bit, then said, “There is no marriage in my time,” he looked up at me, and then quickly bowed his gaze again. My mind was going What the heck?, but he went on by saying, “Um...I don’t know what I was thinking. I just—” His eyes picked up, and searched mine for a moment, then he sighed out loud, shaking his head on its way down.

  “Spill it out, or I swear to God, I’ll do something nasty to you,” I snarled at him, anger boiling up, fueled by fear. “I’m emotionally unstable today enough as it is.”

  He swallowed hard, then faced me, saying, “There’s no marriage, but there is an unbreakable bond,” he bit his lip hard. I could see it turn white from the bite.

  “Elaborate,” I demanded, scowling.

  “We just did it,” he drew a sharp breath, and held it, staring at me without blinking.

  I repeated his words in my mind, then burst out laughing hard. I couldn’t stop. I rolled on my back, and laughed like a demented person. Here I was fearing something dreadful, fearing losing him, and he...Wait!

  “We did what?” All laughter died out. Did he marry me?

  “The unbreakable bond,” he pressed his teeth together, as if expecting a blow.

  “Are you telling me we’re married?” I chuckled in disbelief.

  “Worse,” he said, cautiously. “Didn’t you hear the unbreakable part?”

  “I did. So no divorce?” I chuckled, not taking it that seriously.

  “No divorce. It’s not a legal issue. It’s a
bond between souls. Unbreakable. Bond.”

  I trailed off, pondering the effects of that outrageous statement, then said, “And you knew what it was?”

  “Yes and no,” he said, scratching an imaginary spot on his knee. “I knew it could happen, but not that it would.”

  “Drop the encryption, Zack! What exactly did you expect would happen?” I crossed my arms, glaring at him.

  He grimaced. “I didn’t think... Well, I knew I was...But I didn’t know you were, too,” he shifted in his place, looking for words. “Dammit! I love you that much, and I didn’t know you loved me back the same way. I expected us to share feelings without the bond happening.”

  My gaze softened, and I reached for his hand. “You thought I loved you less?” He nodded, bowing his glance. “Wow,” I muttered. “Now what?”

  He looked up, confessing, “Now I’m yours for all eternity.”

  I gasped. Crap! That feeling I couldn’t define earlier came into my thoughts, so I asked, “Are there any consequences?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You sounded like you’ve murdered someone when you asked me to forgive you, so I’m guessing there’s a catch,” I waited anxiously for his response. That couldn't have been all.

  “I was asking you to forgive me for dragging you into this without your consent,” guilt was written all over him.

  “And the catch?”

  “I don’t know. None that I know of,” he rubbed the back of his neck.

  “What do you mean––you don’t know? Isn’t this like a marriage in your time?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not that common,” he said, but confusion on my face was more than obvious, so he continued, “We all hope for it, but it doesn’t happen that easily. It's pretty rare. Usually, everything ends up with sharing feelings, nothing more. Do you know how small the odds are? Two people feeling exactly the same, huge amount of love for one another?”

  I didn't answer, just blinked.

  “Frail,” he muttered.

  “How do you know the difference? You said you’ve never done it before. Maybe we've just shared feelings.”

  “Give me your hands,” he demanded, arms outstretched toward me. I placed my palms over his, immediately feeling his emotions mixing with mine. “And our bracelets are off,” he pointed out.

  “In the light of this new info, let me rephrase my question from earlier,” I said, raising my brows, “Will we feel like this forever?” My heart skipped a beat.

  “Undoubtedly.”

  “Then what's to forgive?” I giggled, but a knock on my bedroom door interrupted us. Fast, I returned to my body, throwing a comforter over my head just as Mom was peering in.

  “Happy birthday, hon,” in her sweet voice, Mom said while clicking the door behind her.

  I rubbed my eyes as if I had just awoken. Mom sat on my bed, kissed my cheek, and pulled me into a long hug. Zack silently smiled from across the room. I scowled at him to quit it. It was distracting.

  “Come downstairs for breakfast,” she said, tucking my hair behind my ears. “You've got mail.”

  As if punched to the plexus, I grabbed my tummy. Mom looked at me worried, but I chased away her concern by saying, “I'm starving,” and forced a smile.

  She smiled, and got up, “Dad's waiting downstairs, so hurry up.”

  “Sure.”

  The door silently clicked behind her, and I looked at Zack desperately.

  “It's gonna be okay, Ly” he pushed himself off the wall, and started toward the bed.

  “I don't think I can go through with this,” an inner tremor started shaking my body.

  Zack crashed on the bed, and placed his head in my lap. Looking up at me, he said, “Yes, you can! Think of it this way. If you really wanted to work there, you wouldn't see anything wrong in pursuing your dream.”

  “I know, but it's not my dream, and knowing that––” I sighed, closing my eyes in despair.

  Zack sat up and took my hands in his. A warm surge of his feelings flooded my bloodstream. “And what is your dream?” His green eyes searched mine, expectantly, sending another surge of feelings my way.

  “This is,” I smiled. “You and me.” His emotions invaded my body, overwhelming me with nothing but consuming love.

  “Then you're not pretending. You are pursuing your dream,” his eyes watered, “Our dream.”

  A kick of undying love and need scorched my body. I couldn't discern what feelings belonged to him or me, but it was a state of being I never wanted to end. An unbreakable bond between us was a physical, tangible thing, as well as emotional. That boosted my self esteem enough to climb out of bed. On my way to the bathroom, I turned around and said, “But I'm doing this alone. I can't focus with you there.”

  Zack smiled, and nodded. “Before you go, come back here. I have something else to tell you.”

  After brushing my teeth for the third time since I woke up, I combed my hair with thousands strokes, delaying the inevitable. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I assured myself everything would be alright. Somehow it wasn't working all that well.

  I opened the door to my room, finding Zack exactly where I had left him. Resting comfortably on my bed. As soon as he saw me, he cracked a smile, and jumped up.

  “Ready?” He asked, grinning.

  “Not even remotely,” I rolled my eyes, feeling my palms getting clammy.

  “Sophie's frequencies are grounded,” he broke the news, smiling wide.

  “You're kidding?” I blinked.

  “Nope. She did it.”

  “Yes!” I shrieked, jiggling in place, feeling a boost of happiness more than a truckload of candy could induce. The bond with Zack was incredible, it made all things fall into its place, but it didn't ease my worry. I needed a little more crappy excitement to get me through this day, and this was just what I needed.

  “They're in Ethan's room as we speak,” he flash an all knowing smile, and I knew what that meant. “Let's just say, they're two happy puppies,” he chuckled.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” I chanted, all worked up, clapping my hands.

  “Now use that, and go downstairs,” he brushed the back of his hand down my chin.

  I stormed out of my room, and rushed downstairs, all worked up, feeling happy. Dad appeared around the kitchen corner, and scooped me up from the last step, giving me a spin.

  “Happy nineteenth,” he said, putting me down.

  “Thanks, Dad,” I smiled, pushing down that nagging feeling I was doing something bad.

  “Here,” he handed me the letter. “It's from Antarctica,” his brows shot up as he grimaced to show his surprise.

  I swallowed hard, and ripped the side of the envelope, preparing my fake excitement to come out at any moment. I pretended to be reading it, then pressed the letter against my chest. I started screaming, then jumping up and down. Dad's gawked at me. I shoved the paper into his hands, and stormed off into the kitchen, yelling:

  “MOM!”

  “What is it?” She snapped around, folding her apron on the countertop.

  “My dream came true!” I yelled, excitedly bouncing up and down. “I got a job!”

  Dad came into the kitchen, handing Mom the letter, scratching his head. She put her reading glasses on, and took the letter.

  “I don't know, honey,” Dad said, sitting down at the table.

  My world sank, dragging my face with it. Good. It will look genuine. “Why? It's what I was hoping for all this time. I worked hard to get it, Dad.”

  “But it's Antarctica,” he looked at me as if I was supposed to understand what he meant by dragging out the last word.

  “Yeah, and?” I played stupid.

  “I'm with your father on this one,” Mom voiced her opinion, gripping Dad's shoulders from behind. He covered one of her hands with his palm.

  “No! You can't do this to me,” I felt tears burn the back of my throat. If they don't go along, I'll have to be dead to them—I thought, cringing mentally.

>   Mom and Dad exchanged looks, then Dad said, “If it means that much to you––”

  I looked up expectantly, “You have no idea how much.” I sniffled, thinking how clueless they were. I felt dirty again.

  They both sighed loudly, exchanging a couple of more looks. “Okay, then. We'll support you on this one, but I have one condition,” Mom said, gazing softly at me.

  “Which one?”

  “You'll come in for a full medical. I have to make sure you'll be able to handle those temperatures,” she said.

  “Of course,” I smiled.

  “I'll have to look into this some more,” Dad said, ogling the letter. I expected nothing less of him, and we were prepared for it.

  “This is the best birthday ever,” I smiled wide, and went to hug them.

  “Not yet,” Mom giggled. “We have a gift, too.”

  “We've noticed how much you've been into chemistry again since Christmas,” Dad got up, and reached for his back pocket, pulling out an envelope, “So Mom and I decided to invest in your lab.”

  “No way!” I screamed, excited. For real.

  “Yes,” Dad smiled, and handed me the envelope. “It's a gift certificate. They supply everything for our lab at the hospital, so they'll have what you need to make a small lab at our basement.”

  “It's not much, but it'll be a good start to test some of your hypotheses,” Mom winked.

  “Aww, you're the best!” I hugged them one more time. They were incredible, and the guilt I felt would be hard to digest. I definitely felt like an ungrateful monster.

  ~*~

  Chapter #20

  Having a private, albeit poor lab in my basement made our search for cryobox materials that much easier, and faster. Now some things have been made in my lab without raising suspicion. The only thing we had to be careful about was what might resemble drugs or weapons. Those supplies were immediately scratched off the buying list, and handled by Ethan or Zack. Luckily, there weren't that many to slow us down.