Coma (Paranormal Romance)

by Lilly Mance

  “Please, take a seat.”

  “Thank you,” I said, pulling stiffened Sophie along. She stumbled slightly.

  “Guys,” Zoe said, “Would you give us some privacy?”

  “Sure,” Zack replied, quickly glancing my way. His smile was supposed to signal everything was okay. I wasn't so sure, though. A glass door dematerialized to allow them out, and re-materialized once they were in the hall.

  Zoe strode toward the head of the table, and then reclined in a chair. Her light blue eyes examined us for a minute, and then she said, “Don't be scared. I don't bite,” she chuckled, leaning forward, and smoothing her hands over a shiny table.

  “Maybe scared isn't the right word,” I felt compelled to say something, “This is all new to us, so we don't know what to expect.”

  “Understandable,” Zoe replied.

  I glanced at Sophie. She was sitting quietly, absently gazing around the room. I poked her under the table to wake her up from her trance.

  “Based on the memories I have received from Zack and Ethan, you must be Lyra,” Zoe motioned toward me, “and you are Sophie.”

  “Yes,” I replied, hearing Sophie's yes at the same time.

  “To make a decision, I'll need all the information I can get. Would you be willing to provide me your memories?”

  “Why?” Sophie jumped in, surprising both Zoe and me with her tone.

  Zoe smiled, “I hope you know by now that history is not set in stone,” she raised her brows. “Your memories are valid records of your version of history. It's the most accurate piece of information at the moment.”

  “Oh,” Sophie blushed.

  “I don't mind giving you mine, but I don't know how,” I said, raising my wrist.

  “That's okay,” Zoe stood up, and started toward me. “If you'll allow me, I'll show you what to type into your bracelet,” she leaned over my shoulder, taking my wrist. A smell of floral perfume spread around her. Quite pleasant, I noticed.

  “Of course,” I smiled, tilting my body to the side, allowing her easier access to my bracelet.

  “Put the date when you first saw Zack in this field,” her eyes connected to mine. I nodded. “And here, you put the date of your cryo freeze. Then press this, and insert my code. This combo is my code,” she took out her tag from under her shirt.

  I did as instructed. Zoe's eyes started moving rapidly as if she were watching it. She chuckled, and went back to her seat. “I see Zack has omitted some private parts in his memory transfer,” she grinned.

  My cheeks started burning up. I completely forgot she would see everything. It never crossed my silly mind. All I was thinking about were recent events. Oh my God! I bowed my head, wishing I could just disappear.

  “Don't be ashamed, dear,” Zoe said, “It's perfectly normal. You have a beautiful thing going on, and I can only envy you on that.”

  Slowly, I looked up. Her face seemed sincere. After all, there was nothing I could do now. She saw everything, and I could only hope she wouldn't pass it on.

  “Sophie,” Zoe said, “If you don't want to share, I'll understand.”

  Sophie chuckled, “If Lyra is okay with giving you her sex tapes, than who am I to say no.”

  I glared at Sophie, ready to strangle her, but Zoe was already by her side, ready to show her how to transfer memories.

  After a couple of minutes, Zoe said, “Thank you, both. Sophie, you're free to go.”

  “Erm,” Sophie said, pushing her chair back, “How do I open the door.”

  “Put your bracelet under that sensor,” Zoe pointed out a square hole on the wall, and waited for Sophie to get out. When the door re-materialized behind Sophie, she turned to me. A fine shiver rolled down my spine in anticipation. “Now,” she cleared her throat, “From what I've seen in your memories, I know how much your parents mean to you. But,” she bit her lip, staring at me. My gut clenched. “I will have to disappoint you.”

  I dropped my gaze, feeling defeated. Somewhere deep inside, I knew that was going to happen, but it stung just the same. “I understand,” I said, deflated, “But can you at least explain why does it have to be that way?”

  “Certainly,” she smiled, folding her hands in her lap, “With Michael dead, you lost all funding. I cannot have Zack and Ethan running around with you looking for other options, or allow you to do it by yourself, because I don't know if Michael was acting alone, so you have to have someone to protect you. I don't have to tell you what would happen to Zack if you ended up dead,” her brows picked up.

  “No,” I breathed. “He would be devastated.”

  “And that's an understatement. From a leader's perspective, I would lose a perspective new guard. You.” She motioned my way. “And two highly skilled guards. Zack would lose his mind, and Ethan would go after Elders seeking revenge in Zack's name. I would be forced to contract the Death Squad to take them out.”

  I gasped. Suddenly, being in my skin didn't feel so good. I didn't like the sound of it all.

  “Most importantly,” Zoe stood up, crossing her hands behind her back, “If I know this, then Elders know it, too. And they won't sit pretty, doing nothing about it.”

  “Oh, dear,” I sighed. “Isn't there anything we can do about it?”

  “There might be, but not at the moment,” she came next to me, and gripped my shoulders. “Don't worry, Lyra. I'm not a leader for no reason. For the time being, just stay alert, and report anything unusual to me. Zack is too––” she paused, “––too into you. We cannot rely on him thinking straight. Alright?”

  “Okay,” I replied, looking up at her. There was sympathy in her eyes, but truth to the matter, I couldn't trust anyone anymore, and the least of all a stranger like her. In the past forty-eight hours, my world stumbled over itself a couple of times, and the biggest lesson I have learned is that I was my own worst enemy. None of this would have happened if it weren't for my stupid Antarctica plan. Now we've made a full circle, and haven't even changed the outcome. It was all in vain. My parents lost a child, Michael's life is now on my hands, and so are Zack and Ethan's if anything happens to me. I wondered, what did the Grand Motherfucker want me to understand from this? When faced with a tough choice, it's better to accept the consequences of a certain decision, because it gets worse if you try to have it both ways? Bullshit! I won't settle for that.

  ~*~

  Chapter #24

  “To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”

  –– Sun Tzu, The Art of War

  Zack and I went home, to his place. It would be our place from now on; the only place I would call home since I had no other. Exhausted, I could barely keep my eyes open, so Zack scooped me up, and carried me to our room. As soon as he placed me on the bed, he changed the scenery into my old room. He must have thought it would make me feel better, but it had quite the opposite effect. It was the final nail in my coffin, and I broke down. Tears and heavy sobs were gushing uncontrollably out of me, shaking my body with each outburst.

  “I'm so sorry, Ly,” Zack snatched my limp body into his embrace. “I didn't mean to make you cry,” the scenery changed into the night sky, but nothing could stop me from sobbing. Everything that happened resurfaced, suffocating me with its intensity. By now, my parents must have received the message that I was missing. They would never give up searching for me, they would never get peace to mourn their child. I felt like a monster all over again. “Tell me what to do, please, Ly,” Zack pleaded, desperation coloring his voice. “Please, my love.”

  I threw my arms around his neck, and snuggled closer, “Just hold me,” I managed to squeeze out between two sobs, “I need to cry it out.”

  “Okay,” he breathed, gently stroking my hair, “You've handled this better than anyone could have hoped,” then he kissed my wet face.

  I must have cried for hours with Zack patiently holding me in his arms. I hated myself, I hated what I had done to my parents, and I hated the Grand Architect for making this choice a lose-lose situation. S
omewhere between self loathing and heavy cries, I must have fallen asleep.

  ~*~

  My swollen eyes fluttered. The scenery in the room was still of the starry night. Zack's arm was cradling me, his body molded tightly around mine. I stirred, and turned around to face him. It didn't wake him; he was sound asleep. Tears of his own left salty traces on his face. Instinctively, at its own accord, my hand picked up, and I found my finger tracing salty lines down his cheek. He drew a sharp breath as if his soul had just returned into his body from dreamland. Slowly, his eyes opened, and his pupils narrowed. He smiled sweetly.

  “Morning,” he said, his voice sultry.

  “Morning,” I replied, leaning in to place a kiss on his soft full lips. His eyes closed in response, and opened after I moved my head back. His beautiful forest green eyes searched mine for a couple of moments. His arm around me climbed up my back, and then pressed me closer to his warm body.

  “How do you feel?” He asked, not hiding worry in his puffy eyes.

  “Better,” I said, “Did you cry?” I asked, smoothing my thumb under his eye. His pupils spread wide, then narrowed back in.

  “Mhm,” he said, leaning his cheek against my palm, “I connected our hands to feel what you felt.”

  My eyes widened from surprise, “Zack,” I said, but his mouth sealed mine to stop me from talking.

  “I couldn't leave you alone in all that pain,” his thumb traced my lips, his eyes on them, as well. “I felt it all. We share the good, and the bad,” his eyes moved back up on mine. The magic in his gaze pushed back the monster that I was, and reminded me why I took this path. Love for him repossessed my body, igniting all that pain had destroyed.

  “I need to brush my teeth,” I sputtered, clumsily ruining the moment.

  Zack chuckled, “Sure. I'll make some breakfast.” He typed into his bracelet. The starry night disappeared, replaced by the view of a highly futuristic city skyline.

  I climbed out of bed, mesmerized by the view, “Is that the real view?” I asked, glancing through the dome.

  “Uh-huh,” he said, “We're on top of the building. You can see everything from here.” He got up, and came up behind me, locking his arms around my waist. His one-day-old facial hair brushed against my neck.

  “It's beautiful,” I breathed, leaning my head against his. The morning sun reflected on numerous dome shaped glass surfaces, bouncing from one to another, creating countless rainbows in between sky high buildings. I felt as if I were transported into a fairy tale. I expected to see cold, stainless steel buildings, concrete, gray skies and smog. Instead, it was a colorful, sparkly place, with blue skies, and green gardens on rooftops. “Can I?” I pointed at the huge balcony encompassing his dome shaped room.

  “Sure,” he smiled, placing his bracelet under a sensor. A passage dematerialized in front of us.

  Brisk, fresh air hit my nostrils. Zack strode toward the railing, motioning for me to follow. A light breeze wavered his boxers and a T-shirt, accenting his perfect body underneath. I bit my lip, suddenly not that interested in the view. He extended his arm, and I entered his embrace.

  “Wow,” I breathed, looking down. We were higher than I have ever been in my life. The air below was all rainbows as far as eyes could see. I didn't notice before, but now it was apparent that none of the buildings had normal, straight shape. Everything was curvy, and irregular, bouncing light everywhere. Each greenhouse on a balcony had a focused sunlight aimed at it. Breathtakingly beautiful.

  Zack kissed the top of my head, saying, “I'll get that breakfast now,” he smiled and disappeared inside.

  Oh, how I wished my parents could be there to see I was alright, and to share the wonders of that new world. My heart sunk again. It was time to brush my teeth.

  ~*~

  “I was thinking,” Zack said when I walked into the kitchen. He was still in his boxers, waltzing between the table and a stove with plates in his hands. His masculine appearance owned that room, and it was darn sexy.

  “About what?” I asked, sitting down, entertaining a couple of impure thoughts that involved his body.

  “How open-minded are your parents?” He stopped moving, staring closely into my eyes, breaking my train of impure thoughts.

  “Pretty much. Why?” I tilted my head, suspecting a devious plan based on his mischievous smile.

  “After last night––” He clasped the back of his neck. “I feel like breaking some rules.”

  “Come again?” I gawked, wondering what the hell was he up to.

  “If we take some pictures of us here,” his eyes gleamed with some unknown fire. “And put them along with a letter from you explaining where you were and why––” He paused, running fingers through his uncombed hair. “Do you think your parents would believe you, and keep that info to themselves?”

  My heart quickened. “I think they would. But I'm not hundred percent sure.”

  He bit his lower lip, smiling. “Shall we do it?” His brows shot up, eyes shimmering with excitement.

  “Can we get in trouble?”

  “Oh, yeah!” He chuckled. “No-one can ever know about it. We'd be in shit-load of trouble.”

  “What if they don't believe the letter? What if they tell someone?”

  “I'll check the ripple effect your letter will create, and if they react badly, we'll change history.”

  I swallowed a knot. “But Zack...we're TGA. We don't mess with changing history.”

  “I know,” he ran his fingers nervously through his hair again, sighing long. “But I'm not sure what to believe anymore,” his eyes latched onto mine. There was a lot going on in there, I could see he was debating something. “Before I met you, my world was simple.”

  “Great,” was my snarky remark.

  He smiled, “I was sure about who I was, what I believed in, what was right, and what was wrong. Heck, I followed all our rules to the T. But now...Feeling your pain, knowing what you had to give up––” He let out a painful sigh, “I'm questioning everything, you know?” He looked at me as if I was supposed to understand what he was questioning. Sadly, I didn’t, but I did see he was highly conflicted. “Was it really necessary to keep your parents in the dark?”

  “Look,” I said, taking his hand in mine, “You know how much I'd love to tell my parents, but if it'll make Zoe go all Wolverine on us––”

  “––Wolverine?” Zack chuckled, staring at me eyes wide.

  “Yeah,” I giggled, “The movie. X-Men?”

  “I know that. It's just...It's ancient history for me. It's been awhile since I heard anyone reference an oldie,” he chuckled again.

  “An oldie.” I repeated, smiling to myself. “Anyway, let's not get sidetracked––”

  “I hear you,” he jumped in, “And that's what I'm sayin’. Both sides have rules. We have ours, Elders have theirs––and neither break them.”

  “Duh! Aren't rules supposed to be followed?” I chuckled.

  “Yeah, but if we never question them, how do we know they're right? Maybe those rules are making us blind? Maybe, by following them, we forgot the difference between right and wrong.” He placed a plate in front of me.

  “Which rule are you referring to?” I narrowed my eyes, sensing he was talking about something quite particular.

  “We blindly follow no-changing-no-interfering-policy. Elders blindly follow to-change-to-interfere-policy. This might be a perfect opportunity to test those rules ourselves,” he put two glasses of juice on the table, and sat down.

  “Hmm. Things are rarely black or white,” I scratched my chin, “It makes sense to find the gray area.”

  “Exactly!” He took a sip of his juice, “As soon as you join one of the sides based on your initial belief, you start to follow all these rules. You defend them as if they were your own, and never question their validity. It just can't be right! There has to be an exception to the rule. It's common sense!”

  “I agree. Come to think of it, that’s exactly what I did by joining
TGA,” I let out a nervous giggle, feeling a bit stupid. “I took your word for it.”

  “Oh, baby, that’s not what I meant,” he reached for my hands across the table, “It’s what we all did. Everything sounds logical, and you inherit the rules with the story. There's so much to digest, and rookies get confused.”

  “I know. You got your story from your handler; he got it from his, and so on,” I said, understanding his point of view, “Tell me...if my parents do play along, that's not really changing history, is it?”

  “No. But it is interfering. It’s extremely forbidden to reveal the truth like that. You have to eventually be dead to your loved ones, no exceptions. We're not supposed to tell anyone under any circumstances about time travel.”

  “If Zoe finds out––”

  “––Death Squad,” he finished my sentence, glancing at me from under his brows.

  “Hmm. So Death Squad doesn't kill only morally corrupted, but also the rule breakers?”

  “Before I met you, I didn’t think there could be another side to this. The first time I doubted our ways was when I realized I wasn't allowed to come and live with you. I confronted Zoe about it, and that's the first time I heard that Death Squad could be sent if I disobeyed. You see my point now?”

  “I do. But I have to admit, it sounded logical back on the plane. With Michael trying to kill me and all, I was glad there was a death Squad. But now...When it might be us...And for nothing more than a letter––”

  “Yeah,” he breathed, nodding. “Michael wasn't all that bad, you know. He loved his wife. He didn't want to lose her,” he bowed his glance, folding a kitchen cloth on the table. “I’d lose my mind, too...Um...If I were in his shoes.”

  “But you’re not,” I said, slightly absentmindedly. “Michael did make a fatal mistake, though,” Zack picked up his glance, his dark green eyes looking at me confused. “He wanted to come to TGA, right?” Zack nodded. “Well, that's just flipping the coin to the other side. Not changing anything. He didn't look for the gray area.”

  “He didn't have time,” he gazed at me with sadness in his eyes. “And his wife wouldn't listen to his reasoning. She was an Elder to the core.”