***
Rhapsody yawned widely as she recited the novel, A Deafening Whisper, to Aria’s slumbering form. Having read it before, it was permanently entrenched in her limitless memory banks. Now that Aria was at home, she was in a king-sized bed that had plenty of room for the others to gather around her. Melody was already asleep, with one of her arms draped over Aria’s midsection. Rhapsody had already taken several pictures.
Harmony was asleep on a twin bed right next to the king. She was a flopper, so she didn’t trust herself to not get tangled in Aria’s cables when she fell asleep. Melody and Harmony had quickly adapted to the fact that Aria might not awaken for years. Being able to carry on a crude form of communication with her through songs made it bearable, barely.
They had taken the last of the bandages off Aria that morning, as the last vestiges of damaged skin was replaced by healthy tissue. Her hair was no longer midnight black; it was honey-blonde and almost down to her chest. Her face looked like a makeup artist had spent hours making every color and shade compliment her delicate features. It was hard to believe that it was just her natural skin pigmentation. Her lips were a dark plum, almost black. Her eyelids were dark as well and her eyelashes had grown back long and thick. She no longer had any body hair. Rhapsody wasn’t sure if her cellular regeneration was just unable to rebuild the hair follicles or if she had taken a more conscious role in her healing process.
She was no longer an identical twin to Melody. Her skin was a slight shade lighter and her features had changed subtly during the healing process. There were still more than enough similarities to make them look like sisters, though, even if they weren’t identical.
Rhapsody sighed after reciting the last page of the novel. While the story was beautiful, it was still heartbreaking. She hoped Aria’s story had a happier ending. Picking up her tablet, she browsed some of the alternative news sites. She had learned years ago that the mainstream media made a point of censoring any kind of news that didn’t conform to their agenda.
Disinfo.com was always an entertaining site, with an intelligent community that didn’t focus on party politics and fringe conspiracies. The first article made her grin.
CDC WARNS PUBLIC THAT SO-CALLED HEALING MUSIC CAUSES CANCER IN HEALTHY PEOPLE
Rhapsody snorted and moved on to the next headline.
GIRL HAS ALIEN HAND THAT HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN
In Utah, a seventeen-year-old girl is struggling with what doctors call Alien Hand Syndrome. The girl’s hand appears to have a mind of its own. After getting expelled from her high school for fighting, psychologists confirmed that she had no control over her left hand when it began attacking other students. She now wears a special sling that restricts her left hand’s movement. The girl’s mother had to prevent her daughter from choking herself to death on several occasions when she was younger, as her alien hand appears to have homicidal tendencies. So far, none of the treatments doctors have given her seem to work. She’s requested amputation multiple times, but doctors have convinced her to continue trying new treatments for now.
Pursing her lips, Rhapsody glanced at Aria speculatively. I wonder if that is something Aria could heal.
With another ginormous yawn, Rhapsody put her tablet down and snuggled up to Aria’s other side and immediately fell asleep.
Still Alive Page 13