Avenging Cupids

Chapter 15: Star Light, Star Bright

It was lights out in Willow’s world. Though her vision was impaired, the rest of her senses were operational. Something hot and rugged was pressing against her back. It felt like she was lying on a bed of craggy rocks—no, thorns. She could hear an earsplitting ringing sound that was reminiscent of feedback in a loudspeaker. The noise was like tinnitus on steroids. She smelt honeysuckle—a scent that she had begun to associate with strange phenomena. The scent was infused with sandalwood that radiated from her left and lavender on her right. The metallic taste of copper filled her mouth and nearly made her retch.

She sat up abruptly. Bad idea.

A sharp pain detonated in her stomach, causing her to double over in agony. The blackness around her gave way to green—a sickly, stomach-churning green. She looked down at her sprawled legs, wondering why she was sitting on the ground. Liquid wriggled around her stomach before shooting up her esophagus like a geyser. She collapsed forward and vomited in the V-shaped space between her legs. The liquid was brown and bitter—her morning coffee.

The vomiting subsided eventually, only to be replaced with dry-heaving that made her body convulse turbulently. She barely had enough time to breathe between heaves. It felt like someone was giving her the Heimlich maneuver too forcefully, knocking the wind out of her. Tears streamed down her face with every expulsion of acidic coffee.

She suddenly felt tired, as if her body knew that she had just expelled its source of energy—caffeine. Willow succumbed to her body’s demands and she let herself fall backwards. Just as her shoulder blades hit solid ground, a hard pillow seemed to break the collision between her head and the adamantine floor.

As the tinnitus faded away, a new sound began to permeate her ears. It sounded like part sleigh bells, part voices. The greenish hue that painted her world began to peter out as if someone was wiping clean the canvas that was her range of sight. Her vision became a vignette framed with a festering green tint on the peripheries. 

Finally, her vision was wiped clean of green and became as clear as 20/20. As the sleigh bells waned, clear voices flourished. Willow focused on her newfound sight, refusing to take her eyes away from the glaringly bright sky. Suddenly, two pairs of vivid green jewels suspended themselves in the sky’s backdrop. But this time, the green wasn’t sickening—it was appealing.

“Wills?” said a soft voice. “Did you come to yet?”

“Elle!” said another voice. “Let her come back on her own.”

Willow blinked the way she would if an eyelash was stuck in her eye. Elle and Alden’s faces were looming above her, cutting off her view of the sky. She spoke but all that escaped her lips was a sobbing groan.

“Take it easy,” Alden crooned.

Willow ignored him and sat bolt upright. “Ouch!” she exclaimed when she bumped into Alden’s forehead. She looked around at the lavish rooftop deck that she hadn’t noticed until then. Green shrubs and colorful orchids lined the perimeter of the deck. A long, white contemporary couch spanned the entire length of the west deck. Red square pillows were strewn meticulously across the lounge sofa. Four identical cubed minimal coffee tables stood attractively before the sofa. On the east side of the deck was a remarkable black and silver bar—custom-made probably. The black granite that made up the bar—from the countertops to the large liquor cabinet—was so shiny that Willow could see her unsightly reflection perfectly. At the deck’s center was a long travertine table with pillows laid on the ground, surrounding it. In front of the table was a huge black fireplace made up of the same stone as the table.

The main feature of the rooftop deck was the huge, custom-built infinity edge pool that took up most of its north side. Its water seemed to extend and vanish towards the horizon, merging with the blue sky. With its blue-tiled bottom, embedded jacuzzi, and an inlayed table and stools set inside the pool’s water, it looked like the deck’s centerpiece. Willow fought the urge to dip her dusty head into the sparkling water to clear it.