Henry & Jane: The Rectaliss

chap. four

The door shut softly behind Aaron Garish as he slid into his dorm room. The dark night sky encompassed the window on the far wall, the stars shining bright above the lightless campus. A small desk light was on under his bed, and a faint snoring sound filled the silence.

"Dustin, wake up." Aaron whispered and smacked the mattress. Dustin Campsure jolted awake, taking a strong breath in. "What the fuck, Aaron?"

"It's only 1am." Aaron countered, climbing up the ladder on the side of the lofted bed his best friend was asleep in moments ago. "You'll be fine."

"What was so important you needed to wake me?" Dustin rubbed his hazel eyes, the desk light cascading lightly over his dark skin.

"I was at the bar, got a little tipsy, and the craziest thing happened." Aaron started. Dustin sat up and propped his back against the railing. "You've got five minutes."

Aaron smiled and folded his hands together. "I was walking toward the bar and there was this girl," Aaron began. Dustin shifted in his bed and listened hesitantly. "She had bumped into me on her way to the bathroom. You know me, she was gorgeous, so I of course turned the charm on." Dustin scoffed and shook his head. "So?"

"So, after I'd said, 'No worries,' I kissed the back of her hand. But something weird happened." Aaron paused hesitantly. Should he tell him this? Him and Dustin have been friends since the eighth grade, but even then, this may be unbelievable. What if he thinks he's crazy?

"Well? What happened? I'm up now." Dustin laughed and Aaron reciprocated. "You're going to think I'm crazy." Aaron said.

"Never crazy," Dustin teased, "maybe just tipsy though."

Aaron laughed and bit his nail. "Okay. When I kissed her hand, I looked up at her and her eyes... her eyes were changed. They lit up. A bright white light. Almost blinding." His voice trailed off as he recalled the event. It was nothing like he'd ever seen before.

"Oh my god, what? Is she okay? Are you okay?" Dustin shot up and placed his hand on Aaron's knee comfortingly. Aaron glanced down at it and a soft smile danced across his face, quickly fading as he shifted away from his hand. Dustin pulled his hand back and set it in his lap, sighing softly.

"Uh, yeah—I'm okay, and so is she. As soon as I looked at her, she passed out in my arms. I had to call the campus police and everything." His breath was short and shallow, and his eyes grew blank. "She wouldn't let me touch her when she woke up."

Dustin stared at his best friend, processing what he was saying. "That's understandable. Are you sure it wasn't the lights in the bar?"

Aaron scoffed. "I know what I saw, Dustin. Her eyes looked like the flash on a cell phone."

The two sat quiet for a minute before Aaron began climbing down the ladder. He grabbed his bag and a towel. "I'm heading to the showers." Before Dustin could respond, the sound of the door shutting cut him off. He laid back on his pillows, his hands folded together behind his head. His mind was racing with bits and pieces of the conversation they just had. White eyes. Kissing her hand. Kissing her hand. Why would he kiss her hand?

Dustin snapped himself out of his thoughts and turned toward the wall. His eyes shut softly, and he melted into sleep.

Aaron walked up to the door to the showers, opening the door with his key card, locking the door to the small room behind him. Placing his clothes down on the sink's surface, he glances up into the mirror and stares at his reflection. Sighing, he swings his backpack around his body, unzipping the top pocket to remove his toothbrush and toothpaste. He caught another glimpse of himself, but something was different. Questioning the validity of his eyesight, he looks up at himself once more slowly.