Instinct {The Half Moon Chronicles}

Chapter 13.

Chapter 13.

"Shhh, you're safe now."

The only thing I could hold onto were the words that echoed in my mind.

They swirled around in the murky darkness, smothering any other coherent thoughts I could possibly have. I couldn't move, couldn't open my eyes. All that there was were those words. And amongst the darkness, were the blotches that had flickers of light inside. They were much like when you looked at a light for too long and when you close your eyes its almost like you can still see it.

Then, after some of that started to fade away, and the words still lingered but resided further back into my subconsciousness. Flickers of the past jumped into my mind. Slipping, falling, ice and water and darkness.

There were only flickers, only flashes. But I remembered. I knew what had happened, but I didn't know where I was. I tried to fight away the darkness, break through the barriers and free myself from the prison of the unknown.

It was difficult. My limbs were weighed down with uncertainties and questions. My eyes welded shut with the fear of seeing something unpleasant. My lips sewn together to hold back the screams.

Wake up.

I thrashed about, but there was no movement. The resistance fighting against me wouldn't lose strength.

Wake up.

I thought I heard voices, but it was just muffled melodies.

Wake up.

Was there a hand holding mine?

Wake up!

Flinging my body upwards, I convulsed and then went rigid as I held my breath and tried to comprehend my surroundings.
A dark, slightly illuminated room. The quiet humming of an electric heater. The slight beeping noise coming from a monitor next to me, making sure I was still breathing. Bundles of blankets wrapped securely around me, making it swelteringly hot and difficult to breath. Small needles enveloped in my skin, connected to clear tubes with clear liquid.

And then, closer to me than I had first anticipated, inches from my face; that pair of azure eyes. Those eyes, so filled with concern. Filled with pain and hesitation and care. I flinched back. Cautious and unsure.

He looked at me like I was made of glass. He regarded me as if I would shatter into a million tiny little pieces if he so much as breathed on me. He didn't dare move.

Looking away from his intense gaze, I picked at a lonely thread on one of the blankets, contemplating whether I should take them off to rid myself of the heat.

"Don't." He said quietly, as if he were talking to a small child. I turned to face him, and looked at his face, searching for any malice, any sense of control. When I slowly moved my hands back to my sides, he blinked. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he looked to my hands, and then back to my face, searching it much like I did his. "You're not going to question me?" He asked, genuinely confused.

I opened my mouth, and my words were no more than a whisper. "You saved me." It wasn't a question.

Xavier looked confused. "Of course."

Looking down, I clasped my hands together, and realised that despite the warm covers, my fingers were icy. "Thank you."

I felt his hand upon mine before I saw it. He tentatively pulled my hands apart and laced his fingers with mine. Immediately I felt warmer. Regarding our intertwined hands curiously, I shifted my head, and saw him watching me intently. "This...always happens, doesn't it?"