Waters of Oblivion

Chapter 12.4: The Test

That night – whether from the time spent with Gabe or just from being back in her own bed – Reine's dreams weren't cryptic nightmares, but vivid memories. By morning, she inexplicably remembered both Noor and her past few years at the university.

She also no longer felt sick, but as she brushed her teeth, Reine tasted the salty, metallic aroma of blood. Checking the mirror, she saw a small, vertical crack running down the middle of her bottom lip. Knowing that fever could cause dehydration leading to chapped lips, she ran her tongue over the wound. Once again tasting the reappearing blood, she repeated the process numerous times over the following seconds.

Giving up once all signs of the cut disappeared, she wasn't convinced if this was due to natural clotting or to her usual supernatural regeneration. After running a comb through her hair, she headed downstairs still dressed in her pajamas.

As she'd hoped, Gabe had stuck around. She found him reading at the kitchen island casually perched atop a wooden barstool. 

"Good morning, beautiful," he said while setting the newspaper down.

She hastily walked past him toward the counter. "Morning."

Grabbing a large butcher knife, she opened her left hand above the adjacent sink and slowly drew the sharp blade across her palm. She held her breath from the excruciating pain, as a thin, red line slowly turned into an oozing gash.

The stream of crimson blood poured down the drain, and Gabe could no longer watch her curious actions in silence. Jumping to her side, he grabbed a clean kitchen towel from a nearby hook.

"Are you mad? What are you doing?" He asked, frantically wrapping the towel around Reine's hand.

She remained still and calm. "Just a test."

Seconds ticked by, but the familiar healing process wasn't yet apparent.

Gabe continued to press the increasingly red towel to the wound. "Crazy girl! Couldn't you have given me a heads up? It's freaky as hell to see. And what if it doesn't heal?"

Reine didn't answer. It was becoming more and more likely that he may be right. The bleeding wasn't stopping, and it was possible that the wound would need stitches before it could properly close. She may have lost her ability to heal, which could mean she would age. Most importantly, if she died, it would be permanent.

While previously this thought may have frightened her, spending a mortal life with the man standing beside her was now a possibility. She smiled with hope.

A familiar feeling quickly crushed that emotion.

A wave of warmth flowed through her body, and beads of sweat broke out on her face. Lightheaded and short of breath, she clutched her wrapped hand against her chest and disappeared out the back door.

The snowy days were gone and the grass was getting greener every day. Buds were even beginning to appear on the once bare trees. However, the air was still crisp and cold, allowing Reine to see her breath vaporize into opaque clouds enveloping her.

She wasn't alone for long. Because she'd left him without a word, Gabe quickly followed for an explanation. "What's going on? Why did you run out like that?"

She unwrapped her hand and showed him the wound. The cut was still there, but the bleeding had slowed. "I needed to cool off. It makes the process easier."

His movements were still jerky, and his voice was uneven. "Is it getting better? The ones I've seen have all been quicker than this. Is this what you were testing? Whether you can still recover? It doesn't really look like it. Come on, I'm driving you to the hospital."