Kissed by Chaos

Kissed by Chaos (22) - Waking Up

Kissed by Chaos

Chapter 22 – Waking Up

A warm, soft hand rested on my own, kneading it with a slight pressure. The fingers were long and slender, smooth and gentle. I felt as though whoever it was that the hand belonged to was slowly squeezing out all my anxiety and pain through my fingers, out of my body. It was to thank this person that I opened my eyes.

My gaze instantly flitted to the shimmering flame in its lamp mounted on the wall at the foot of the matress where I lay. The light, however dim, seared my eyes. I heard a groan of pain escape involuntarily from my mouth as I lifted my free hand to shield my eyes. The warm orange of the lamp’s light burned on my eyelids even after I had covered them.

The hand gently squeezed my own with a little more pressure, calling me to attention. A murmur reached my ears. “Claire? Claire, love, is the light too strong?” the female voice wanted to know.

Hearing my mother’s voice pulled me futher into reality. For a moment I could not believe that it was my mother that hovered protectively over me. She grasped my hand as if that could anchor me to reality, to her. “Mother?” I croaked, searching for assurance.

“I’m here, sweetheart. I won’t leave, not again.” Though there was unmasked concern in her voice, mixed in with it was gratitude and relief.

The same note of relief stayed in her voice as she spoke not to me, but to someone else standing in the room.

“You needn’t worry, Raafi. She will be alright. I told you my daughter was stronger than that,” Mother bragged triumphantly.

I dared to slowly uncover my eyes as heavy footsteps approached the bed. Upon opening my eyes, I found myself looking up at a kind smile and worried hazel eyes. “You frightened me, Claire,” said Raafi. “Please don’t do that again.”

I tried to cough in an attempt to clear my throat but all that came out was a rasping sound not unlike that of a cat trying to cough up a hairball. Embarrassment warmed my cheeks – rasping so pitifully was not something I had planned on doing in front of Raafi. “I’ll do my best,” I managed to say.

“What happened Claire?” Mother asked. “One minute you and I were talking to… to a Jinni, if that’s even possible… and then she seemed to touch your forehead and suddenly you were on the floor, shivering and screaming.” Her face was awfully pale as she gazed down at me. She hugged her arms around herself as if she was shielding herself from the cold. “It was horrible, Claire. You were in such agony yet I could do nothing to help you.”

I winced as I struggled to sit up. There was a throbbing pain in my chest and my whole body felt like it had been exposed to a merciless fire.

Why was Mother asking me these questions? I did not wish to recall what Dunya had shown me. Unfortunately, I remembered every detail of every image. I would have preferred it if I had passed out and simply forgotten all of it. I knew, however, that this was exactly what Dunya wanted. She wanted me to remember, wanted me to agonise over it all. Even though I wished to forget, Raafi and Mother stared down at me expectantly, waiting for me to recount everything.

“I think I already told you. She showed me Hell,” I said.

“What do you mean?” pushed Raafi. “How is it possible that she showed you Hell?”

“How is it possible that we see her at all, your Highness? How is any of it possible?” When Raafi did not reply, I continued. “All I know is that she showed me things that no human on earth should have to see. She showed me fire, made me feel the pain of burning and burning until there was nothing left of my flesh. She revealed to me beasts with bulging eyes and impossibly enormous forms. Not only that, she forced me to feel what it was like to be torn to pieces by their claws and their fangs.”