Thermophile

Two: Illusion

I had the longest dream. It was of me being lain on the softest bed, a soft classic musical played in the background, but an unknown coldness bit my skin like sudden pricks of tiny needles.

"She's gaining consciousness. Prepare the sedative." Was it a guy or a girl? My mind was confused and I didn't know the reason.

I opened my eyes to the bright light, there were movements that I couldn't decipher, voices that made my mind swirl. I heard a moan, was it me? I didn't know, because I unwillingly succumbed to the sudden calmness and peace that blanketed over me.

In my dream, it changed to another scenery where I was with my family in a pool somewhere. The sky was so blue and clear while the sun shined proudly above us.

"Five degrees Celsius higher," I heard my Dad say, sipping his glass of lemonade. When our eyes met, he smiled at me as my Mom told him, "ninety-eight degrees Celsius."

Was it strange that I could see their faces, but at the same time I couldn't?

I was in a separate pool from them and I felt the water in mine get warm. It was comforting; the warmth, it was like the most delicious food, the sweetest candy, and I wanted more.

"Put it to one hundred twenty," Dad told to his drink.

"Vitals stable. Body temperature increasing." My mother answered almost mechanically.

Something was wrong in this scenario. Why were they talking about degrees and vitals? That didn't just add up. I frowned as I felt myself getting warmer.

My eyes caught my brother throwing what it looked like a Frisbee. He was smiling and waving at me.

"Continue the increase of temperature." He was shouting this-it looked like it-but it came out calm and loud, too loud, like he was just beside-

I opened my eyes and I was met with the sudden clarity of everything. White, the first thing that popped in my mind. I felt like I could see everything because it was so bright and clear. If this was still a dream or the reality already, I didn't know.

There were people, in white, and they stared at me.

"Two hundred degrees Celsius and increasing." Came a muffled voice. I didn't know which of them said it because they were wearing surgical masks.

This felt familiar, it was like I'd been here before.

Panic started pounding my heart as I remembered the dream. I tried to move my hand but they wouldn't obey, even my eyeballs were frozen in place.

"Heart rate increasing, body temperature at two hundred and fifty degrees Celsius." Another voice.

One of them stepped closer to me and white-gloved hands raised as if to gesture a greeting. "We still have a long way to go. Put her to sleep and resume the observation."

It was the last thing I heard before I was shifted to another dream.

"Did you ever think of becoming a mechanic like dad?" Leib asked out of the blue.

We were sitting on a long wooden bench, its dark iron frame was a stark contrast to the whitened wood that filled the thing. The armrest on my side looked like it witnessed the heaviest rains and the hottest weather the nature could offer.

I looked at my brother who was looking up at the unnaturally bright sun. "Why would you suddenly ask that? You know I wanna be like him."

I looked ahead, the laps of the waves from the sea to the shore below us was a music to the ears. We were in a cliff, watching as seagulls dipped and rose in the air.

"Well, you're bad at fixing things for one, but you're so obsessed with cars." He shielded his eyes from the sun's rays. "You're better at it than I am anyways. I want to be a doctor but mom and dad want a different thing."

I frowned at this. Our parents fully supported us on things that we wanted to achieve, and Leib didn't want to be a doctor, he wanted to follow my dad's footsteps at fixing and racing cars. He wanted to succeed our father's shop.

"What are you saying?" I chuckled. The breeze flirted with my hair as it passed by. "They never even said anything about going to the medical field-"

I didn't get to finish what I was about to say because he suddenly stood up and headed to the edge of the cliff.

"So now I have to die. I was never worthy, Kat."

In an instant, I was beside him, holding onto his arm. "No!"

"Kat," His voice seemed to grow frantic but he didn't waved my hold off. "Kat! Kat!" His other hand clasped my shoulder and shook me. "Wake up!"

Leib's voice grew louder and louder until I was pulled away from whatever that kept my mind occupied.

When I opened my eyes, they stung but I recognized the blurry shape of my brother. "Leib." My eyes watered even more as I felt the burn of my throat.

"You're okay, little sis, you're okay." He sounded relieved for a reason I didn't understand. "Does anything hurt?"

Afraid of scratching my throat and feeling the pain, I just shook my head.

"I will carry you, okay?"

Nod.

"Put your arms around my neck."

Nod. What the heck happened?

I recalled the last events that I was with my brother. I lost a bet and then Leib took me with him for a jog as a punishment, and then April came. Then, we talked and started at the park. Where was April? Did she went home?

Leib proceeded to carry me in his arms and I sluggishly wound mine around his neck.

Did I passed out? I was dying to know, so I pooled saliva in my mouth and swallowed it, hoping to ease the dryness of my throat away. "What happened? Where is April?" My scratchy voice sounded so dead in my ears.

"I don't know where April is right now and I don't care at the moment. Thank God you're safe, Kat. You've been missing for four days."