Love Lines

24: Ask And Ye Shall Receive

Chapter Twenty-Four

One night, when I was flipping through channels, I came across this episode of America's Next Top Model and they were supposed to be model-esk while in this air tube thing. I guess it was supposed to be simulating sky diving or something because they were in these tight body suits, reaching out for basically nothing, while looking like aliens.

At least to me they looked like aliens.

The point I'm trying to get at is they were almost weightless and that's how I was currently feeling. I was buoyant in my own body with nothing around me but gray. My thoughts were nothing and therefore I was nothing.

But finally that weightlessness ceased and feeling came back, almost as if I was waking up from a rather unpleasant dream.

"Tally? If you can hear me, open your eyes...or squeeze my hand. Something. Please."

Cecil's voice was strained with worry and anxiety, something that set me on edge because the only time he sounded like that was the day of my mother's funeral.

"She's awake. Just give her a minute."

That voice had me settling into wakefulness, the tone a tad more flamboyant than the last time. It felt like I hadn't seen him in forever and after not really being able to talk to him the last time I saw him, I realized I missed him.

"Kells?"

"Told you." There was humor in his voice. "Just take it easy there, sweet cheeks. You've had a rough go of it."

Everything was a tad achy and when my eyes flickered open, my head started pounding double time so I quickly closed them. I was laying on my side with Cecil's hand in mine, my life lines going a little crazy since it was him holding my hand and not someone else. I put my free hand against my forehead and winced. I'd never had a headache this bad and I could only assume there was a reason for it. But touch seemed to make it that much worse so I withdrew my hand and tucked it against my chest, keeping my eyes closed.

Hoping someone would explain, I said, "My head..."

"It's a side effect." Apollo. Wow. Unintentionally I rolled in his direction, landing me on my back. "What do you remember?" he asked.

I blinked a couple of times despite the pain, trying to think of something to say, and when a clear picture of the ceiling didn't come in, I started to panic a little on the inside so no one would notice. But I went ahead and answered his question, hoping the reason why I couldn't see would be revealed to me.

"I remember...pretty much everything up until a certain point. Andrzej was training me to control my particular and then Hades showed up. I sent Andrzej to get Cecil..."

"And after that?"

I blinked a few more times and swallowed. "He asked me where Persephone was. She's...missing."

"So we've been told," Kells said with distaste.

"What happened?" I asked. "Exactly?"

"You overloaded, Tally." Cecil squeezed my hand back after I clutched at his at hearing his voice. "You weren't supposed to see what you saw yet."

I turned my head in his direction and blinked some more but all I was getting was dark. My other senses were compensating though so I was able to discern by the occasional shifts that there were quite a few people in the room.

"Why can't I see?"

The bed dipped on the opposite side of where Cecil was and very gently, my face was turned in the opposite direction. Their fingertips were warm but firm as they gripped my chin. I could feel my eyelids being pulled up just a little and I could only imagine that a light was being flashed before my eyes. But I couldn't see it, not even a flicker.