Winter's Edge

Chapter 15 - Necropolis

Abby

A slight chill played at my skin as I slid back on the bed's comforter, readying myself for a second attempt.

"Be careful." Ian's eyes looked pained.

It killed me, but I tried to look confident. "I will."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The scene with my dad drifted into my mind again, resurrecting long-forgotten sadness.

The painless sensation of flesh tearing from bone washed through my limbs. I exploded from my body, thrust into the air this time. My weight drained off. Talk about a weight-loss plan.

I fell to the ground in front of my bed, landing with one hand and one knee to the ground, Ironman style. Errr...Iron-woman style. A gigantic smile spread from cheek to cheek.

A lingering darkness lay at the fringes of my soul. It was one of the most unsettling feelings I'd ever had. I'd always wanted to understand what everyone else here felt like...until now. But if the others could control it, so could I.

I stood and looked back at Ian. He sat beside my motionless body. The dark haze still thinly outlined his figure. Was that his aura?

"Abby?" he said, checking to see if I was still present in my body.

When he received no response, he placed his fingers on my neck and waited to feel a pulse. Then Ian leveled his ear to my nose, feeling and listening for breath. Even though this was more controlled than last time, he still looked worried.

I gasped as he boldly placed his hand on my chest. When I realized he was merely checking for a heartbeat, I blushed. But part of me enjoyed it. Savored it, in fact, even though I could barely feel it while separated.

Ian put his ear to my chest and listened for a long moment. My knees wobbled as a strange, warm, tingling sensation welled up inside of me like I was being seduced back into my body. My God, it felt good, unlike anything I'd experienced before. I put a hand out to steady myself against the bed. It passed right through and I stumbled forward. As I made contact with my physical body, I was yanked back into my skin. Darkness consumed me, then light streamed into my eyes.

Ian jerked back with a gasp as I sat up and gulped air. He wrapped his arms around me, letting out a sigh. I let myself relax into his chest. I could've stayed there forever.

"You're back." He sounded better than he'd looked a moment before, then he let me go, snapping back as if he'd accidentally invaded my personal space.

Silently, I chided myself for being weak.

His nervous eyes weren't quite sure where to look as I composed myself. He was adorable when flustered, but I forced myself to stop noticing.

Our eyes finally met and Ian frowned. "That was a bit...premature, wasn't it?"

"I didn't mean to come back," I said. "I accidentally fell into my body."

He became serious, like he was trying to figure out some grand puzzle. "What do you mean? You touched your body and that made you reconnect with it?"

"I think so."

"So it's not necessarily an emotion that brings you back," he said.

"I wouldn't say that. I felt..." Well, I wasn't about to tell him what I actually felt. "...something."

I could almost see the gears turning in his head as he tried to sort out this mystery. Was it the mystery that intrigued him, or was it me?

"Okay, you've figured out the emotion that causes you to separate," he said. "So how did it feel right before you were pulled back into your body?"