Her Resurrection

chapter 2

Hot.

I was so hot.

I could feel soft cotton sheets and a heavy wool blanket stretched across my body. I tried to move my arm to throw off the blankets. That's when the pain hit me. I gritted my teeth and a small groan escaped my mouth. My eyes felt glued shut, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not open them, and I desperately wanted some water. It was as if I had a cotton ball stuck to the roof of my mouth it felt so dry.

I vaguely heard a door open, and soft footsteps echoed across the flooring. Whomever was in the room placed something heavy next to my bed with a quiet thunk. A few seconds later, I sighed in relief as a cool wet rag was ran over my face and neck, down onto my chest. The water must have been infused with some type of herbs. A sweet refreshing smell wafted up to my nose and calmed my fevered mind. The tepid water was heaven on my skin, but now I was aware of the blinding pain that scorched my body. Every part of me ached or felt as if knives were digging into my muscles. What happened to me? Where was I? I tried to piece together my thoughts, well any thought really, but my head felt as if someone had taken a hammer to it. The person bathing me pulled the blankets back and bared my stomach and chest to the cool air. I knew I should have been embarrassed, but any feelings were quickly pushed away when they started sponging my chest and stomach with the heavenly water. They replaced the blanket once they were done, and a few seconds later, I felt a cool soft hand gently lain on my forehead. My head instinctively turned towards the cool contact, but with the movement my head spun and pain shot up my neck. I scrunched my eyes closed tighter against the pain, and groaned quietly when the hand was removed.

A few moments later the door opened once more, and a soft baritone voice spoke in the quiet room. He sounded slightly distressed, and I wondered what had happened to make him worry so much. Even though the words were softly spoken, I was able to hear some of the words and quickly realized I was unable to understand them. But for some reason, I felt an incredible peace with the sound of his voice. A woman's voice answered, and a moment later the door closed with a soft click. I felt my mind wandering once more into sleep, and I gladly welcomed it, if only to find some comfort away from the pain.

Some time later, still in pain, but feeling a little more lucid, I cracked my eyes open to see that the room I was in was shadowed in a late evening light. Or was it early morning? I could not tell, really, for I had been asleep for so long. I took a few moments to study my surroundings, and found that I did not recognized the room I was in.

The white stucco walls were simple. No fancy furnishings or decorations were to be found, save the small wooden table next to the bed I laid in. Attempting to sit up, I immediately collapsed back against the bed and gasped against the pain that wracked my tired body. I felt as if I had been ran over ten times! The door swung open quietly and a man walked through. A tray laden with many different bottles and cloths was held in his hands. When he saw me awake, his lips tipped up in a friendly smile, and he set the tray on the table next to my head.

His face was youthful. His grey eyes were bright with light and kindness, his nose slightly pointed, and his brow and jaw were strong. His mouth curved up at the corners at my blatant curiosity and confusion. Hair, the color of rich soil, fell down his back and shoulders and was tied back from his face. My eyes widened in surprised as I continued to study him. It was then that I realized that everything about him was nearly perfect. His skin was smooth and flawless, his hair was perfectly straight, and most surprising was that his ears were pointed!

He must have realized that I was not going to respond to him, for he hesitantly called to someone outside the door. I glanced towards them and nearly had to catch my jaw from dropping onto the floor. She was absolutely beautiful! Long sandy-colored hair draped her back in soft waves, and her skin was pale and flawless. Her figure was tall and willowy, like that of a young tree. Looking at both of them, I realized that they had a luminescent glow to their skin, subtle yet still there. By this time, I was so dazed that they had managed to lower the blanket and were removing a large bandage on my side. I glanced down and saw a large cut running down my rib cage that had been stitched together. It was red and inflamed, and every time they touched it I hissed in pain. The problem was, I could not remember what had happened to me.