Logan

Hymme

The sun beat down on the light dirt ground and the metals roofs of shity houses. I felt attached to this place for some reason, almost like I'd been here. 

The air around me thickened and my feet glued to the ground. The sun became brighter and the town in front of me turned into a milky painting. The core of my body twisted physically but I felt no pain. My arms felt as heavy as a planet, making me fall to my knees. A tall, thin woman walked toward me from my right. She wore a long, white dress that hugged her waist and fell at her shoulders. A halo of bright white light flew around her head. Her hair fell to the ground like a waterfall, straight and silky. I couldn't decide if her hair was brown or black, but it was definitely darker than mine. Her jaw was long and sharp; it matched her thin, long nose. Her eyes were larger than life, completely unnerving. They were the colour of the universe, sparkly like a bright night sky. When she reached me, her gaze matched mine. She smiled and knelt, placing her thin fingers under my chin. I looked into her eyes. The universe swam in them, open and never-ending. She tipped my head back and laid her pink lips on mine. I couldn't move. My heart raced with fear and confusion. I suddenly felt a roaring warmth run through my veins, traveling from her lips into mine. My brain was on fire and my eyes leaked hot tears. The woman broke the kiss and stood up. Her smile faded and she continued to walk to my left. I watched her hair drag across the ground. It left a trail of black. 

The twist in my core released and I dragged a ragged breath in, tears bursting from my eyes. I was still on my knees. 

"..ill! Perill! Oh my god, what the fuck is going on??" I could hear Reeve behind me, calling my name. I felt my life return to my core and pump in my veins. "Perill..are you there?" She was on her knees now, next to me. I looked at her. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide with worry. Genuine worry. 

"Did you see her?" I asked in a small voice. My tears wouldn't stop falling. "She.....she had the universe in her eyes." I sounded absolutely mad. 

"No, Perill. What woman!? There was no one here!" She flailed her arms around and scrunched her face up. 

"What....what happened? Wh-...Why am I crying?" I touched my wet cheek. 

"I dunno! You just walked out the shop, dropped down to your knees, and started mumbling to yourself."

"How long?" 

"What?"

"How long was I out?" I looked at her and made an effort to stand. 

"About...a minute maybe?? How long did it feel?" She pulled me up and put my arm around her shoulder. I could stand but I felt weak, drained. 

"An eternity." 

I woke up in the cockpit of Chip. 'Oh thank fuck,' I thought. A safe sigh ran through my lungs as my body relaxed. 'I can't believe that was all a fucking dream.'

"Good morning Perill. It's time to escape!" Chip's chipper tone rung in my ears. 

"Escape? You mean...." Are fucking kidding me?

"It's been 4 hours and 25 minutes since you passed out. Reeve has been tending to you and suggested that I should wake you up at 5 hours. Obviously, we're ahead of schedule. How are you feeling?" Chip explained in an overly excited voice, which annoyed the hell out of me. 

"Why the hell are you so uppity? Did I cross some wrong wires or something?" I stood from my seat to get a bottle of water. Shity spring water. 

"Oh..I'm sorry. I was trying to make you feel better. You seemed very stressed when Reeve brought you in here. I did some scans and found that your amygdala was on fire so I-"

"On fire?" I suddenly felt the heat behind my eyes. The woman flashed in my memories. I winced, "Ah, fuck. What the hell is going on? Who is this bitch in my damn head!?" My stance wavered; balance wasn't real. I fell back into my chair, dropping my water onto the floor. Suck it, spring water. 

"Perill! Are you alright!?" Chip asked in an alarmed voice. 

"Yeah..I'm fine," I winced again and gritted my teeth. Who was she?! Was she even real? 

"Perill!" Reeve rushed to my side. "Perill, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" 

"She seems to be under some psychological influence," Chip explained. "Her limbic system is as bright as a star. I don't know what's causing it but she keeps talking about this woman."

"Listen, I don't know what a limbo system is but if it's hurting her we need to stop it."

 I could hear Reeve. I could hear everything, but I couldn't respond. Their voices were smudged out of existence and I was in that dark place once again. 

There she was, the beautiful universe woman. She hadn't changed at all since I met her just hours before. I tried to speak. 

"I..he-ll..o," My tongue felt like sap against the roof of my mouth. The woman stood in front of me and leaned down to my eye level. 

"Shh, don't speak darling. You will only create more pain for yourself." Her voice was sweet icing to my ears. My heart pounded harder when her index finger pressed softly against my lips. I wanted to ask her who she was and what she wanted but I couldn't will myself to use my voice or open my mouth. 

"My darling, Perill..we've grown so much these few years, haven't we?" She dragged her finger across my bottom lip and smiled softly at me. My face flushed. 'We?' I thought. 

"Yes, we," She answered me. "Perill, I've been with you since you were born. I picked you because you showed promise." Her voice filtered through my brain; sweet and smooth.

"Who-.." A loud rush of fluid flew down my spine and needles attacked my nerves. I tried to scream but my voice felt held. 

"I am the universe," She stood tall and raised her arms in great glory, her light pulsed. "Many beings have tried to explain my existence but the the only ones that were right and true to their purpose were your parents and your people." She walked around me and I followed, turning my head in her direction over and over. 'She can't be..' I thought, horrified. 

"But, my lovely, I am," She rushed to me and let her hands fall on my shoulders, her eyes were alert and her face was flush. "Say it! We are..!" She screamed, shaking me violently. 

"Hymme...," I croaked. "We are hymme.." The pain lessened and my voice broke. 

"Who are you, Perill?" Her eagerness was scary. It felt like her fingers were nails. "Who are you!?" Her voice no longer felt inviting. My lip trembled. I had no idea what was going on or why she was here. The only thing I could feel was my mother. This moment suddenly stretched into years and I could see my memories with her. Laughing, crying, loving..all of the things I missed. A tear rolled down my cheek and my throat let out a croak of emotion. 

"I am Hymme." The pain ceased and I was back in the real world, no trace of the world I was in just a second ago.