The Battle of Our Minds: Flesh and Blood

Awakening

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" she cried. She heaved desperately, fighting to regain control of her breath. She felt like it was her chest that had been ripped open.

Julian looked at her in confusion. Zander and Aubrey looked at one another, something unspoken existed between the two.

"What was what? What did you see?"

Julian asked this question as if he was going to spring into action based on whatever she responded. She didn't realize, until this very moment, how influential she actually was. How they looked at her like she was their leader. She didn't say yes to that. She said yes to serving the Light - to saving people from the Darkness that captivated and confiscated their souls. She was a college freshman, even if they looked at her like she was some great creature of strength. She'd never felt weaker, more vulnerable, or more confused in her life.

And that dream. The blood. Everly closed her eyes and squeezed them shut as tight as she could. She squeezed them until they hurt and she could feel a headache coming on. She wanted that image out of her head. She wanted the blood off of her hands. She could understand now how Lady Macbeth went insane. The feeling of hot, wet blood on your hands is one that doesn't go away. How could she feel the blood?

This wasn't just a vision.

This was real.

And she wasn't about to tell the other perceivers about it. Not for a second. They would fear her.

I know I'm not a murderer, she thought to herself. I could never do that. It's probably just some crazy trip from the brand. Or maybe I passed out and it was just a dream.

Everly worked to convince herself that whatever she saw wasn't real, but why did it feel that way?

"Everly, tell me how you feel," prompted Aubrey.

Her eyes were enraptured, like she was living vicariously through Everly in this moment. Aubrey was a pretty girl and unusually petite compared to the other Nephilim, she had rich, chocolate-colored eyes and a wavy bronze lob that stopped right below her shoulders.

"Um...how am I supposed to feel?"

Zander spoke up, "First, like you got hit by a truck. Then after that, everything changes."

He smiled wide with brilliant white teeth. His eyes were like two black marbles. He had expertly spiked black hair and translucent skin. Zander, like most of the Nephilim, looked like a movie star.

"After the 'I just got hit by a truck' feeling wears off, you'll then begin to feel...well...you'll see."

He smiled knowingly, like Everly was about to be in for the ride of her life.

Her three cohort members watched as Everly began to change. At once, her skin began to develop a brilliant glow of golden light. A warm glow shone beneath the surface of her skin, illuminating her body. She was radiant. She looked down at her arms in wonder, taking in the cleansing luminescence of the Light.

The wound on the back of her neck began to experience a strange sensation. She reached to her nape, where she then felt nothing left but a raised "P" in its place. Her skin had miraculously healed. Other places on her skin - bruises and small cuts from her trail runs - began to transform. They dissolved into her skin until nothing else remained. Not a scratch.

A strange tingling began vibrating through her limbs. It was similar to the feeling of having your foot fall asleep, but she didn't lose feeling. Instead, after the tingling subsided, she felt a strength within her surge and a newfound spike of energy. She could feel her powers of perception increase. It wasn't just that she could see, hear, or feel more – she was already capable of all three to the fullest extent. It was that, now, she felt like she had control over her powers - she could fight the demons of Darkness without freezing up like she did in the club. Without the brand, she could only face up to two or three demons at a time without getting paralyzed by their presence. With the brand, she instinctively knew that she could face countless. She wasn't limited by her humanity anymore.