Inveigle

Chapter Twenty-Four: 33 Funerals

Once the bleeding stopped, I excused myself to go upstairs and clean up. I stood in the shower, letting the water rinse the blood off my face. Even the light stream of water left my face hot and throbbing. There was a bar of soap in the green, somewhat mildewy shower, and a bottle of shampoo that had been filled with water to get the remnants of soap from the sides. I reached for the watery, shampoo when my world went from dizzy to black in an instant. I looked around. My hands were very clear despite being outlined by black. I felt nothing, which was strangely normal contrasted to the pain that had been throbbing across my face just moments ago.

"Let me go!"

Pathos? The name I had thought echoed around me. I was in my own mind again.

Suddenly, the two siblings stood in front of me, brother and sister. Logos let go of his sister's wrist. Pathos collapsed onto her knees, and I saw tears hit the blackness and disappear. I could feel the hurt in her heart, as if it were my own.

"Look at the girl," Logos said calmly standing beside his grief stricken sister. "She is nothing like him, or any of the others."

"Like who?" I asked.

Pathos stood up and swept over to me. It was as if her feet floated above the black ground. Her white cloaked hand reached toward my face and she brushed my cheek. She turned my chin toward her gaze. Her gray, purple eyes met mine examiningly. I watched them change back to their normal blue. "I don't know if any human should have our full power again, but maybe you-"

"Cora!" The shout was followed by the sound of a breaking door handle.

I'm naked. Was my first thought.

"I'm okay," I shouted from the floor of the bathtub.

The yellowed shower curtain moved a centimeter when it stopped at the sound of my voice. I could see the shadow of Sam's hand hovering.

Holy shit, I'm freezing. was my second thought. The water streaming down on me was ice cold.

How did I end up on the floor? was my third thought. She's nothing like him floated through my mind, and I remembered the brief meeting in my head.

"It's been almost an hour, what happened?" Sam asked. His hand shadow still hovered over the curtain ready to pull it back if I didn't respond.

"I must have passed out," I managed to get out. My teeth were chattering. I pulled my body to a seated position, but instantly felt nauseous. I became aware of the pounding in my nose again, and a new pain on the side of my head. I must have hit it when Logos pulled me into my mind.

"For God's sake, Cora, turn off the water."

I reached forward, slowly, every movement made me feel like I was about to vomit. I was too slow, I saw his hand reach in and turn the handle for me. Then his hand reappeared with a towel. I took it and shakily wrapped it around myself.

"Decent?" Sam asked nervously.

"Yes," I managed to chatter out.

The curtain was flung back. Sam reached down and lifted me off the bottom of the shower floor.

I spent the rest of the day in a darkened bedroom under piles of blankets. As I lay shivering, I replayed the conversation between Pathos and Logos. But what? What was she going to say? Do they not trust me? Who was the 'him' last time? I asked these over and over again, but neither would answer me. Maybe I'm going nuts.

No, you're not going nuts.

Shut up, Logos. You're making it worse, I thought back. Trying to put as much of a snarky tone as I could into my thought.