~~Young~~

Chapter Fourteen

   She snorted to herself when she figured it out, the Angles of course and the possibility of her being removed from their ranks.

   Or fired.

   She shook her head at herself having solved at least that mystery.

   But when she turned her head she saw more of those same little burns on her cheek, three of them, two about an inch apart on her jaw and one just beside her nose. They seemed so random…but maybe they formed a picture. She tried to connect the dots in the mirror but couldn’t find anything after a few long minutes. There had to be a reason for them didn’t there? That was something she remembered from Chels books, every image, every sound, every smell in a dream has a purpose.

   Well what she could see wasn’t making any sense, she couldn’t hear a damn thing and the only thing she could smell hinted on the chemical side. And since she was in a bathroom that would make sense right?

   Right.

   …or wrong.

   It would make sense in a real world scenario…

   No…no. She had been shot in the real world, was probably in a coma or something somewhere in the real world. Yes, that was it. That’s why this seemed to be going on for so long, she was in a coma. She was hooked up to a bunch of tubes somewhere in some hospital, possibly as a Jane Doe, and without next of kin the doctors wouldn’t be able to do any procedures to change that.

   She took a deep breath and pushed off the counter, having made the concession that she was going to have to exist in this world for a while longer made her feel a little better, a little less anxious. But what to do with herself?

   She eyed the big marble tub, thinking maybe she would take a bubble bath. She couldn’t remember the last one she took, couldn’t ever remember taking one really. Sure she’d been in a spa or two, but she’d never been the type to soak in bubbles the way Chels did. Again she wished her friend would appear in this temporary reality of hers, just so she didn’t feel so alone here.

   Huh, alone. She hadn’t felt alone in years, not since her darkness came to stay. And right now, it didn’t seem to be here. She shrugged that off to being in a dream state and turned both the taps.

   But again she was hit with a sense of urgency as she touched them. Panic, absolute panic settled in her chest and she couldn’t help but rub at it. As soon as it came it left though, just like the last time. Something must be happening in the real world, she thought. Maybe her heart monitor had crashed or something and the doctors were resuscitating her.

   Whatever, that was out there and she was in here.

   She dumped the body wash that she found in the shower stall under the tap, finding it nice not having to worry about what dyes or fragrances they used in the soap. It looked like it was just about ready when she began to hear this odd…vibrating noise. Frowning she looked to the tub and its inviting bubbles, back out to the bedroom, back to the bubbles…then she heard a chirp.

   Okay now she knew what that was. Her cell. She had it on vibrate but it would beep if someone left a voicemail. Leaving the taps on she went in search of the phone when she heard the buzz begin again. Right where she left it…sort of…it was in her coat pocket, though she couldn’t remember hanging it over the back of the chair…or the chair at all for that matter. And what do you know, it was Chelsea.

   “Hey, I wanted you here not on the phone,” Sera said in a way of greeting.

   “What?”