Painted

Chapter Three

It felt like I was shrouded in darkness. I could not see and neither could I feel. It's as if my whole body had went numb. I wanted to reach out to call for help because the darkness was too eerie for me to handle but I can't move my arms. I decided to use another alternative but when I opened my mouth, no sound emerge. That's when I knew something had gone terribly wrong. When I was close to giving up and decided to succumb to the darkness, I felt something heavy on my chest.

I was forced to open my eyes. Slowly, I lifted my eyelids. Bright light pierced my eyes and I groaned, shutting it back. It's too bright for me to handle but during the period I opened my eyes, I could have sworn that I'm currently in a room. A mewing sound could be heard. Curious, I opened my eyes again and when my vision cleared, I noticed a black cat sitting on my chest. It looked at me with bright green eyes. I gasped at its beauty. Those eyes resembles emeralds and they were so bright that they could illuminate an entire dark forest.

The cat leaped off my chest and trotted out of the room. I turned to try and figure out where it's headed for but as soon as I turn, a sharp pain pierced my body. It's as if hundreds of needles had just pierced my body. I groaned and returned to my original position. Turning my head slightly to my right, I noticed that the curtains were drawn back. There were several mountains beyond the window and I could see the tips of tall trees, trying to grow as tall as the mountains but will never succeed for all eternity.

Where...am I? I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to remember where was I previously before I came here but I couldn't seem to remember anything. Strange. My head hurts whenever I tried to think of the past events. Why? Why couldn't I remember a single thing? Do I even remember my name and age? I exhaled, trying to calm myself down. I wanted to get up but I couldn't because if I move, I'll feel that sharp pain again.

The door opened slightly and an extraordinary woman entered. I gaped when I caught sight of her at the corner of my eye. She looks just like a porcelain doll! Her entire skin was white and painted with some kind of design I could hardly decipher. She has black hair and a beautiful face. She definitely doesn't look human, I told myself. She looked a little odd. Not because of her appearance but her face which doesn't seem to have any expression on them. I tried to shrink away from her but my body wouldn't obey me. Damn! What's she going to do now?

She seems to be carrying a box with her as she neared the bed. She sat at the edge and reached out to brush some strands of hair away from my forehead. Her touch was so gentle and warm that all of my doubts about her vanished. When her hand pulled away from my skin, I suddenly began craving for more of her touch. "It's alright. You'll be fine now. I'm going to change your dressings. It'll take awhile and you might feel pain but the pain will go away in an instant." She whispered.

I nodded slightly, unable to speak due to the intense pain at my lower back. She looked to be in her early twenties. I could have sworn she's taller than me or maybe just around my height since I'm pretty tall too. I noticed that her expression didn't change. She looked cool and calm the entire time. She opened the box and rummaged the contents. The black cat entered again but this time, there's a bowl of water hovering in the air beside him. The bowl of water floated to the woman and landed on the bedside table. She turned slightly and acknowledged the cat. "Thank you, Mikiel."

"Looks like he's awake." Mikiel turned and fixed his bright green eyes on mine again. I was at a loss for words. This is too much! A talking cat and a woman who looks like a porcelain doll. Don't tell me that I'm in a household of demons right now! The cat noticed my unease and leaped onto the bed, landing right on my pillow. "Young man, this is not Hell." He said, his eyes glittering as if he could read my thoughts.

"Then...where..?" I croaked. My throat felt very dry. It's hard for me to speak. The woman noticed this and quickly placed a glass of water close to my mouth. I took a small sip and felt better.