Crazy is the Name of My Game

( 40 ) Settle the Debt

( 40 ) – Settle the Debt

 

Erica Santos

A wave of nausea caused me to, you know, heave a mess from whatever I had last dinner. Or was it breakfast? I wasn’t so sure. All I could remember was a dim memory of seeing Arc and then a most fascinating display of flickering lights and then the sight of a green, green forest, which, if all were considered, hardly made any sense.

As I emptied the contents of my stomach, a cold hand held my hair away from my damp forehead. I nearly jumped off my skin in fright.

“Are you okay?”

Hello, any brain cells there? I managed to cough my words in between gasps. “Do... I look okay...?”

My companion let out a rich laugh. "Oh, jolly. The tigress is back."

The instant I opened my eyes, I knew that I was dreaming. Or should I say, nightmaring? Was there even such a word? Was this some sort of wicked illusion?

Last time I checked, Jason Greene wasn't borderline nice.  The jerk that I knew would wrinkle his nose and march right out of the room the moment he realized what I was about to do. He wouldn't have stayed by my side. He wouldn't be this close to me. One more inch and he would be cross-eyed by how close our faces were.

Fudge!

Rapidly, I pulled away from him, a move that made my knees unsteady. Thankfully, I slumped away from my vomit and fell on my butt on a cleaner area. Coz’ you know, sitting there would be… disgusting.

I looked around, and all I saw were wooden walls and a wooden table as well as earthly potteries. I blurted out the inevitable question, “Where are we?”

Jason offered me a hand. I suspiciously glared at it, thinking twice whether he would actually pull me up or he would let go of me halfway just to make things awkward for me.

“No time to explain. Come on. Arc is waiting.”

Why was Arc waiting? I was far too stubborn for any confused person, and though I didn’t understand what was going on, there’s no way I would grab his hand. I mean, since when did he become good, to me of all people? It’s just so friggin' unreal.

With the help of the wall, I managed an upright position.

“What are we –“ My thoughts went blank as my gaze fell to the unconscious woman who was leaning against the other side of the wall. Aglaia. She was no doubt… me.

The memories of when our souls were intertwined rushed back to my head. The forbidden love that developed during the months of cleansing, the hasty return to the village, the warrior Dangal… and then the appearance of the Evil Hans Verona. Thinking of them like these, I couldn’t help but panic that I had lost my mind.

“I’m not crazy, am I?”

Jason made a weirded out face. “Unless you think I’m a pink hippo with zebra stripes, I think you’re cleared. Come on.” He pulled me towards the door.

“Wait.” I dug the soles of my feet on the floor. “How about Aglaia?”

“She belongs here in this lifetime. She’s staying.”

“She’s alive, isn’t she?”

Jason looked impatient and irritated. “Yeah, yeah, she is. Let’s go now. Hurry.”

“But, aren’t we going to wake– “

“Talk later.”

I was obstinate. “I can’t leave her –“