What's Said in Silence

Vessel-XXXXI

My fingers lazily stroked through her hair as the night waned through, the softness of the strands slipping through my fingers like silk. Moonlight washed over her features, bathing them in a pale glow that made it impossible to tear my eyes from- regardless of how badly I needed sleep. 

Somewhere in our frenzied haze, we had made it to my room. It had been a long while since I'd had a woman, but never have I brought one into my bedroom. Sera was the first. Then again, she always seemed to bypass any rules I may have thought I had- or ones that had been set for me.

Goosebumps prickled the hair on my arms and my breath began to come out in tiny puffs of fog, effectively pulling me from the trance I'd been in. I pulled the blankets tighter over us as the room grew colder. I studied her face, looking for any indication of her feeling the chill as well. 

Her face was relaxed and she looked to be more at peace than ever, completely unaware of what was about to transpire. Oblivious to the fact that my thoughts had summoned my deity like a siren call. I debated for a moment getting out of the room so she wouldn't wake up to witness the havoc of supernatural infliction, but I likely wouldn't make it to the door. My jaw clenched tightly and I hoped it would be sufficient enough to keep me quiet once the pain started.

I waited and waited but...nothing. I took a glance around the room. I couldn't see her but I could feel her sinister energy. Like a serpent in a current of water, moving undetected and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. 

I sat up, scanning all of the shadows against the moonlight for a strand of white hair, a pair of glowing eyes, a curl of a gold sash, anything identifiable. I was almost certain that she may have changed her mind, deciding against punishing me with Sera so closely. I should be so fortunate.  

Sera tensed beside me, all of her muscles going rigid as she contracted into a fetal position. I gripped her shoulder and shook her while calling her name but every attempt at waking her up proved futile. An all too familiar twist of pain took over her features. It was a look I was sure I'd worn many times beneath my mask, and only one cause of it.

"Leave her out of this!" I yelled into the darkness. I continued to shake her, trying to wake her from whatever nightmare the deranged spirit was feeding her. "These are my sins, not hers!" I pleaded with the air around us. I had never felt so helpless. I knew full well what this deity was capable of and now Sera was at her disposal.

My previous methods have proven ineffective.

I clutched her tight to my chest as she began to thrash out. Her legs kicked and her head shook as her nightmare progressed. Her muscles pulsed beneath me as her thrashing grew more rampant and her breathing became erratic. 

"What evil are you plaguing her with?" I demanded. I knew just how vicious she could be, but I couldn't tell if she was torturing her mentally or physically. The temperature plummeted from cold to arctic. I pulled the blanket tighter around us, cursing myself for ever dragging her into this. 

Selfish. Foolish. Thoughtless.

Tears slipped from beneath her eyelids, soaking her pinked cheeks. Her lips parted as she gasped through quiet sobs. Her brows knitted together and her skin grew damp with sweat despite the cold. I swiped my thumb across her cheek, wanting nothing more than to trade places with her at that moment.

It would appear that the object of your desires is no saint herself.

Every muscle in my body froze, as if it was waiting for the full impact of her words. "What is that supposed to mean?" I yelled, my confusion mixing with my frustration. Realization dawned on me. She was the deity of sleep. She could see someone's truest fears, greatest desires, and can pull fragments of their memories forward through their subconscious.

My gaze fell back on Sera's troubled countenance. Slivers of the conversation with Jessie passed through my mind along with memories of Sera looking at her phone with a similar expression on her face. Jessie had told me some of her story but said he couldn't tell me anything else. Still, I had assumed he had told me the bulk of the story. It would seem as though there was more left unsaid than I had realized. 

Sera hadn't given me a reason to invade the privacy of her subconscious, then again, it had never been so accessible like this. An internal war waged in my mind, leaving me caught between black and white, searching for the grey areas and justification but finding none. I couldn't help the part of me that wanted to know everything I could about her. I knew I would resent myself for using my deity against her, but my curiosity had been piqued. A guilt-ridden whisper fell from my lips. "What are you seeing?" 

Crimson stains her hands just as much as her heart.

Cryptic as always. Dammit. My mind became a muddled mess trying to decipher the meaning of her words. So much so, I hadn't realized the room had returned to normal temperature or that Sera was no longer shaking, though her brows were still scrunched and a sheen of sweat glistened across her forehead. 

I looked around the room, searching for any lingering evidence of my deity and found none. She had never left in such a gentle manner before. Her typical modus operandi consisted of abrupt arrivals and disorienting departures. Then again, she had used a different method to get under my skin this time, one I never saw coming.

One that just might have succeeded.