Immortali

Chapter 3- Immortali

The ghostly ceiling stared at her from above. She'd been looking at it for the past half hour, but hadn't really been seeing it. Instead, other images flashed in the back of her mind. She saw the leaves of the tree and the dappled sunlight shining through them. At first, she was seeing them from the branch below, but then the images would change, and she would be slowly falling, watching the wild dance of the leaves as the wind conducted them.

Raina shook herself out of her trance. Every time she relived it, every time she fell from the tree again, her stomach would sink and flip, as though she were falling for a second time. She had to keep reminding herself that she was safe, that it wasn't real. But then she would start thinking, and it wasn't good thinking either. She would ponder if it had actually happened, and if there was some truth in it. What if it was real? She began to ask herself. For a few moments, she let herself accept that it had happened. She'd fallen from a tree. She'd probably broken every bone in her body, but she was fine. How am I fine though? She remembered the clicks and snaps she'd heard after the fall. She remembered the feeling of her bones bending and moving in her arms and legs, and, for a few more moments, she wondered if it was possible that they had mended themselves on their own. Sitting up straight, Raina took many long, deep breaths, trying to recollect herself, but the dangerous thinking wouldn't stop.

What if her bones had mended themselves? What would that even mean? How would it even be possible for her to do that? And, what if it wasn't just bones that could be mended? What if cuts and bruises could heal too?

Raina began hyperventilating. Her heart was like a drum; it's rapidly quickening pace pounding in her head. She felt her insides heave. These thoughts were too dangerous for her to have. She shouldn't even be thinking them. But, as with any dangerous thoughts, they refused to go away. Instead, they taunted her, making her think of the 'what ifs' and 'whys'.

Finally, Raina came to a resolve. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and felt the fluffy carpet beneath her feet. Ensuring that she was as quiet as possible, she walked into the kitchen and located her mother's sewing draw. This would answer all of her questions. This would prove to her that she'd been hallucinating. With gentle hands, she opened the draw and rummaged through it. Her fingers found what they were looking for. They wrapped around the thin piece of metal.

As Raina opened her hand and saw the needle sitting in her palm, her stomach felt queasy. She was still uncertain as to whether or not she should do this. She wished she wouldn't have to, but it was the safest way to prove that she was either crazy, or a freak. Neither option sounded particularly appealing, but at least crazy was treatable.

With shaking fingers, Raina pulled the sliver of silver out of her palm. She positioned it underneath her thumb. She could feel it's sharp tip on her skin.

To prepare her for what was to come, Raina bit her lip and screwed her eyes shut. Her reluctant hand pushed the sharp piece of metal into her thumb. The process was slow, and Raina didn't want to push too deep, just enough to make her bleed a tiny bit. She felt tears well up in her eyes as the needle broke through her skin. Soon, she could feel a tiny wet drop on her thumb.

She opened her eyes and stared at the little blossom of red on her skin. It was tiny, barely noticeable.

Raina held her breath and waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Sighing with relief, she threw the needle back into the draw, as though it were poisonous to touch. But, when she looked back, the little droplet of blood was gone. Any sign of what had just occurred had disappeared.

She felt the world spin, as though she were on a hyped up merry go round for thrill seekers. Her head felt fuzzy, and she was sick to her stomach. Black dots were marring her vision. Thinking fast, Raina turned to the sink and yanked on the tap, letting cool, fresh water flow into its basin. She desperately grabbed a handful and splashed it on her face.