Human Spines

Seeing You-II

Emmeline

        "She insisted upon harboring her riling self from the Great Osinsius by situating her bewhiskered body within my ninth lung. It will not be functional for weeks. No more passing through walls until it is robust again." Amistifer glares in the general direction of Dumaine. "I genuinely hate you." He looks at the wall toward Hans and Lochlan's room, his rapidly healing lips curling into a disgusted frown. "And you. I hate you so much. Not you Hans, I almost like you. But Lochlan. Oh, I wanted to tell you both off so badly, but no, Dindolcon wanted to sit in my lung, forcing me to utter her words. To act how she wanted me to act. I even had to edit myself in the restaurant before she fully took over. That was quite rude, Dindolcon, I am upset by your actions." He looks at Dindolcon, his pink smeared face honestly conveying his hurt feelings. Dindolcon's bony legs begin to turn to the right... and keep turning... until she is no longer facing Amistifer. She folds her legs under her and lays on the ground, her back to him. Like an annoyed cat. "Hey! You're doing it again aren't you! You are simplifying my words!" Father tenses as if he is about to stomp on the ground.

        "And Emmeline, why are you carrying the reporters from Illyvimsius's massacre? I can hear you perfectly fine, and there is no need to report yourself directly to the Reaper-Mother." He comes close, wrapping his still slimy arms around my face.

        "I think it keeps the others from lying, and for emergencies. What if I get hurt and need to be quickly healed? I can just ask one of them to take me," I answer, watching Dindolcon. Her eyes melt shut. Amistifer follows my gaze and hears the questions in my head.

        "Dindolcon said some things about the Opaque that I didn't want her to. I wanted to tell you in a way that would make more sense to you—DINDOLCON, WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP CHANGING MY WORDS?! EVERYTHING SOUNDS TOO SIMPLE! I AM NOT A SIMPLE BEING!" Now he actually does stomp his foot. I think that was the first time I've ever heard him say please.

        "I must say please. She and I are equals, remember?" He lifts me by my shoulders and sets me on the bed beside Dumaine. Very kind of him. "You are also my equal, Emmeline." He folds himself onto the bed so he faces me, keeping one hand around the back of my neck as the other waves and gestures as he speaks to me.

        "Emmeline, there are people who need to be collected. DO NOT COLLECT THEM!" I feel a cold breeze slide across me. "There are also places that need to be gone to. DO NOT GO TO THEM!" The breeze is sucking all the heat from my body. "There are words that need to be said. DO NOT SAY THEM!" I'm cold. "There are beings that need to be killed. DO NOT KILL THEM!" I'm shivering so hard Dumaine is beginning to panic. "There were words that were spoken about the Translucent and the Opaque today. DO NOT REPEAT THEM!"

        I can barely speak, my teeth are chattering so intensely, but I need to. I need to tell him I disagree. I will not lie to Dumaine, Lochlan, or Hans.

        "No, I do not want you to lie. I want you to stay silent." More icy air escapes from Amistifer's mouth.

        Staying silent is lying.

        "So you're lying to me right now, Emmeline. You haven't told me anything about what you're up to, here in New York." He isn't happy with the words I scream in my head.

        Because you already know. You always know what I'm doing.

        "So you've decided you're going to force the information you know upon them? Your friends."

        Yes. Lying is unnecessary.

        "Fine. I'll let you freeze." He stands, grabs a hold of my ankles, and lifts me. I'm whipped upside down, my head nearly slamming against the floor. He pulls me higher. All of this blood is rushing to my head and can't tell if I have feet anymore because I can only feel my head. And Dumaine's hand. I won't let go of it.

        The gelid temperature returns, encasing my body all at once. I feel my food rush to escape through my throat, but it freezes before it can get very far. I'm seeing spots. I don't know why. I'm shivering too much, too quickly, and it hurts. I can hear someone talking, but I can't make out their words or voice because all I can hear are these spots that I'm seeing and all I can feel is this ice I am tasting.

        My head is being set down, gently. My shoulders, my back, my body is being laid on a bed. Exhaustion is washing over me. Covers are thrown across me and they're so warm. My heart beats lazily, forcing the need to sleep. I'm holding two hands now. Warmth seeps from one while arctic energy bleeds from the other. My eyes find comfort under my eyelids as all this blood inside me evens out again. But I am still so cold.

        There's nothing wrong with going to sleep, right? I can just drift off now, right? Good night, Dumaine. I want to say. But I'm already asleep.

Dumaine

        I like people. I really do. But sometimes there's just this absolute need to tear them apart. And I know it's wrong, but I don't understand why. New ones are born every day. If the ones that get killed were so special, they wouldn't have gotten killed. That's what makes sense to me. I understand a lot of people would say I'm "what's wrong with this world" if they heard me say that. But I don't think there's anything wrong with this world. How could there be? There's no alternate world we can compare this one to. We live in the best and worst versions of this world. Everything that happens is what is supposed to happen simply because it's what did happen.

        Emmeline's hand has gotten cold in mine. Like she's being dipped in ice water. Her lips are quickly turning blue. Her teeth chatter while her body shivers. She doesn't look away from what I'm hoping is Amistifer beside her. She's still getting colder. This isn't a safe temperature. I need to do something. What do I do?

        I'm ripping the blankets off the empty bed across from us. I move to fling them over her but she's stood up, her hand progressing to frostbitten temperatures. Why's Amistifer doing this to her?

        Lochlan has busted through the door, Hans a step behind him. "Good fathers don't dangle their children upside down! I know you want to be a good father, so put her back and stop benumbing her body!"

        Nothing changes. Hans steps around Lochlan, peering at the space beside Emmeline.

        "I see you. I see you're worried. Because... you don't want me to say why. Especially not in front of her. Just the thought of saying it out loud twists your insides nearly to death. It would worry me too, but I think the waiting would kill me." Warmth blossoms from Hans's smile. He steps forward, squinting. "I think he might be more mad though, if you hurt her than if you listen to what I'm saying. He's used to talking to humans. He respects most of us." He glances at Emmeline just for a moment. "It isn't even your fault Dindolcon told her all that. It's actually his fault and he knows it." Tears have begun to soak Hans's eyes when his head nods in understanding. Now it hangs, shaking as he speaks. "So much needs to be taken care of, doesn't it? The Reaper-Mother isn't helping. You want to hand it off to the others, but you know how things really work. 'Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.'"

        Everyone is still. Emmeline's feet drag as she moves toward the bare bed like a string-controlled puppet. She lies face down, her frozen hand still in mine. I grab the blankets I ripped off and throw them over her. She's so cold. For a moment all is still as she breathes. Her hand slips out of mine and lays outstretched, still reaching. She's asleep. And she's stopped shivering.

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