Alien Tongues ~Humans Spines Book Two~

Looking with Lodely-II

Dumaine

        Oh God. Something's just touched my foot. Not cool, not cool, not cool-

        "Lodely."

        Oh. I begin to wiggle myself free from the cubbyhole that was just big enough for me to slither through if I kept my arms straight in front of me and kind of shimmied to try to get to the glinting thing at the end. Until I got stuck because I got tired and panicked because I thought I couldn't breathe but then I actually couldn't breathe because I began to hyperventilate. I've been laying here for the past five minutes trying to calm back down. Yes, the adventure of finding out that the murderous Dumaine is actually just a claustrophobic nut, how exciting.

        "Lodely, do you think you could help me out? Just sort of, pull." I kick my feet, the only part of me not in the crawlspace. I feel Emmeline's tiny hands wrap around my ankles and-

        Woah. That was fast. I'm lying on the floor now, with Lodely letting go of my ankles. I can breathe again!

        "Thank you. Has it been four hours already?" I brush myself off, slowly standing.

        "Come." She floats out of the room, not even bothering to step around any of the mess I've made and just walking on top of it. I follow her down the hall and into my bedroom. I love getting to say my bedroom.

        She pauses before pushing open the door. "Do not touch."

        And then I'm staring at myself. Well, me from a couple months ago. Me, the day I met Emmeline. Blown up to create a mural. The entire wall is covered in paint, even the closet door. In it I'm sitting on the trash can where I usually busk, on the corner of Dumaine and Chartres. I smile. When Emmeline sees this she's gonna point out that I'm looking at my fingers as I play with my accordion on my lap. This painting is crazy detailed.

        "First memory." Lodely places her fingers on Emmeline's temple.

        "You can see..? You can paint her memories? Are all of them this detailed?" I watch her nod at my questions. If she can paint— wait a second, I gave her food, how did she make this out of berries?

        "Watch." Lodely grabs one of the cherries we gathered off the bed. She holds it up to me like she's about to perform a magic trick. Popping it in her mouth, she waits a moment, chewing it up but not swallowing. She brings her hand to her mouth and...she's spitting it back out. But it's-it's paint! Bright red paint! She's smiling at me, holding the liquid in her already color stained hands. She rubs it all over her fingers, careful not to get any on the floor. Gliding to the bottom corner of the wall, she signs her name, Lodelyelliqorsmus, in quick cursive.

        "This is...I don't even have a word for it! But you are legit! You must have been an artist before becoming a Translucent! Do you remember that at all?" I ask.

        "............Fog." her eyes are glazed over.

        "Are the memories foggy?" I try.

        "No." Her head shakes. "Fog."

        "I don't understand." I glance back at the mural. It really is crazy. I can smell the fresh paint now, and see the thick layers in some spots. How did she do this in only like five hours?

        "Follow." She takes my hand, smothering it in paint, and begins to walk swiftly. I think this is my favorite Translucent.