ekstasis

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As soon as he hears my shriek, Alexei scrambles over to me. He bends to his knees, placing a delicate hand on my shoulder.

"Sophie? Soph, look at me."

I manage to tear my gaze away from the snake and our eyes meet, grounding me, if only for a moment.

"Tell me what's wrong."

My breath keeps catching in my throat, and it takes me a moment to stutter out the word.

"S—snake."

"It's just a bad trip, Sophie. I promise," he says, and the stubborn set of his jaw screams earnestness.

"We're all here with you," a girl says. "You're going to be okay."

I blink blearily, turning my face toward her. It's Emma, sitting cross-legged on the grass to my other side, a gentle look in her eyes. As the rest of the clearing comes back into focus, I note that the others have gathered around us as well. Daniel whispers something into another boy's ear, while Christine lingers behind them all, her expression difficult to interpret.

"Back to me, Sophie," Emma says, and I obey, thankful for the direction. Everything feels fuzzy except for Emma and Alexei and the pressure around my thigh. I'm too afraid to look but I can just imagine the snake, winding tighter and tighter.

"How do you feel?" she asks.

"Bad," I croak. "Scared."

"I know," she murmurs, brushing some hair away from my face. "Now, when you're ready, and only when you're ready, I want you to look back down and tell us what you see. Remember, you're not alone."

Alexei gives my hand a reassuring squeeze and I press my eyes shut, focusing on my breathing until I feel some semblance of calm.

Finally, I manage to collect myself enough to open my eyes and look back down at my leg. The snake is still there, but it's no longer hissing. Its fangs are tucked back behind its lips. For a moment, everything is still as we size each other up. Its slitted eyes don't seem so cruel as they did before, but there is something utterly alien to them.

Eventually, it begins to slither further up my thigh, then across my hips and belly.

I tense up, my breath growing shaky once more, but Alexei's voice cuts through it all.

"Sophie? What do you see?"

"It's getting closer," I whisper, doing everything I can to keep from moving.

The snake stops mere centimetres from my face, drawing itself up into the air until it's resting on the back half of its body, its face hovering in the air directly over my own. Once again, we watch each other, me in a terrified stupor and it, just...curious.

Finally, it slides off of my chest and disappears into the long grass.

Remember.

The voice rings out all around me, languid and slippery in a way that no human voice can be.

And then there is only stillness and quiet.

My breathing slows. Driven by an instinct that I haven't felt in years, I cross myself.

"Is it gone?" Alexei asks, and I nod slowly.

"Do you want us to take you back to your dorm?" Emma asks, rocking back on her heels.

I think for a moment, then shake my head. The snake may be gone, but I still feel funny, like the earth is shifting underneath me. This isn't exactly something I want to ride out alone, or explain to Holly.