Inked

IV

I felt like I was dreaming. Everything was so bright and my body felt almost weightless. Almost feather like in a sense.  It felt as if I was being lifted into the air by an unknown force.

The only thing that was hurting me was my breathing and the ink scrolled on my arm burned red hot against my flesh. An itching sensation spread across the ink, but I didn't know if I had the strength to itch it in my state. Was Zayn's was burning too? Or was I just the odd one out? 

"You can open your eyes now," I heard Kaleb's amused voice. Until now,  I didn't even realize that I was squeezing my eyes shut. Slowly, opening my eyes to the world around me and it just looked normal. I thought maybe it would have looked a bit more mystical or a bit more beautiful,  but we were in some kinda of school campus. A normal brick  building. There were kids everywhere, all dressed in the same uniforms. They weren't terrible uniforms. The guys wore a dark blazer with what I am guessing is the school's insignia on the left side. They could wear any pants of their choice. The girls wore the same blazer, with three different skirt options. Black, red or dark purple.

"And we are where?"  Zayn's eyes scanned the perimeter. I'm not sure exactly he was looking at. His attention bounced from thing to thing. 

Kaleb let out a small chuckle,"St. Jaskive. Your guys' new home," My eyes got wide as I stared at Zayn, who seems unfazed. Face blank of any real emotion that I started to doubt if he was capable of any. 

"New home?" I questioned. What about my family? Though, none of us really got along I'm sure that they'd miss me right? They have to. I am stuck with someone that can read my thoughts at a place I never even heard of before. No one is going to notice I am missing? 

"Yep, you guys will get your dorm number, your class schedule, and since I am your Silver, you can talk or come to me with any questions. I will explain everything in a timely manner," Kaleb tried reassuring me, which wasn't helping too much. He wasn't giving us any kind of background information. Maybe tell us why we are here and what this whole thing is about. We just were teleported for fucks sake.   

"Question one, what the fuck is a Silver?" Zayn asked harshly. I was kinda glad he did though, it stopped me from asking.

"A Silver is a person whose other Existence died," Kaleb said wearily. I frowned and waited for him to explain even more, but I don't think he was going to tell us anything until we asked, which only mad me even more impatient. 

"And an Existence is?" I pushed for an answer.

"What you and Zayn are. You guys are two halves of an Existence. If one of you dies, the other becomes a Silver," he tells us. I breathed in and kept my eyes close. All of this was way too much to take on at once. It felt like my head was spinning and everything around me wasn't real. 

"How did we even become Existences? What really is it?" pressing for answers, I stared at Kaleb. 

"An Existence is when you share a death with someone. Either someone killed the both of you, someone murdered another and within minutes killed themselves too, or anything like that. Zayn hit you with his car last night. You both died. Alexandriana died from the impact and Zayn died from the car crash. You guys are no longer living. Think of it as limbo, or a second chance. The next time you are killed, you are dead for good," The explanation was almost as frightening as the actual meaning. 

"Can we just get our fucking dorm now? I'm tired." Zayn growled.  How was he okay with this? Not knowing anything, but the very little that we already do. How can he trust this much of Kaleb because we barely fucking know him. I stayed quiet, not daring to make another sound and keeping to myself.  This isn't what I imagined my life being.

"Two hundred fourteen." Kaleb said. I nodded and started walking to somewhere I didn't know. My legs carrying me somberly away, my eyes glued to the ground afraid that if I look up I'm going to have to face reality. The air around me felt thick and weighed heavily on my skin. The dewy moisture made it uncomfortable and unpleasant. 

"Wait!" I heard Zayn call. I turned around slightly, only looking at him from an angle.  Hee was holding a piece of paper and a key. His strides were big and confident and I felt outrage towards him that he did this to me. 

"I never got a name from you." He said once he reached me.

"Alexandriana, but you will call me Alex and only Alex." I said like it was scripted. Since everyone made fun of my name and or  got it wrong.

"That's a long name." Zayn muttered. I sighed an annoying sigh and placed my hands on my hips. 

"Surprising that you even care." I muttered and turned back around.