REBIRTH

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"Would you stop dying for hell's fires sake?" were the first words I heard when I regained consciousness. Again the words were not spoken, but it was clearly a command. Holly shit! I was still in the dream. Aw fuck, it hurt. I recognized the voice or presence of the Lord's minion who had incidentally shattered my heart.

"No" I managed to utter the word but used too much power, it seemed I needed to learn to calibrate my energy to match the functions of my new body. The single word sounded too loud and odd, the way people sound when they're wearing headphones listening to loud music while speaking. I felt his annoyance at my defiance, but I didn't dare open my eyes lest his eyes still held the hatred they had the last time I gazed at them. The mere memory sent my heart stumbling into a very dark place, but before I could freak out I felt a wave of peace invade my body. I was willing to bet the left arm of this body it was him doing it, as a matter of fact, I was willing to bet the entire body so long as I could go. "Let. Me. Go." I pleaded like a person trying out the words for the first time.

"Not until you tell me who put you up to this. Then, if you do not perish on your own, I will gladly do it for you" the hatred in his words was softened only by the beautiful tenor of his voice. When he spoke I had to try to relax the borrowed-body and take a deep breath to fully appreciate the effect it had on me. After it passed, the question registered and I inadvertently opened my eyes and luckily was met with a less contemptuous glare than the one that had sent me straight to hell earlier. Thank the Lord for small mercies.

"Stop. Looking. Me. Like. That." I said and turned away embarrassed in an attempt to conceal the inexplicable hurt that must have been so obvious on my face.

"Why are you here? Who sent you? You have some nerve coming back..." he said ignoring my request. The part that was left unsaid was you bitch. I don't know how I knew it, but I did and it hurt. Damned this pain and the owner of this body who should be feeling it, not me!

"I. Don't. Know. What. You. Are. Talking. About." My speech was getting a bit faster, but still sounded awkward and labored. Not so loud anymore, but awkward nonetheless.

"Whoever put you up to this cruel joke must have trained you well. I am almost convinced of your ignorance and confusion. Almost. But the pain you feign to feel? Oh you are good..." He spitted out each word, and it made me wish that he went back to not speaking.

"Please stop. I'll die now, and save you the trouble of having to kill me" finally I was speaking almost normal. I wasn't sure if I could die on command or if I had to be under duress, but I was willing to give it a shot, anything was better than feeling someone else's devastating feelings and knowing he was willing to do away with me as soon as he got whatever answers he was looking for hurt like a mother...

"I'm sure you'd love that, it would be just like..." Thankfully he didn't get a chance to finish whatever awful thing he was about to say because a beautiful red haired woman threw the door open and flung herself into his arms without even pausing to notice me. Tears streaming down her gorgeous face, she held on to him for dear life. I don't know how but I knew she wasn't taking from him, she was giving him comfort.

I could clearly feel her emotions. Sort of how when you walk into a room where there's tension, and you can immediately feel it. Only her emotions were not tense. Sacrificing accuracy, my mind began to put her emotions into words somehow. I guess because that is the only way I knew to process thoughts and feelings, I had a need to label them. Hers were of love and compassion, but for what?

"Be at peace dear one, what troubles you so? What is this pain you feel?" she transmitted over and over to him as I laid paralyzed on the floor. I don't think I had ever felt more uncomfortable and, why not admit it, murderously jealous in my life. I wanted to be the one giving him comfort. I wanted to be the one to hold him and tell him it would all be ok. Whatever needed to be OK, I was supposed to make it all better. Not her, she had about ten seconds to remove her paws from him or I would find a way to get up and cut the bitch.