Eternal Silence - Sigils

Chapter 4 - Set Alight:

“It’s much colder here than I realized…” I shivered as I moved my hands over the surface of my skin on my upper arms.

“You can change that.” A man’s voice replied as a pair of arms draped around my shoulders.

“Is this where it all used to be?” I asked looking out at a land filled with ash and lingering thick fog.

I felt him nod as he moved his head to the side of mine and rested it there. His warmth was calming, his breathing was helping me cope and anchoring my pace. His smell was hypnotic and exactly what I needed at this moment to manage.  The question of how I was going to do it, I wasn’t too sure of yet.

“You still have a long road ahead of you, to repaint this picture into what it always was, or the something new you want it to be.” He told me and I moved so I could look at him.

It was so gripping. The intensity of my pounding heart in my chest when my eyes met his was overwhelming. My breath feverish and short just being in front of him, was a mixture of feelings and symptoms, all of which I had to learn how to control. He didn’t make it easy. His eyes shone as I met his gaze again, he took me by my waist and turned me to face him fully before resting his hands on my hips and placing his perfectly shaped lips on mine.

I raised my right hand to the back of his neck, as he rested his forehead against mine. I kept my eyes closed while his fingers were playing around my hips.

“It is time to go now….” He said and the wind began picking up all around us with ash flying and what was left of dried up trees and leaves.

I frowned and shook my head as the wind was making tremendous amounts of noise. I was swept off my feet by the strong air, while desperately still clinging to his hand. He seemed to be so calm as he smiled and let the wind take me away.

“I am so glad I finally found you!” His voice echoed all the way as I tossed and twirled through the massive amounts of fog that formed all around me.

I breathed in deeply as I got my breath back and shot up straight to my feet. I began coughing as I opened my eyes and the rays of sunshine began piling in, I felt as if my retinas were being burned.

“Why in all that is good is it so bright in here?” I asked with a hoarse voice, coughing a little and trying to adjust to the light in the room.

“Oh my god! You are awake” Echo squealed and popped right out of her seat, “Sorry for the brightness, Frank here suggested it might help…”

“It still could be the reason she is awake…” He replied throwing his arms in my direction to clearly state his point.

“How would sunlight help exactly?” I asked with only one of my eyes open and the other closed.

“Because…like…flowers need sun. It is a source of energy. I don’t know, just thought maybe it would help” He explained as I chuckled softly and Echo slapped his shoulder.

“Please go call someone and tell them she is awake,” She told him as he got out his seat and scurried on out the door.

“Sorry, let me close it for you.” Echo walked closer and shut the blinds that were a few inches away from me.

When I finally opened my eyes fully and adjusted to the new light setting in the room, I noticed that this room wasn’t one I was familiar with.

“Erm…Echo…why am I in the hospital?”

“Because you simply scared the living s**t out of me and you’ve been out for two days.” She calmly and sweetly replied standing next to my bed, plumping my pillows.

“Please be a dear and elaborate, because the last thing I remember was looking at bands through the side stage” I claimed and laid back with my upper body om my very soft pillows.

“That is where we were,” Echo began and Frank came back standing at the foot of my bed, “but then suddenly you were on your knees and you passed out.”

“When we were done playing imagine my disappointment knowing all those people gathered backstage wasn’t for me…” Frank joked and Echo shushed him.

“That was it, actually.” She ended it anti-climatically.

“Then para-bing para-boom here you are, fast forward two days later.”  Frank finished the story with a cheesy Italian accent, and the two of them nodded in unison at me.

I frowned, I couldn’t remember anything other than getting a headache and needing to sit down for a moment. I’ve never been prone to fainting or anything, so why was my body acting up?

At that moment a nurse in her neatest uniform walked in smiling. She made her way to the other side of my bed and poked at the bag that was connected to my arm a few times.

“Nice to finally see you awake, miss Winter.” She greeted while opening a chart and started to write in it, “How are you feeling?”

“I feel good. Like a had a long relaxing nap.” I answered her and she looked at me through the top of her glasses.

“How…interesting. Never heard that one before from a patient.” She smiled at me before pressing a few buttons on the machines above me. “The doctor should be here in a moment or two and after his examination, we’ll know if you can go home or stay here with us.”

“Thank you.” I smiled as she walked out.

“You honestly feel that refreshed?” Frank asked me baffled with an eyebrow raised so high it could brush the ceiling.

“I do, actually. I feel calm and energized. I don’t have any pains that I am aware of so, that is a good thing” I replied, moving my feet up and down under the covers.

“I for one am glad. I think you have just been stressed and your body needed rest” Echo gave her medical opinion on the matter.

We heard a little faint knock coming from the doorway and all three of us shot our heads in that direction.

“Dude!” Frank beamed and walked over to hug him, “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to check up and find out if everything was okay.” The guy smiled and looked straight at me.

Right then I saw it. I froze completely, I just sat there staring at him with my eyes wide, not sure of how to react.

“No way!” I said softly as I grabbed Echo’s arm and she got a little fright from it.

“You okay there?” She asked me while I was still staring at the guy in the doorway.

“Think it is possible to dream of someone you have never met before?” I asked while briefly shifting my eyes to her with a very disturbed look on my face.

She shrugged at me, but before she could start her sentence, she was interrupted by Frank walking over.

“Arlia, this is the guy who probably saved your life,” Frank told me while his arm was around the guys’ neck.

“Thanks for saving my life…I guess?” I laughed, looking up at him slightly as they made their way to the right side of the bed I was laying in.

A small smile appeared on his face as he extended his hand towards me, “I am Athan”

“…Hi” I said softly and placed my hand in his.

A tingling sensation spread across my body within an instant of our hands touching. My stomach made somersaults and it felt like waves were crashing against rocks. Everything melted away until a high-pitched screech began roaming in my ears again, snapping me right back to reality.

Frowning from the discomfort I retreated my hand at once and placed my hands firmly over my ears, but it only continued and became louder as each second passed. With my eyes closed, I raised my knees to my chest, laying my forehead on them. This sensation began feeling like fire rushing through me, the next sound I heard was my ears popping and I opened my eyes to Frank’s backpack that was on fire.

“Oh my God, what the…” Echo exclaimed surprised looking at the small flame on the floor next to the chair where they were previously sitting.

Frank began jumping in place not sure of what to do, while he made weird sounds from not being able to think straight. I believe that is when he ran into error mode. Athan looked back to the bedside table and grabbed the pitcher of water before throwing it out on the fire, making sure to put it out before it triggered the fire alarm.

“Die!” Frank yelled and began stomping on a wet backpack with everything he had.

Echo looked at me with her mouth wide open and somewhat pointing to the whole situation. I shrugged at her not sure of what happened, I had my eyes closed the whole time trying to fight a ringing in my head.

“Well, that seemed normal” Echo broke the ice.

“So, I am not the only one thinking we have a fire bender running amuck?” I joked and everyone chuckled.

“You probably forgot to put a cigarette out again, didn’t you?” Echo slapped Frank on the shoulder when he finally found a chance to breathe again.

You could see Frank had no idea how to answer because it was very likely he left a cigarette halfway lit and threw it in his backpack.

“s**t happens?” He answered her carefully, pulling his face in a way that he was anticipating being hit again.

Echo began slapping him on the arm continuously, “I. Told. You. It. Is. A. Bad. Habit. Look at it spontaneously setting things on fire.” 

After Athan placed the pitcher back safely on the bedside table, we mischievously looked at the little affectionate love battle of the two lovebirds in the room.

“Ugh, now we have to clean this up. Come on.” Echo said, pointing to the door as Frank sulked heading the way his girlfriend was walking.

“Was that the first time?” Athan asked I couldn’t help but frown.

“What? Echo hitting Frank? Not even close.” I answered laughing because Frank did a lot of stupid things Echo hated because she was scared that he could get hurt.

“No, I meant you summoning fire.”

Now I was speechless. I think my face showed my confusion because Athan sighed almost as if he was relieved.

“You think I did that party trick?” I pointed to the half-incinerated backpack.

Now Athan wore a smirk like he knew something I didn’t. I couldn’t help but stare at him, my eyes stared at his dark blue jeans, and followed the lines that his hand were making in his pocket. He had wristbands around his wrist, of all sorts, mostly black and brown leather with a few colourful stones in some of them. His shirt was folded up to his elbows, as you could see the button poking out from it not being done too neatly. His shirt wasn’t buttoned at all, he only wore a graphic t-shirt underneath the other, with a chain that had another stone attached to it. It hung right in the middle of his chest, with a few symbols engraved around the stone.

His eyes were a mixture of light green and brown, with an allure about them. I could feel the impact those eyes had, all the stories they could tell, all the things they have already seen. His hair was pitch black, hanging about ear length, as his fingers tucked a few wavy strands of hair behind his ear. I just wanted to touch him. He felt unreal to me, even though he stood right next to me. I was fully intrigued by him, but why?

Could it be because he was the man in my dream, that embraced me from behind? Is it even possible to dream about someone you haven’t met at all?

“You are trouble, aren’t you?” I told him and now he was the one laughing.

“I guess there is a lot to talk about.” He began and looked at his phone, “But there is a time and place for everything, and sadly this isn’t it. Just keep in mind to not be scared and remember that you are in control.”

“Of what?” I asked confused as he began walking backwards slowly, “Wait, no. You stay!”

“I am not a dog.” Athan chuckled mocking me. “Soon. I promise.”

Within a blink of an eye, he was gone. Poof. What the actual eff. Did I imagine him, was I still dreaming? I would pinch myself, but I have tried that before in a dream and nothing happens, ever.

Who was this guy?