Page 24 of Crystal Iris
I lift my hands to my face. She hands me a towel.
“It’s only been eight minutes, but… your nose started to bleed.”
I stare at the red-soaked dish towel.
She continues, “And your eyes… they were white, completely rolled up. I… It was terrifying.”
“I didn’t feel… anything,” I tell her, realizing my head now hurts. “I saw him, and I wasn’t me—I was the light, the violet light. I have to go back.” I’m happy it worked. I’m excited, even. I wanted to stay longer.
“No way!” She’s already putting out the candle and getting rid of the glass of water.
“I have to, he was about to?—”
“I don’t care if he was about to kiss you.”
“No, that’s not what I was going to say. I wasn’tme.”
She’s no longer paying attention.
“Akira, nothing happened.”
“Oh, really? Go look in the mirror.” She gestures to my face.
“It’s just a nosebleed, probably from the dry air.”
“This wasn’t a little nosebleed, Iris. Your face, you were…”
“What?”
“I don’t know, different. Not… yourself.”
“You don’t understand. I have to go back. I need to know more.”
“Not today.” She’s assertive.
“It’s not up to you.” I sound like a teenager.
“I’m not sticking around to see you get hurt, or worse.”
“What’s worse than getting hurt?”
“If you want to do this alone, go ahead, but I’m not helping you again.”
I try to stand up and suddenly feel very dizzy. She holds me steady.
“Shit,” I say, sitting back down on the couch.
“I shouldn’t have helped you in the first place. Look at you.”
“Yes, you should have, and I’m fine. I just need… to sit for a second.”
“If you’re not you there, then how can you even… communicate with him?”
“I tried to talk, but I had no voice.”
“So what do you want to do? Watch him?”
“I was hoping I could… I don’t know, find out who he is.”
