the couch and I slouched on to the armchair beside him. I felt like a truck had hit me.
“Well, that was a hell of a New Year’s Eve,” my mom murmured, sitting by Tristan’s side and placing the back of her hand on his forehead to feel his temperature. “Jeez, he’s burning up!”
She went to the hallway closet and brought back a towel, some sheets and a warm blanket. She was drying Tristan’s face and hair with the towel when I felt a wave of nausea hit me like a brick wall, and my stomach finally gave up. I covered my mouth and ran quickly upstairs to the bathroom. My mom appeared at my side, and held my hair while I threw up.
This scene was repeated three times. The fourth time, my mom was bypassing concern city and heading straight to freaking-out town. I don’t know how many times a person could throw up in one evening, but I’ll bet I was going for the record! I didn’t even have anything left to vomit any more; my stomach just kept contracting with empty spasms. And my head! Good God, my head felt like it was going to explode!
“Okay! That’s it. There’s something seriously wrong with the both of you. I’m taking you two to the hospital! Go downstairs and wait for me. Now, where did I leave the car keys?” Mom rambled in obvious panic.
I left her there and dragged myself downstairs, stopping at the front door. I felt horrible; I just wanted to curl up in a small ball and die already. I glanced at the living room and remembered I needed to check on Tristan. He was lying unconscious on the couch, eyes closed, his face pale like death. His hair was all drenched in sweat and he was trembling again. I walked towards him, and slowly slipped to the floor in front of the couch.
I leaned my head on the couch seat and extended my arm, resting my hand on Tristan’s bare smooth chest. The tingling sensation came back, sharp and strong, and to my upmost surprise, I immediately felt better, like someone had just given me a shot with the most amazing, powerful drug ever!
I sighed in relief. The headache subsided unnaturally quickly and my stomach calmed down. I looked over to Tristan, then realization hit me! My mom was stepping down the stairs in a hurry, car keys dangling in one hand and her purse in the other, when I called out for her.
“Mom! We weren’t listening properly!” I said, smiling weakly at her. “I’m fine now, we don’t need to go to the hospital. I just need to be close to him! That’s what Miss Violet said. Every time I’m far from him, I feel awful, but when I’m close I feel good. And look – Tristan was trembling and sweating a minute ago, but now he looks a lot better!”
“Yes, she did say that if you stayed close to him, you two would be fine,” my mom said thoughtfully. “Nothing about tonight obeys any logic, so I might as well believe in that.”
“I think I’ll just hang here for a while,” I said, laying my head on the couch and thinking I would rest my eyes just for a few seconds …
I vaguely remember my mom struggling to lift me up and put me on the couch next to Tristan, and then a blanket covering us up, turning everything soft and warm and safe.
I remember feeling his breath on me, the warmth radiating from his body and the lingering smell of his sweat mixed with his own natural scent. And the tingling sensation all over my body throughout that night …
I woke up and I was lying on the floor, but it felt odd because it was soft and grainy beneath me. When I stood up, I noticed I was actually lying on sand: warm, silvery, light sand. I couldn’t see any ocean, only a beautiful desert as far the eye could see. I looked up at a moonless sky, full of infinite glittering stars and, although there wasn’t any source of light, I could see everywhere perfectly.
There was a small black dot far away on the sand. Someone was there. I walked slowly in the person’s direction, since there wasn’t anything else to do in this alien place. As I got closer, I saw
“Well, that was a hell of a New Year’s Eve,” my mom murmured, sitting by Tristan’s side and placing the back of her hand on his forehead to feel his temperature. “Jeez, he’s burning up!”
She went to the hallway closet and brought back a towel, some sheets and a warm blanket. She was drying Tristan’s face and hair with the towel when I felt a wave of nausea hit me like a brick wall, and my stomach finally gave up. I covered my mouth and ran quickly upstairs to the bathroom. My mom appeared at my side, and held my hair while I threw up.
This scene was repeated three times. The fourth time, my mom was bypassing concern city and heading straight to freaking-out town. I don’t know how many times a person could throw up in one evening, but I’ll bet I was going for the record! I didn’t even have anything left to vomit any more; my stomach just kept contracting with empty spasms. And my head! Good God, my head felt like it was going to explode!
“Okay! That’s it. There’s something seriously wrong with the both of you. I’m taking you two to the hospital! Go downstairs and wait for me. Now, where did I leave the car keys?” Mom rambled in obvious panic.
I left her there and dragged myself downstairs, stopping at the front door. I felt horrible; I just wanted to curl up in a small ball and die already. I glanced at the living room and remembered I needed to check on Tristan. He was lying unconscious on the couch, eyes closed, his face pale like death. His hair was all drenched in sweat and he was trembling again. I walked towards him, and slowly slipped to the floor in front of the couch.
I leaned my head on the couch seat and extended my arm, resting my hand on Tristan’s bare smooth chest. The tingling sensation came back, sharp and strong, and to my upmost surprise, I immediately felt better, like someone had just given me a shot with the most amazing, powerful drug ever!
I sighed in relief. The headache subsided unnaturally quickly and my stomach calmed down. I looked over to Tristan, then realization hit me! My mom was stepping down the stairs in a hurry, car keys dangling in one hand and her purse in the other, when I called out for her.
“Mom! We weren’t listening properly!” I said, smiling weakly at her. “I’m fine now, we don’t need to go to the hospital. I just need to be close to him! That’s what Miss Violet said. Every time I’m far from him, I feel awful, but when I’m close I feel good. And look – Tristan was trembling and sweating a minute ago, but now he looks a lot better!”
“Yes, she did say that if you stayed close to him, you two would be fine,” my mom said thoughtfully. “Nothing about tonight obeys any logic, so I might as well believe in that.”
“I think I’ll just hang here for a while,” I said, laying my head on the couch and thinking I would rest my eyes just for a few seconds …
I vaguely remember my mom struggling to lift me up and put me on the couch next to Tristan, and then a blanket covering us up, turning everything soft and warm and safe.
I remember feeling his breath on me, the warmth radiating from his body and the lingering smell of his sweat mixed with his own natural scent. And the tingling sensation all over my body throughout that night …
I woke up and I was lying on the floor, but it felt odd because it was soft and grainy beneath me. When I stood up, I noticed I was actually lying on sand: warm, silvery, light sand. I couldn’t see any ocean, only a beautiful desert as far the eye could see. I looked up at a moonless sky, full of infinite glittering stars and, although there wasn’t any source of light, I could see everywhere perfectly.
There was a small black dot far away on the sand. Someone was there. I walked slowly in the person’s direction, since there wasn’t anything else to do in this alien place. As I got closer, I saw
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