Day 14
It had been exhausting. Hours upon hours of focus, just to try and get back the things she had taken for granted for her entire life. The wiggle of a toe. The kick of a leg. The stretch of her arm. And finally, when she had nothing left to lose, she had managed to clench her torso, and stretch her back.
There, she had stopped for the night. As much as she was proud of her victory over the parasitic crystals that had tried to take what was rightfully hers (she had parasitic rights, she was here first!), there was something very obvious about the way her back moved, now that she had control again.
Everything seemed heavier, and dragging. She felt the weight of something, and it was obvious the crystals had begun to coalesce into some kind of sheath, or wall. She couldn't see it, but she could only guess at it's intent. If she had let it take over, it probably would have surrounded her body, and protected it like some sort of outer shell.
Instead, now that it had become inert, it was nothing but a flat sheet of crystals attached to her back. Her spine twisted, and the sheet moved. Her shoulders clenched, and something lifted and fell at her command.
Whatever it was, she kept it strictly under her control. Even as she slept, and the crystals slipped into the edge of her dreams, testing the waters once more, she forced them back within her mind.
But today was a new day. Every ache in her body was the ache of progress. She was sitting up, and she had grabbed a sheet from the bed to cover her bare body with. (And to cover part of the floor, which was so drenched with old blood that it was brown. No one needed to see that.)
Today, she had to atone for going through this alone. She dreaded it almost as much as she dreaded trying to remove whatever it was that had attached to her back during the last few days. How long had it been, anyway?
She reached up from the desk, and plugged her phone into the hanging cord waiting for recharge. She turned it back on, and hundreds of messages started yelping at her all at once. She texted once; a response to Jericho.
It had been exhausting. Hours upon hours of focus, just to try and get back the things she had taken for granted for her entire life. The wiggle of a toe. The kick of a leg. The stretch of her arm. And finally, when she had nothing left to lose, she had managed to clench her torso, and stretch her back.
There, she had stopped for the night. As much as she was proud of her victory over the parasitic crystals that had tried to take what was rightfully hers (she had parasitic rights, she was here first!), there was something very obvious about the way her back moved, now that she had control again.
Everything seemed heavier, and dragging. She felt the weight of something, and it was obvious the crystals had begun to coalesce into some kind of sheath, or wall. She couldn't see it, but she could only guess at it's intent. If she had let it take over, it probably would have surrounded her body, and protected it like some sort of outer shell.
Instead, now that it had become inert, it was nothing but a flat sheet of crystals attached to her back. Her spine twisted, and the sheet moved. Her shoulders clenched, and something lifted and fell at her command.
Whatever it was, she kept it strictly under her control. Even as she slept, and the crystals slipped into the edge of her dreams, testing the waters once more, she forced them back within her mind.
But today was a new day. Every ache in her body was the ache of progress. She was sitting up, and she had grabbed a sheet from the bed to cover her bare body with. (And to cover part of the floor, which was so drenched with old blood that it was brown. No one needed to see that.)
Today, she had to atone for going through this alone. She dreaded it almost as much as she dreaded trying to remove whatever it was that had attached to her back during the last few days. How long had it been, anyway?
She reached up from the desk, and plugged her phone into the hanging cord waiting for recharge. She turned it back on, and hundreds of messages started yelping at her all at once. She texted once; a response to Jericho.
New Text Message From: Riley
Sorry I missed your calls. I'm kind of a mess. I'll explain soon.
And one to Malodore.
New Text Message From: Riley
Got a sec? I need your help.
They both seemed.. surprisingly light. They'd be scared enough when they saw her, they didn't need to worry until then.
She got a pillow off the bed, laid it on the floor, and then attempted to lie down - only to get punctured by dozens of tiny little crystals as a reminder that she would not be sleeping on her back anytime soon.
Or, perhaps, ever again.
She got a pillow off the bed, laid it on the floor, and then attempted to lie down - only to get punctured by dozens of tiny little crystals as a reminder that she would not be sleeping on her back anytime soon.
Or, perhaps, ever again.
