Chapter Twenty

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ELEANOR.

That was her name.

It exploded through the darkness. A neon word full of narrative of our forgotten beginning...and our unknown end. A flash of togetherness and the undeniable acceptance that I loved her more than anything.

I looked for the soft glow of the string I’d grown accustomed to—the only light in my darkness.

It was there, pulsing with a golden shimmer, warm and comforting when I reached out to grasp it. I shuddered as a familiar sizzle of electricity infected my fingers.

This wasn’t just a string.

It was a rope.

A rope made of affection, one we both held on to, and hopefully a path back to her if I could figure out how the hell to wake up.

Eleanor.

Jinx.

I’d named her Jinx.

And for the first time since we’d met, she was no longer a curse.

She was my saviour.

* * * * *

Weightlessness could even upset someone deep within their mind.

A sway of unnatural flight.

A screech that sounded mechanical.

My mind recognised certain things but couldn’t grant me pictures as to what they were.

It was frustrating. Worrying. Compounding my growing strength and feeding me toxic anxiety to be free.

I didn’t know how to escape this prison.

There were no locks or doors or keys.

I was alone with just a string for company.

The weightlessness ended.

The screech cut off.

A different kind of motion manipulated a body I couldn’t see or operate.

Outside sensations became stronger.

The bumping journey of whatever I lay upon.

The whisper of heat upon my skin.

Relief filled me.

I didn’t know how or why, but the darkness stopped being my enemy and paused.

I hovered in nothingness, trying to figure out what’d changed.

And something was put into my hand.

I felt it.

The ambient heat. The spillage of softness. The stress of knowing what it was yet unable to name it.

And then the sensation was gone.

I panicked.

The darkness drew ranks and closed with thick curtains.

But the glowing string between Eleanor and me brightened, and for the second time, I felt touch and knew where it originated.

My cheek.

Lips on my cheek and breath by my ear.

I could feel my body, systemically regaining ownership...even if my mind was still faraway.

And my ears obeyed me, accepting her voice and unscrambling the words I hadn’t been able to understand while I’d been a speck.

But I was more than just a speck now.

I was stronger.

I’m aware.

I’m hers.

“You’re home, Sully. Keep fighting and wake up because you’re home.”