Coma (Paranormal Romance) (25 page)

I smiled, faintly, unable to share his
excitement in full. Zack's face took on a mysterious expression. He
gazed at me grinning as if he had some devious plan on his mind, so
I asked, narrowing my eyes on him, “What are you up to?”

His grin widened, overtaking his whole face,
“Would you like to see
my
room?” He bit his lip, his eyes
gleaming bright.

“Really?” I gasped.

“Really,” Zack chuckled, and took my hand in
his, gazing at the coral ring.

“I'd like that,” I smiled, smoothing my hand
over his.

“Then you have to suit up. We can leave your
body unattended for a half an hour,” playfully, he skimmed through
my hair.

Sophie frequently used her suit, but I was
more comfortable using my own clothes. I didn't like the stinging
effect it had when I put it on. Zack had told me that it was
nanotech connecting to my nervous system, but that freaked me out
even more. Hesitantly, I opened my closet, and took out a pair of
black cargos, blue T-shirt, and boots, then laid them on the bed.
Zack curled his fingers around the hem of my sweatshirt, and I
lifted my arms up, allowing him to take it off. He threw in on the
bed, and smoothed his hands down my bear arms, gazing softly into
my eyes. A fine shiver rolled down my back, signaling that my body
had some ideas of its own. I blinked it off, and sat down to remove
my pants. Zack cleared his throat, and bit his lip, staring at me
significantly.

I threw my pants at him saying, “We'll never
get out of this room if you keep that gaze.”

He chuckled, and folded my pants, then
slouched in a chair.

I put the cargos and T-shirt on, knowing that
as soon as I zipped the boots up, that freaking sting would follow.
I took a deep breath, and braced myself for impact. It stung like
hell, bringing tears to my eyes, and then it felt as if thousands
of tiny strings pierced my skin, and started crawling beneath.
Awfully irritating, and unsettling.

“Ready?” Zack asked, getting up from a
chair.

“Yap,” I said, and entered his embrace. He
typed into his bracelet, and transported us into the future.

One heavy nausea later, and we were
standing...
Where?
I glanced around, confused. I knew it must
have been his room, and all those square things must have been
furniture, but it was so sterile and unfamiliar. Biting my upper
lip, I looked at Zack. He was grinning, and studying me,
amused.

“Is this your room?” I asked, spinning around
on a heel.

“No,” he said, reaching for my hand. “This is
the living room.” His fingers threaded through mine.

“And you actually
live
here?” I
chuckled. It was the least hospitable place I had ever seen.

“Mhm,” he breathed, mysteriously smiling.
“Follow me.”

Walking next to him, holding hands, I tried
to decipher what was what, but there was no telling. A bunch of
shapes in different sizes, predominantly in white, gray, and green.
Zack stopped in front of a mirror, putting his bracelet under a
sensor. The mirror dematerialized, opening a view of a dome shaped
room. I gasped. Zack stepped aside, allowing me to enter first.

“Incredible,” I said, looking at the dome
ceiling open mouthed. In the center of the room was a large bed,
and the dome over it seemed to be some kind of display creating a
3D artificial environment. Zack typed something in his bracelet,
and the entire room's scenery had changed. When we entered, the
oversized bed seemed to be in the middle of a field, surrounded by
trees and flowers, but now there was a starry night above it, and a
small waterfall running in the background.

Zack draped his arm over my shoulders, and
typed again. The scenery transformed into something I knew too
well—into my room. I looked at him in awe.

“I programmed it to show your room the last
time I was here,” he said, placing a kiss on the top of my head. “I
thought it might buffer the shock.”

“You thought right,” I chuckled. “I mean,
that living room over there. Not alluring.”

“It can also be whatever you want it to be,”
he grinned. “I just didn't activate it.”

“Wow,” I breathed. “So those boxes...they're
nothing until you make them into something?”

“Aha,” he started toward the bed, pulling me
along. He sat down, and placed me between his legs, leaning his
head against my belly. “I imagined you being here, you know.”

“When?” I ran my fingers through his black
hair.

He looked up at me, his eyes glazed over as
if his dream had come true, then said, “When I stole you from
Ethan,” and chuckled.

“Oh, that's kinky,” I snickered. In one swift
move, he knocked me down on the bed, and stretched beside me,
running his fingers down my arm.

“It's not! I just had a head start,” with a
shameless smile, he reached beside the bed, took out an envelope,
and spilled its contents between us. There was a picture of me, and
a bracelet. “This one is yours,” he said, locking the bracelet
around my wrist.

I felt a stab, “Ouch!” I cried out, then
frowned, saying, “Why does everything from the future cause
pain?”

Zack chuckled, “Because everything connects
to your nervous system. It has to go through your skin,” he cocked
a brow, and I frowned.

“Does it come with a user manual?” I asked,
smoothing my finger over the bracelet, wondering how it worked.

“Yes. Me!” His lips found mine, ending my
interrogation. He took my arm, the one with the bracelet, and
pinned it above my head, then climbed on top of me, not breaking
the kiss. Eagerly, I welcomed his body by pulling him closer with
my free hand.

All of a sudden, the music started playing,
and the scenery of the room changed into millions of colors mixing
together in various shades and nuances. Zack stopped kissing me for
a moment, and breathed against my lips, “Those are our
emotions.”

Colors spiked up, reacting to my emotion of
surprise. Like a child in a candy shop, I couldn't stop looking at
them. It was enchanting. Zack's chuckle brought my glance back at
him. He searched my eyes for a moment, and then wild desire took
over, consuming us. The room reacted by displaying a rhapsody of
colors and tones, exciting us more than ever.

I reached for Zack's shirt, pulling it out of
his pants, but he stopped me by saying, “We have to go back.” My
disappointment was immediately mirrored on the dome by darkening
the colors, and changing tones to d-moll.

“Damn! It shows everything,” feverishly, I
glanced around at graphical representations of what was happening
inside of me.

Zack cupped my face, and kissed me one more
time, then said, “Only when we want it to.” He pointed at my
bracelet, “I turned it on because I wanted you to experience this.
It doesn't have to be like that every time.”

I bit my lip, “But I want it to. Every
time.”

A devilish grin flashed across his face, and
he bit my shirt, growling. “You're killing me,” he cried out,
colors around us going wild. I giggled, knowing it must have been
lust.

~*~

Back in my room, my time, I stood above my
body, feeling nothing whatsoever. I didn't care anymore. Temporal
guards were my destiny, and I was ready to do what was necessary.
There weren't many people that got the chance to experience the
future, for their life to mean something more, and it was foolish
of me to consider the alternative. Whoever was the Grand Architect
of everything had a mission for me, and who was I to stand in its
way. I glanced at Zack. He was smiling, and studying me the whole
time.

“Feeling better?” He asked.

I sighed, and then said, “Yes,” with a wide
smile. He spread his arms for me to get into his embrace. I locked
my arms around his waist, and placed my head on his shoulder.
Happiness boiled inside of me, and his warm arms around me were the
anchor I needed. I felt safe. I felt centered, and whole.

“Bracelet stays on,” he tucked my hair behind
my ear to get a better look at my face. Those charming green eyes,
encircled by dark blue band were gazing softly at mine. I reached
for his face, and smoothed my palm down his cheek. He shuddered,
and grabbed my hand as I was about to remove it, then placed a kiss
on the soft of my palm. “Let me enjoy this moment for a while,” he
said, his eyes beaming. I pressed my body tighter against his. His
sincerity undid me every time.

~*~

“
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two
bodies.”

–– Aristotle

Sophie couldn't stop looking at my bracelet.
Every five minutes, she'd take my wrist, and meddle with it, then
sigh wistfully. Ever since I told her all about Zack's room and the
emotional display on the dome, she became impatient. Neither of us
knew if Ethan had the same tech in his room, but she made me
promise I wouldn't ask Zack about it. She placed all bets on that,
and hoped that she'd get a glimpse of his true emotions. For her
situation, it would be the making or the breaking of her. She
needed to be able to trust him more than anything. One way or the
other, she was determined to find out how he felt about her before
making her emotions known. That made me nervous. Sometimes it's
better to not know. He might be feeling the same, or he might be
warming up to her. If neither of them were ready, it might create a
void between them if it was too soon.

We met with Ethan and Sophie in her room. The
three of us in that other realm, and Sophie the only one left it
the old state of being As soon as we appeared, Ethan took Sophie's
wrist, and sighed out loud, “Nothing yet.”

Sophie grimaced, snatching her wrist back,
and exchanging long looks with me.

“Did I tell you how I found Zack?” Ethan
changed the subject.

“No,” I replied, getting comfortable on
Sophie's bed. “You've never said.”

Ethan chuckled, then said, “The opposing side
sabotaged his cryobox because they knew he'd lose his memories and
go straight to you,” he motioned my way. “They know how mind works,
so they also knew he'd find Sophie in the hospital records, and
that it would ultimately lead all of you to George.”

Sophie and I gasped, staring at Ethan, then
Zack, open mouthed.

“I told you our enemies were smart,” Zack
said to me, smiling.

“Yeah, but––” I didn't finish, because Ethan
continued.

“I was scanning field disturbances for any
sign of their efforts, and found a glitch! You can imagine my
surprise when I saw Zack and you two working for the opposing
side,” Ethan chuckled.

“What?!” I shrieked.

“Oh, yeah!” Ethan said, “That was their plan.
If it weren't for me, you would have changed history through
George.”

“Crap,” I commented.

“Brilliant plan,” Zack chuckled.

“How can you admire them? They almost killed
you,” I stared at Zack, eyes wide open. “We almost killed you,” my
voice broke.

Zack reached for my hand, “How can you not?
It was a devious plan, but nevertheless an intelligent one. Complex
and almost undetectable.”

“I agree with Zack,” Ethan chuckled, “They
almost outsmarted us!”

Sophie frowned, and said, “You two are
completely crazy! If they had succeeded, you wouldn't be here
talking to us. You'd be dead!”

“True,” Ethan said, “But they didn't. It's
the thrill of this game! The only weapons we have in this war are
our brains.”

“Then we're screwed,” Sophie chuckled,
pointing at Ethan's head.

Ethan's brows knit, “C'mon, Soph. I know you
like busting my balls, but I'm a pretty smart guy.”

“He's one of our best,” Zack said, proudly.
“His quirkiness is what gives us the edge.”

Ethan glared at Zack, then corrected him by
saying, “My creativity is what gives us the edge!”

“What happened to George?” I interjected,
worried about him. He was a nice guy, and I kind of liked him.

“We don't hurt people, Ly,” Ethan snorted.
“Both George and Sophie's shrink know what they knew before they
met you. That's all.”

“He removed what could have changed history
without damaging them personally,” Zack explained. “You'll learn to
do that soon.”

“George wasn't a threat all by himself, but
his research based on your data would get into the wrong hands
after his death, and that would have change everything,” Ethan
added.

“You see, both sides are highly intelligent,
so our side has to study the ripple effect situations like George
create in order to know what will change history. It's never easy
or obvious,” Zack chuckled.

“But it's fun,” Ethan chuckled, as well.

“Okay,” Sophie said, “Now I know why you
needed us.” I darted my look toward Sophie. She smiled, and said,
“You're looking for crazy people!”

Zack and Ethan burst out laughing, then Zack
squeezed out through laughter, “Not true.”

“But you have to be somewhat unusual,” Ethan
chuckled, edging closer to Sophie.

She glared at him, then said, “That's another
word for crazy.”

Ethan's face got serious all of a sudden,
“Coo-coo is another word for crazy. Intelligent, open-minded,
creative, and beautiful is what I see in you,” he said, staring
intently in her eyes.

Sophie started squirming in her seat, her
cheeks got all red. Zack and I didn't know where to look. It was a
private moment they were having, and we needed to get out of there
quick. Zack cleared his throat, and typed into his bracelet,
sending us back to my room.

“That was awkward,” I said, when we arrived,
laughing.

“Yeah,” Zack confirmed, also laughing. “Ethan
sure knows how to drop a bomb!”

“Do you think he––” I didn't know how to put
it.
Loves her?

“Oh, yeah! He's obsessed with her,” Zack
chuckled.

“But is it temporary obsession until he gets
what he wants? I'll kill him if he hurts her!” Thinking how Sophie
was fragile concerning Ethan, I could feel anger rising in me.