Devin Greigh: Testimony
Chapter 9

Tuesday was a quick day for me. Ben had promised that we would stop by the electronics store after school since we did not go there during the weekend. Ben bought me a new memory card for Scarlett, as well as a larger zoom lens which I had immediately fallen in love with. I took some test shots outside; birds nesting in a far, distant tree, squirrels trotting along the power lines carrying acorns and leaves, and a few shots of myself of course.

“You should start backing up your pictures,” Ben suggested, “I can make a file for you on the home computer to make an online scrapbook for you.”

Ben made a great idea out of that suggestion. Not only could I save up space on my memory cards, but I would be able to use the home computer to actually store the photos with wayward apparitions secluded in their own private folders; it was ingenious! I spent the couple of days after school backing all of my photos up on the home computer, under a folder labeled, Evenfleuniverse.

Wednesday was just as uneventful as Thursday. Ben and Beatrice got the call from Mr. Goldstein about me spending the weekend over his house with his family. They didn’t hesitate at all to say yes. Beatrice did, however, tell me to be careful while I was at Mr. Goldstein’s, and to bring my homework with me. She also reminded me how proud she was that I’d received an A on all of my tests. “You’ll have no problems at all with getting into a decent college!” She crooned.

Thursday was the last night before my initiation. I still had no idea what to expect, but the past few days I’ve prepared for it. Each day during lunch I’d spent half of the period with Casrial and Jayden, and the remaining half I practiced Astral Communication with Devin. During Friday’s lunch period, Casrial and Jayden began wondering where I would go halfway through our usual lunch shenanigans. “It’s that boy you were talking about the other day, isn’t it?” Jayden teased.

“Yeah,” I laughed.

“Why don’t you drag him over to the dark side,” Casrial said in a pretty decent Darth Vader impersonation.

“Because ’the force is too strong in that one,” I replied in a deep voice.

“We won’t bite,” Jayden said. “Besides, it would be symmetrical having another guy in the group!”

Casrial scoffed sarcastically.

“Can’t handle the two of us?”

“I’m only one man!” Jayden teased.

“I’m half a woman,” I joked, “I’m only five-foot-two!”

“You’re a teacup woman!” Jayden laughed.

“Hey now, teacups are cute, Jay!” I barked, “And we pack a punch, so you better watch it!”

“Like kittens!” Casrial sang as she hugged me.

“Or a Chihuahua,” Jayden muttered.

“What!?” I shouted.

“I said—uh, Frank Sinatra?” Jayden stuttered helplessly.

I pushed Jayden off of the bench; he was pretty lightweight for a boy and for his height as well…or perhaps I was underestimating my own strength.

“You were better off sticking to saying Chihuahua, dear,” Casrial laughed. She helped Jayden up; grass was lodged in his mouth. “Oh my poor baby!” Casrial failed to asphyxiate her laughter as she saw the amount of grass that Jayden spat out.

I smirked as I said, “You would make an awesome scarecrow do you know that?”

Jayden spent the rest of lunch chasing me around the park-like areas outside of the cafeteria until Casrial had to hunt us down and tell us the bell had rung.

I did not see Devin until after the last period. I placed all of the work and books I would need for homework in the “Giant Book Bag o’ Stress-Fracturing Torture,” and headed straight for the meeting spot: the front doors in the main school building. I waved Casrial and Jayden goodbye, and they danced through the doors and headed for their buses home. As I watched them, all I could think about was Devin. The past couple of days went by so smoothly, and the two of us started to get along like really close friends. Devin actually returned to being a rude and obnoxious jerk, which I oddly enjoyed. He would sit closer to me now, and he would always look me in the eyes with an unnerving intensity, but always managed to present himself with a soft, subtle, and pleasant demeanor. He became a bit physical as well; he actually ruffled my hair gently, not like Barry or Jayden would do. It felt more like massaging my scalp, and I enjoyed it. He was indeed an enigma; the tall, dark, and mysterious types that girls would swoon over. And I felt so strongly for him, as if he was mine to call my own, that I was able to feel his presence as he shuffled from down the hall.

“You’re late,” I teased; my back was turned to him as I spoke.

“I wasn’t aware that I set a time limit,” Devin teased back.

“Well, for me I’d expect you to be prompt,” I facetiously retaliated.

Devin smiled and quickly replied, “Well I was hoping to make you sweat.”

I was on the brink of making a very inappropriate remark about Devin making me sweat, but I simply cleared my throat, sighed, and then changed the subject.

“I’m all ready,” I declared.

I felt a bit queasy about the means of transportation; I did not know if Devin drove or not—I only knew that he practically flew around from place to place.

“Are…are we—,”

Devin smiled before interrupting.

“It won’t be as nauseating as your first trip,” he ensured, “trust me.”

“If I vomit, I know where I’m aiming,” I joked.

Devin let out a laugh before holding out his hand. “Let’s go,” he said.

I nodded, slowly reaching for his waist instead; I felt safer having a complete hold of him instead of the feeling of dangling from an unstable limb. I felt his body through his hooded sweater; it felt firm and durable—built to withstand a significant amount of physical damage. Devin did not protest. Instead, his extended hand caught a hold of my shoulder and drew me closer to his body. I squeezed him tighter. I thought I had heard Devin scoff when I did. “You’re going to break a rib,” Devin joked.

I smiled. I wanted to bury my face into his chest; He smelled like the perfect blend of cologne. But before I could even act out on that fantasy, I felt the incredibly-familiar warm feeling swilling throughout my body. Devin’s body soon dispersed into a pale-bluish smoke that surrounded me like I was submerged into water. I felt the shifting of gravity, like an elevator moving up twenty floors from the ground, and then everything was a blur. I had noticed that I had no longer felt the firm, durable abdomen that my arms had once constricted moments ago; instead, the smoke that was now the quintessence of Devin was carrying me through the air with speeds far beyond customary comprehension. I could tell that Devin was having fun transporting me throughout the skies of Long Island; I could feel the knife-sharp turns and spirals that cut through the clouds and winds like a cleaver. I was not nauseous during the flight—I felt more astonished by the feeling of flying; it had felt almost natural. “This is awesome!” I shouted as we barrel-rolled through the heavily-clouded sky.

As the pale-blue smoke whisked me through the overcast sky, I began thinking about the other members of Devin’s family. I wondered how they would treat me, and what they would think of me. I’d also thought about what they would look like. Would they be students from my school? Would they be natives from another state or continent altogether? Would they be all boys, or would they be all girls? Before I could even stop, I had found myself stressing over the simple “what ifs” that would or could easily derive from this visit.

It wasn’t too long until the thrilling ride had ended, and the warming-mixed-with-cooling sensation had fled my body. I took a moment to collect my bearings, looking over the familiar dark and gloomy neighborhood, and the familiar dreadful exterior, until Devin had returned to his human form. I heard music playing, and a chaotic hybrid of voices within the massive castle-sized residence as Devin walked past to lead me through.

“Sounds like they started the party without me,” Devin sighed.

“It seems that way,” I agreed.

As we reached the door, I could smell the aroma of fresh-baked bread, and grilled meats. I had felt and heard a rumble louder than the thunder currently rolling in the clouds as the aroma seduced the linings of my empty stomach.

“I guess pizza wouldn’t have been enough tonight,” Devin shrugged before he opened the door and ushered me inside. The music surrounded me like a wind as I’d stepped in; it sounded like I had walked inside of a club on a Friday night. The smell of food had grown stronger, and so was the growling that had erupted from my stomach. My nose followed the scent as if it was a coaxer luring me to my unexpected demise. I had walked through the golden-lit hallway, past the den where I had learned about being a medium from Mr. Goldstein, and took a left towards the end. I immediately saw a group of unfamiliar faces chatting while holding plates of food. As I stepped closer to the kitchen, their heads turned and then their eyes met mine.

“Um—,” I stuttered—“Hi!” I greeted myself as I waved, not knowing what else to say; I just stood in the hallway in my school attire and my big, wavy, fiery-red hair and examined the room of people. There were three visible people in the kitchen. One of them was a short, slim girl with long-blonde hair. She wore a powder-blue halter top and jeans that looked tight enough to be spandex, which was amazing to me considering she was just as thin and short as I was, but looked about four years younger. Her eyes were hazel, and her skin looked flawless; she looked like she was a finalist at a beauty pageant.

Standing next to her was a tall, bronze-skinned man who made “beauty pageant” girl look ten years younger now. The boy was dressed nice; he wore a white t-shirt with a wild, urban-influenced representation of a cross. The design was black and red, and around the contours of the cross rested glimmering diamond studs. His hair was short and groomed back smoothly. He even had flawlessly-shining earring studs on each lobe, and his tight-fitting jeans sported the same bedazzled design as his shirt. He was a living, breathing combination of punk, grunge, and hip-hop. One thing I had noticed more than his inimitable taste in clothing was his eyes; one eye was dark—almost completely black. The other was evidently lighter than the other; it was a pale-gray.

The third person was another girl. She was a few inches taller than “beauty pageant” girl, and looked older. She looked bulkier, and wore a black tank top with black sweat pants and white sneakers. The small of her back was dressed by her sleek-black hair which was pulled back in a ponytail. She glared at me with her equally black irises which centered her almond, cat-like eyes. The thick, black brows above her eyes pinched together, making her look puzzled. She also had a tattoo on her left shoulder that looked like the head of a demon. “Oh now that’s just trouble right there,” the tall man said in a smooth and almost seductive tone.

“Oh shut up Othello,” the “beauty pageant” girl laughed.

“Well look at her, struttin’ in here with the innocent ‘school girl’ look. You keep that up and you’re gonna have them boys hurtin’ bad!”

He shook his head and smirked. The beauty pageant girl just giggled. She actually sounded mature compared to my fifth grader voice. I just stood there, my face flushing with red; I knew that the guy that beauty pageant girl called Othello was complimenting me, and not insulting me.

“Well come in,” the pageant girl finally invited, and I as obediently sauntered in, she cooingly asked, “You’re Evenfleu, right?”

“In the flesh,” I said, my cheeks still burning from the fires of blood tinting my face.

“Awesome!” she sang. “We’ve been totally expecting you! My name’s Latessa Conway…Tess or Tessa for short.”

“Nice to meet you Tess,” I smiled.

Othello finally advanced, strutting over with a smirk on his face. His voice was raspy—more so than Devin’s. “Move out of the way, child, she ain’t here for you—it’s me she’s come to see,” Othello teased.

“Oh whatever,” Tessa scoffed, and attempted to nudge Othello out of the way, but she failed.

“The name’s Othello Worthy,” he elongated his last name, “O for short, but you can call me Oh my goodness!”

I blushed even more, completely and utterly intimidated by the amount of confidence radiating from him. I couldn’t help but to laugh uncontrollably behind the red-veiled complexion of my blushing face from Othello’s smooth comment. Without warning, Othello suddenly grabbed a few locks of my hair and then sniffed them.

“Honey who does your hair?” he asked.

“W-why?” I stuttered, unable to prevent myself from snickering.

“Can they do mine?” he asked with a cat-like look on his face; curious and completely alluring.

“I-I—I guess?” I stuttered.

Finally the other girl shoved Othello out of the way, shaking her head as if embarrassed. “You gotta excuse Othello,” the girl said, “He thinks he’s God’s gift to men and women. My name’s Nichelle…Hendricks,” she introduced herself.

“Nichelle,” I repeated. “That’s a cool name!”

“So is Evenfleu,” she replied. I couldn’t tell if she was complimenting me or being sarcastic; she never smiled or showed any facial expression of emotion. Devin finally caught up to me, and my face finally began to cool off—I literally felt the blood rush back to the rest of my body.

“I see you’ve met some of the family,” Devin said.

“Yeah,” Tess answered for me. “She met the cool ones, now she’s gotta meet the ‘not-so-cool’ members!”

Suddenly I heard an unfamiliar voice directly behind me. “Hey!” I jumped from the sudden outburst, “I’m cooler than all of you!”

I turned around and was face to face with a boy that looked four years younger than me. He was slim, but toned, like an athlete. His skin was tanned and creamy-looking, and his eyes were a chocolate brown. His hair was short and spiky. He had the look of a young boy that every aunt wanted to grab by the cheeks and pinch them with rough admiration; he was adorable, right to the way his acutely-accented voice sang when he spoke. As I thought this, he draped his arm around my shoulder and winked before saying confidently, “Don’t worry, all of the girls say I’m adorable!”

I returned to blushing immediately. Devin smirked, trying to stifle a laugh.

“The name’s Ruiz…Shaun Ruiz,” he said, “I’m an agent like Devin here. He actually teaches me some cool tricks. I can teach you some things if ya want!”

Devin finally scoffed and replied, “Okay, Peter Pan, go fly along and tell the other Lost Boys we’re here before you hurt yourself trying to come up with a good pick-up line.”

“Yeah yeah,” Shaun scoffed and replied, “I’ll go tell them you finally brought your girlfriend over!” Shaun laughed as Devin moved as if he would chase him down the hall, and Shaun sprinted away so fast it was as if he teleported like Devin did in his astral form.

“Wow, he’s fast!” I spoke aloud.

“It’s going to be a big advantage for him once he becomes a potential agent,” Devin replied.

“Isn’t he a little young to be an agent?” I asked.

“Hence the reason why I said potential agent,” Devin sneered.

“Sorry,” I sighed, “I’m a little nervous here.”

“No she ain’t,” Othello shouted over Nichelle, “She’s a little trouble, that’s what she is!” He smiled and winked. Devin smirked and said, “Don’t make such insults to the true trouble-makers of America,” Devin teased.

“Well you’re a little bit of trouble yourself, getting mixed up with all of that,” Othello replied as he sized me up and down with his eyes.

“Okay, well on that note,” Devin interrupted Othello, taking my hand, “we gotta go see Alexander.”

“B—but…,” I practically cried internally as I was being dragged away from the delicious aroma of well-grilled food.

“You’ll eat later once the hounds stop drooling over you for the night,” Devin said.

Devin and I had met with Mr. Goldstein, and he immediately called everyone to attention. The loud, infinite playlist of music stopped immediately, and everyone joined together in the den. The three people that I had met earlier, Tess, Othello, and Nichelle, sat next to Devin and me. Shaun sat with two unfamiliar people. I found out that their names were Aaron Washington and Annasophia Craylocke.

Aaron was slightly shorter than Othello, but built like a Sherman Tank. His deep voice made Devin and Othello’s voices sound just as high-pitched as my own, and he talked slow, and intellectual sentences seemed to string together like poetry every time he had spoken. His skin tone was two shades lighter than Tess’, and his shaved head revealed his eyes to be a pale brown, but they showed his youthful age. I was surprised to have discovered that although Othello seemed younger, Aaron was actually seventeen and Othello was twenty-two.

Annasophia Craylocke was an extremely beautiful woman. Her hair was as fiery-red as my own, and fashioned with the same curls and waves as well. Her eyes were a golden-light brown—brighter than Aaron’s—and her lips were full. Her body looked nearly flawless; she looked as though a renaissance artist had sculpted her from bronze and dipped her in gold. She would always look to me and smile—perhaps she saw what little resemblance I’ve had to her. Everything looked perfect on her, from her hair and perfectly-fitted attire, to even the pale, barely-noticeable freckles blending into her porcelain-white skin. And if I were a male, her velvety-smooth voice would have had me melt instantly as soon as she had said, “Hello.” Anna’s vernacular was very identical to Mr. Goldstein’s, which is probably why they sat together and looked to each other as though they were conversing together while stranded alone on a deserted island.

Shaun actually sprinted over to me with a plate of food.

“Thank you!” I sighed with relief. “My stomach loves you!”

“Well take care of that stomach,” Shaun was referring to my stomach, “you look like you’re packing sixes under that shirt!”

“Yeah I totally noticed that!” Tess said as she felt my stomach.

I tensed a bit because it tickled; I was painfully ticklish throughout almost my entire abdominal region.

“You could seriously fit in my bathing suits!” she added.

I smiled. I felt accepted by most already; obviously Othello had placed himself on top of that list.

“She probably looks good in lingerie too,” he added. “And stilettos…and some priceless, exceptional Couture dresses. Stick with me gorgeous, I’m gonna make ya famous!”

I was then convinced that because of his outgoing and flirtatious personality, Othello would quite possibly be one of my favorite people sitting in the room, second only to Devin. And then suddenly, Anna’s eyes flickered rapidly; it caught my attention because it looked as though she was going to black out. “Cassie’s at the door,” she said suddenly.

“It’s about time!” Nichelle huffed as she stood up and headed down the hallway. “I wanna get this over with already.”

I was already finished with the two hamburgers Shaun had brought me; whoever cooked them definitely received an A+ in the grilling department. I suddenly heard a voice far too familiar, but far too impossible to be true. “Sorry, was actually over someone’s house,” The familiar voice said.

“Yeah yeah,” Nichelle scoffed, “we all know you got a boyfriend, it’s not like you don’t broadcast it to us every night!”

“Okay well, he’s cute and amazing! But anyway, everyone’s here or what?”

“Yeah, except you, now make yourself known!”

I suddenly looked over Devin.

“Who’s Cassie?” I whispered.

“Cassie’s awesome!” Shaun cheered. “She’s wicked cute too!”

“Cassie’s the best medium we’ve ever seen,” Mr. Goldstein answered; it kind of stung a bit to hear him say that since I was also a medium.

“Cassie’s another little trouble-maker, but not as much now that she’s got herself a little boy-toy,” Othello joked.

As soon as Othello began his usual flirty discourse, the familiar voice grew louder. She was almost within my view. Shaun grabbed my plate—he had noticed it was empty—and placed it on the table.

“Dang, chica!” Shaun laughed, “You can throw down some grub!”

“Yeah,” I laughed, “I just don’t know where all of it goes!”

“That’s a good thing!” Shaun winked, and sat back down.

I then returned my attention to the hall, awaiting the mystery person known as Cassie. Finally, Nichelle returned to the den, and to my surprise, the familiar figure with short, dark hair had danced into the entrance of the den like a gazelle. Her eyes were big and bright as usual, and her smile was still permanently affixed to her face to accentuate her upbeat and overzealous demeanor I had grown to love over the few weeks. The final confirmation was the dark SLR camera which hugged her waist, bearing the familiar designs and calligraphically-printed scriptures and poems which garnished the vicinity of the camera.

“Knock knock!!” she sang as she entered the den.

Tess, Anna, and Othello all ran over to greet her. My first reaction was to stand up, and so I did.

“It’s been so long!” she said. “Look at you guys! I’ve missed you too!!”

“Yeah, how long has it been, like a week?” Nichelle joked.

When they had finished their reunion, the three of them broke away from her. That’s when she saw me. My eyes immediately lit up. “Oh my gosh!!” She shrieked.

She ran over to me as I was already meeting her half way, and then we collided. “Casrial!!” I shouted, “I can’t believe you’re a medium too!”

“It’s about time!” Casrial held on to me, tightly hugging me. “I get to teach my little sister finally!”

Then my eyebrows creased.

“You knew!?” I bellowed—it was more of a happy bellow than an angry one.

“Since I first saw your Scarlett,” Casrial drew herself back from our sisterly embrace, and looked down at Scarlett slumbering in her camera traveling case. “You figured Salvador would have been a dead giveaway,” I murmured.

“Well,” Casrial smiled, “you couldn’t flat out accuse me of being a medium when for one, you would risk looking like a psychotic lunatic, and second, you didn’t even know you were one yourself, nor understood what being a medium meant.”

“I still really don’t,” I admitted. “Everything was pretty much thrown at me. I’m a medium, prophesized to save two worlds. It hurts my brain, I can’t lie.”

“Well that’s why we are all here now,” Mr. Goldstein finally spoke, “so you will understand, and prepare yourself to be a better medium. Casrial has had years of training since she was little, and has become a very powerful medium. She will be the perfect tutor for you.”

“You’re going to learn a lot,” Casrial said, only more seriously, “and it’s going to hurt a bit until you get the hang of it. But once you go through your initiation, it will hurt less and less, until it’s practically non-existent.”

“That’s another thing,” I finally spoke up—that was one of the main reasons I am here now. “What is this initiation that’s taking place?”

“That will be explained soon,” Mr. Goldstein promised me—“But first, you need to be more properly introduced to your new clairvoyant family.”

My new clairvoyant family? I kept that thought in my head until Mr. Goldstein began reintroducing everyone to me—including Devin—one by one.

“You know Devin,” Mr. Goldstein started (I nodded, and then smiled at Devin.). “He’s the strongest agent in this room. He has abilities that no other agent has been known to possess; his teleporting capabilities, for instance, is one of the many things he can do that other agents cannot.

“Shaun is also in the middle of his training. He was initiated about a month ago. Devin is now training him to be an agent. His speed and his almost unrestrained endurance will quite possibly make him second to Devin. (Shaun winked at me after Mr. Goldstein said that last part.)”

“Aaron is our third Agent, but definitely not least. He’s incredibly strong, and has knowledge of gheists only rivaled by few overseers. (I didn’t need Mr. Goldstein to tell me that, though.)”

“This is Tessa. (She struck a pose and blew a kiss in the air) Tessa’s a medium like you and Casrial. Although she’s petite, she’s a very strong medium with an incredible gift. (I finally noticed that she also had an SLR at her waist like Casrial and me.)”

“Othello and Annasophia here are more than auditors; their powers are definitely second to none. They’re precise, reliable, and flawless. (Othello winked and nodded very smugly.) As auditors, their main jobs are to detect certain paranormal activities, and perform clearings after they’ve found what they’re looking for. Although their primary roles may label them as such, they are more than trackers who play damage control.” Anna smiled at me, and I smiled back.

“And obviously you know Casrial from your high school. I answered, “Sure I do!” and then everyone laughed until Mr. Goldstein Continued. “Casrial is by far an exceptional medium. Her powers differ from any other medium. Much like Devin, Casrial possesses powers unknown for a medium to have…And when she’s done training you, you will be the same.”

“If not stronger,” Casrial winked. “I strive for perfection!”

I smiled and replied, “One apple juice-drinker at a time!”

We all laughed, and then Mr. Goldstein took the proverbial stage once again, “And I am your overseer; head of the household, if you may. I possess powers as well, but they remain to be unspoken.”

I frowned when he said that; I personally wanted to know what skills Mr. Goldstein possessed. But when I looked back at the times I’ve known him, Mr. Goldstein had always been a man of mystery. Mr. Goldstein sat straight up as he continued on by stating, “Your initiation will confirm you into our spiritual family. Each of us will garnish your spirit with our signature; our own spiritual identification. Devin already garnished you already.”

“Dang,” Othello said, “you don’t waste time with leaving your mark on the ladies, do ya?”

Tessa nudged him and shouted, “Oh shut up, Thello! You always got something to say!”

“When does he not!?” Devin teased. “If we were all wired to a nuclear bomb, and his silence was the only thing that could save us, the last words we would hear would be—,”

“Oh please!” Othello interrupted.

“Exactly,” Devin said, and then imitated a bomb going off and himself dropping dead.

“Don’t be jealous of all this greatness, honey,” Othello snapped his fingers at Devin.

“In any case,” Mr. Goldstein diffused the off-topic conversation, “everyone stand up, and Evenfleu, please stand in the center, here?” Mr. Goldstein directed me to the center of the room, and everyone—excluding Devin—circled me like sharks to a bleeding swimmer.

“I’ll just pretend I’m the guy in the background playing the acoustic guitar off-key during camp night,” Devin said.

Mr. Goldstein looked at Casrial.

“Okay, Casrial. Go ahead.”

Casrial skipped to me like a child playing hop scotch.

“Ready?” she sang.

“Do your worse,” I said.

Casrial held onto my shoulders and then stared into my eyes.

“Okay hun, now relax,” she said in a comforting tone.

I took a deep breath as she slid her hands from my shoulder and down to my hands. She clutched them just as I was inhaling, and I tensed a little. I immediately felt her hands gently squeezing mine. “Don’t do that,” she spoke softly. “Just breathe normal and relax.” We smiled in sync with one another, and my tension had swiftly eased from my body completely. “Don’t worry,” she reassured, “big sister’s got ya!” I smiled once more, and then I found myself becoming lost in her stare. Her eyes were like a hypnotic spiral as I continued to gaze. I felt like passing out, but something felt as though it was holding me up, preventing me from hitting the floor. It was then when I had felt it; the cooling/warming sensation that felt much more cooling than warming, and then her harmonic resonance. It was different, much like how Devin’s was different; it had a melody of soft, majestic strings—like a harp—a rhythmic arpeggio that continued to chime very subtly throughout my body. I felt heavy, but I remained upright like a pillar holding up a section of a Greek monument. I succumbed to the feeling, and the resonance, Casrial’s aura, and I could feel my soul surrendering itself to the cooling presence. This feeling felt oddly familiar, much like the day I first met Devin, and when I touched him, feeling the aura that was stronger and more alive than human. “Okay everyone,” I could hear Casrial ordering.

One by one I felt a random hand make contact with a part of my body; my shoulders, my arms, my waist, my back. Every time a hand was placed on me, I felt a different sensation; some were cooling and some were warming. I also began hearing different forms of harmonic resonances orchestrating in my head; one sounded like a bass cello, slow and alluring. Another sounded like a soft flute, faint and rapid. From violins to pianos, my body became conduit for this concerto of spiritual contact. I was the conductor, and my body was the wand controlling the flow. Soon, everyone’s hands were covering my body, and their harmonic resonance became a harmony, blending together perfectly throughout my soul, and my body felt numb by the mix of warming and cooling auras radiating throughout my body. When it was finally coming to an end, that feeling gradually escaped me, and the harmonic resonance began to fade, leaving only Casrial’s to provide solo finale. I let out a sigh as soon as Casrial’s aura began to fade from my body as well. Finally, I had returned from cloud nine, and everyone stood around me, hovering as though I had passed out.

“She looks like she’s going to crash any second,” I heard a muffled version of one of the females in the room say. That voice was right; every sound muffled even more, and the room began to spin. My stomach twisted as though it was caught in the spinning blades of a blender until it had jammed its movement. I wanted to vomit, but I didn’t; Devin had appeared in front of me suddenly, and I was not about to let everything I had eaten tonight become a Monet painting on his clothing. Instead, everything started to darken, as though the room was lit by candles that were being blown out one by one. The last thing I was able to make out was the blue orbs that shone like a sparkling spring—Devin’s perfectly blue eyes—and then everything had gone black.