Existence 03 - Ceaseless

interest in her eyes. I’d intrigued her tonight. That was a good thing. Would the Pagan who didn’t see souls on a daily basis , be as accepting of Death as the one who had grown up seeing a part of this world that others were blind to. Jay came up behind her and touched her shoulder and she turned back to look at him. I couldn’t stay to see this.
    Pagan
    “Am I gonna get that dance now?” Jay asked loudly over the music.
    I glanced back at Dank to see if he was still there. He seemed sad or lonely. I wanted to go talk to him. But he was gone. It was not a good idea to be interested in a lead singer. Yes , he was hard to ignore , but it was in my best interest to find a way to get over his appeal.
    “Yes, I,” I stopped mid- sentence. The girlfriend was back and she was slipping her hands around Jay’s waist. Jay’s frustration was obvious on his face.
    “Come dance with me,” she cooed as she slid both her hands underneath his shirt. Yep, that was enough for me.
    “I need to go. It was nice to see you again,” I said quickly and made my escape before he could say anymore. Scanning the bar I found Gee sitting there with her legs crossed and a smirk on her face . Miranda was still dancing with Nathan. As much as I wanted to leave I didn’t want to end the night early for Miranda. She was obviously having a good time. I made my way over to Gee. Maybe I could just get a taxi home and leave her here with Miranda.
    “What happened with frat boy number two?” Gee asked as she took another drink of her drink.
    “I’m ready to go. If I get a taxi , can you wait around on Miranda?”
    Gee shrugged, “Yeah I guess. It’s still pretty early. Why are you heading out already?”
    Because the guy I wanted to be dancing with was gone.
    “I’m tired. It’s been a long day.” I replied.
    “Okay. See ya later then,” Gee replied and wiggled her long black nails at me.
    I looked back to check on Miranda one last time ; the smile on her face as she talked to the Nathan guy was my answer. She was fine. Good for her.

    Smoke was everywhere. I was lost inside of it. I couldn’t panic. If I wanted to survive this I couldn’t panic. My chest felt tight from the lack of oxygen. Slowly I waded through the smoke , praying I’d make it out before the darkness took over. A small light appeared through the thickness and hope pushed me harder. My legs felt heavy. The closer I got to the light the slower my body moved. It was becoming harder to pick up my legs and put one in front of the other. My knees buckled and I realized I wasn’t going to make it. The light was there. So close. But I wasn’t going to get to it. The smoke was going to claim me. I took another strangled breath as my knees hit the cement underneath me.
    Strong arms encircled me and the suffocation was lifted. I took a deep clear breath. The arms held me close to a firm warm chest. I tried to open my eyes but I couldn’t.
    “You’re okay. I’m here.” The deep voice assured me. I knew that voice. I gripped the shirt that covered the body that held me. I wanted to see him. I knew him.
    “Help,” I begged. My eyes wouldn’t open.
    “Always. You’re fine. This is just a bad dream. I’m here.” He assured me. I believed him. I couldn’t see him , but my body knew it was safe. Relaxing in his arms , I breathed deeply again.
    “I want to see you,” I told him.
    “I wish you could. You will again one day.” His confusing reply was the last he said before the loud blaring alarm went off.
    My eyes snapped open and I was staring at the ceiling of my dorm room.
    “Turn that off,” Miranda grumbled , throwing a pillow at the alarm clock beside my bed. We had freshman orientation in an hour. I reached over and pressed snooze. Bits of a dream flitted through my memory. I wanted to remember it. Something about it had excited me. But I couldn’t. Sitting on the edge of my bed I thought hard about the moment before my alarm clock had gone off. There was something I wanted to remember but I couldn’t recall it. I was drawing a blank.
    Frustrated , I threw the covers off and stood up. Miranda had huddled down deeper in her covers. I had no idea what time she’d finally gotten home last night. She was almost impossible to wake up when she’d had sufficient sleep. This morning was going to be difficult. I decided I’d get a shower first then I’d try to get her to wake up. Orientation was required. She’d have to get up and get there even if