Chapter 40: Changing

Lyra has no idea how long she's been lying here or what time it is. Day or night. Everything

melts together and without anyone to talk to it feels like an eternity. An eternity in endless

darkness. At least the pain has somehow simmered down to a mere throb that is manageable.

After that ordeal she feels exhausted despite only lying here and her entire body is aching as if

completed a full workout. Something tells there were also a moment, or several actually, when

sleep took over. Lyra finds it odd to feel without moving. Even more peculiar is staying trapped

in darkness but still know it's not really dark. Disregarding the feeling of having cotton stuffed in

her ears then her hearing is somewhat intact still. Just a bit muffled.

That tingling sensation is always there but every so often the intensity shifts which makes her

guess it has something to do with Lydoran and whether he's close to her or not. Touching or

not. The closer he is the more intense it gets. Describing the feeling she would compare it to

small electrical jolts. When he is withing touching distance, it warms her skin and when he’s

touching it warms all of her but if he is farther away her entire body is humming in a more

restless type of way. It must be their bond but no one said it would be like this.

Another wave of pain hits her hard out of nowhere. This one nearly chokes the breath out of

her and it is as if a hand takes hold of her heart squeezing it tightly. Almost hindering it from

beating properly. Excruciating assaults over and over without mercy. Reaching a high peak, she

screams at the top of her lungs. The burning sensation also increases into a whole new level.

Forget simply feeling set to flames. This is like being stuffed into a blast-furnace and kept there.

Blinded by pain and a skin too tight for her own body she starts frantically scratch and claw at

herself and is unable to stop. It's like an obsession. Something she must do. Yet she has a hard

time processing what's real or only in her head. Is she really clawing at her arm until it bleeds?

Is she paralyzed? Constantly zoning in and out in a pain hazed state she doesn't know up from

down or real from imaginative.

"You're doing good, it'll all be over soon.” a voice says directly into her ear. Lydoran, she thinks

with instant calm just as another pain wave hits. Lyra screams. Her throat raw and bleeding yet

she continues to scream. What little break she got after the first screaming round does little to

nothing in helping her now. This is a never-ending nightmare.

'Ilt hurts, make it stop. STOP!Stopstopstopstop...STOOOOOPPPP!" she screams over and over as

tears obscures her vision. Clawing at herself she hopes to take away the itchy feeling. Like have

thousands of bugs crawling over her. Voices speaks to her but the words are muffled as if

spoken far away and not coherent enough for her to comprehend. It's frustrating. Yet another

wave hits but this one is like getting every organ ripped to pieces inside of her. Her heart, which

felt like being squeezed earlier is now sliced before also getting ripped out like the rest of her

intestines. Blackness follows shortly after. Something she welcomes with open arms. All this

pain is proving to be too much even with the bond to Lydoran. Regrettably darkness only holds

her for a short amount of time before resurfacing to a conscious state once more. Or so it feels.

She could be wrong in this timeless place.

“Can you hear me, love?"

Lydoran? She desperately clings to his voice. For the first time since all this started, she can

hear him clear as water. Lyra tries to move but like all other times, nothing happens. Frustrated

and on the verge of panic she tries to open her eyes, speak, anything. * I can hear you' she says

in her head wishing that he also could hear. Never has she felt so lonely like now.

“Thank the little devils. We thought we lost you’

Lyd?"

"Yes, love it's me..."

“How?

Relief is mixed with confusion at suddenly being able to hear his voice and knowing he can hear

and speak with her.

'The bond. Are you feeling okay?"

“Tired, sore, and it feels like everything has been ripped open and cut to tiny shreds. Like I have

been murdered several times over and burned to crisp. Jack the rippers best work. At least I'm

no longer confided to my own thoughts.’

Hearing him laugh gives another sense of calm to her fried mind and exhausted state.

"You will wake up soon. Everything you've felt is the human part partially dying and adjusting to

being a vampire. I can say that you look really beautiful. All that's left to see is your amazing

smile.’

'You mean all this time I've been asleep? But my throat is burning..."

“Rest for now, love. I will be here waiting and so is Jaze. I will give you something to drink when

you wake up’

She imagines closing her eyes, willing herself to sleep as if still being awake.

“Night, Lyd"

“Sleep well, love’