Free Cristal - Novella by Anne-Rae Vasquez Page A

a Disney cruise ship. He had proposed to
her mother that same night, much to her disgust.
    “Cristal, this is Dr. Saeed.”
    She felt something cold pressed onto her
forehead.
    “We are just going to move you over to the
couch, okay?”
    She felt her body being lifted. So this
is what floating feels like. Her body was lowered onto the
couch, her head gently placed onto something soft.
    “Cristal, is it something you saw?” Harry
asked.
    “Leave her alone,” she could hear Kerim
snap. “Can’t you see she needs to rest?”
    “Is she okay?” Gabriel asked.
    “She’s just faking it,” Joanna said.
    If she could have lifted herself up, Cristal
would have gone over and slapped the witch in the face. But her
arms felt like concrete blocks; her legs were stiff and she was
unable to move them.
    “Can you try to take a sip of water?” Dr.
Saeed asked softly in her ear.
    She felt someone lift her upright. Her body
leaned back against someone as she took a deep breath. Kerim? His cologne enveloped her nostrils. She started
gasping and her eyelids snapped open.
    “She’s awake!” Gabriel cried out.
    She looked up and saw Kerim on his knees. He
was holding a small vial under her nose. The fumes overwhelmed her
senses.
    She raised her arm and pushed it away from
her face.
    “What is that?” she managed to say.
    “Mr. Biker over here thought he could wake
you up with his emergency backup bottle of cologne,” Joanna
answered.
    Gabriel knelt down beside Kerim. He looked
up towards Joanna who was standing behind them.
    “It worked, didn’t it?” Gabriel said.
    He turned to Cristal.
    “Kerim said that back in Istanbul, they
always use cologne to revive people who faint.”
    She took a deep breath. Her head was
becoming clear again. She struggled to sit up by herself. She
noticed that it was Harry whom she had been leaning against. He was
staring at her, and his gaze was filled with deep concern.
    “Are you okay now?” he asked.
    “I’m better,” she replied, “but the room is
still slightly spinning.”
    She put her arm out and grabbed Kerim’s
shoulder to steady herself. He reached out and held her.
    She stood up, feeling lightheaded. Then she
swooned, feeling her legs get weak. Harry, Kerim, and Gabriel
jumped up. Each one of them held onto her to keep her from falling
forward. Harry eased her back onto the couch.
    “You need to rest,” Dr. Saeed said, as he
kneeled down in front of her.
    He flashed a light into her eyes.
    “Your eyes are dilated. You need to lie down
and put your feet up.”
    He helped her lie down while Kerim put a
pillow under her feet.
    “Everyone, give her some space. She needs
air,” Kerim said.
    Her eyelids felt like weights were forcing
them shut.
    “Come on, everyone. The meeting is over,” he
added.
    She could hear people moving away.
    “Dr. Saeed, I need to talk to her,” Harry
whispered, a few feet away from her.
    “Kerim is right. She needs to rest. We can
talk to her when she is better,” Dr. Saeed replied.
    “I’ll stay with her. When she’s stronger,
I’ll take her home,” Kerim said.
    Was he beside her?
    “I think I should stay with her and you
should go,” Harry responded.
    She heard shuffling and more whispering.
Using what little energy she had left, she managed to speak.
    “Kerim, don’t go.”
    “She’s delusional,” she heard Harry say.
    “You heard her,” Kerim said. “I’ll take her
home. No need for both of you to stay here.”
    “Harry, why don’t we move the meeting to my
office? We can check on her in an hour or so,” Dr. Saeed said.
    She heard more shuffling, and then there was
silence.
    She was in a white room. Around her there were walls
made out of clouds. She noticed that in her hand was a paintbrush
covered in red paint. She turned around and one wall was covered in
red with streaks of white clouds in between each stroke. The clouds
started to move, bending the lines, and forming a picture. She put
the paintbrush down and moved