Chapter 11 - When A Name Means Attraction Part 1

Black sky. Black earth. Black sea. Marcus found himself again in the same dream, but this time, not in the same way. He was lying on the sand, gazing at the sky with the blankness that was comparable to the barren place. Emptiness filled his mind. And yes, he had been like this for what seemed like hours until a wave of water came rushing towards him and when it touched his bare feet, this somehow pulled him out of the void state.

His thoughts and emotions ran wild then as if it was freed from being imprisoned, and with this, confusion immediately clouded his mind. His lips tensed and his brows furrowed as he contemplated all of the recent events.

He was confused because ever since he had exorcised the demon in André’s body, this dream came into full swing. How? Why? Was it possible that this was the work of the demon? Most likely not for he was sure he exorcised the damn entity into oblivion. Very sure of it.

Confused because although he was aware that he was in a dream, his senses felt so real. He could feel the coolness of the water touching his bare feet, legs, arms, and torso. He could feel the warm breeze in his nostrils. And most especially, he could feel the shooting pain in his charred right hand, radiating upwards into his shoulder and chest, specifically into the heart region. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what but there was something about being in this place that was downright different.

And lastly, confused because amidst feeling this, he felt a different sense of safety entirely. Like in one side of his body, he felt the animosity of the place, and on the other, he felt secure...brought up in heaven’s gate. Marcus couldn’t explain it, but it made him feel calm — quite a welcoming feeling in this kind of environment.

***

It had been two days since the exorcism incident. The staff of the Rogratiatto Household was busy, especially the ones assigned in both André and Father Marcus’ rooms. New linens were brought in every day; towels and bedcovers in particular. Why? Because the two men had been in a feverish state, with temperature as high as 40 degrees Celsius, and that aside from injectable paracetamol to lower it down, sponge bathing was required by the house doctor to assist with the treatment. It had produced a successful effect so far, well...on André’s case that is on the third day.

In the midst of the activities, one woman had been busier than the others. Ysabelle had taken it upon herself to take care of the two unconscious men, visiting them in intervals to make sure that they receive proper treatment. Both rooms were of different hallways, but good thing it was on the same floor. Although she was no nurse or doctor, her wide experiences were enough to be called a seasoned caregiver. And aside from that, her guilt was still nagging at her. It wasn’t giving her any proper sleep the whole two days, most especially when the exorcist priest’s burning eyes pop right out of her mind. With André now in stable condition and with the defervescence of his fever, she could focus more on Marcus who was still showing no signs of waking up.

After choosing a simple long-sleeved sundress and donning her hair down, she left her room intent on visiting the priest’s chamber just below hers. When she arrived there, Father Julien had just come out of the room with a cellphone in hand.

“I need to take this call, Ms. Ysabelle. Can you keep an eye on Father Marcus for a while?” he asked, noticing her presence in the hallway.

“Ah...ye—yes, of course, Father, ” although taken aback, she gave him an answer. So easy of him to leave her alone with his colleague.

During the whole two days of taking care of Marcus, Father Julien had been together with her, either assisting with her and the staff treatments or just staying inside the room praying. She had been formal in her actions during those times, keeping as little to no glances with Father Marcus’ state of undress. She had been successful with it so far and that was because of Father Julien’s presence, but now that they would be alone together, it immediately made her nervous, and that feeling tripled then the moment she opened the chamber door.

The room was quiet, lit with the soft morning sun entering through the glass window. It had a smell of jasmine and mint, probably because of the newly laundered linens stacked in a corner of the bedside table. She gets the same atmosphere like these whenever she comes in every morning in Marcus’ room, but somehow, she felt this third morning was different. The air was a bit heavier than usual even though the windows were open, and she had wondered if Father Julien had come to notice it too.

Sitting down in her usual stool, she fought to keep her eyes averted once again so as not to ogle on the priest. She kept herself looking at his sleeping face, which by now was a bit more serene than the previous days. Checking on Marcus’ temperature with the back of her hand, she found that his fever had finally eased down. It relieved her, but when her attention was caught with the sight of the bandaged right hand, her breath hitched.

A trail of what looked like a vine in black ink sneaked its way up into Marcus’ right shoulder and crossing down to his chest towards the heart region. It was odd — so odd — that she had just noticed it today. It gave her the chills looking at the tattoo, especially when she realized it had the same appearance as that of her cousin when he was still possessed. Aside from being a bit faded and located in André’s back, every detail of the marking was the same; the tendrils, the vines, and the shades of fire.

Staring at it thoroughly, she felt a sudden urge to touch the markings right then and there. Without further thought, she lifted her hand and traced his arm lightly. The tattoo seemed raised when she touched it, but it wasn’t that fact that made her surprised though, it was the feeling when her fingertips contacted the black ink. She fell in a daze; her eyes blurry and her head lightheaded. More like the preliminary sensation when one is due to die because of blood loss.

“What is...this...feeling?” she asked, momentarily spellbound. She was paying too much attention to the sensation that she didn’t even notice Marcus’ left arm move.