Totally raw, uncut, uncorrected excerpt from my work-in-progress, NIGHT. This hasn't been proof-read and there are errors. My story NIGHT is in its most roughest of all rough draft phases right now. I've been writing different scenes out of order as they come, and this is one of them.
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Art and
Mina were sprawled out on Art's large bed. Art was lying on his back, his eyes
half open as he drifted off from exhaustion.
Mina
watched him as she went over Hypnos' files and smiled a little to herself. She
had never seen Art in such a seemingly normal position, lying on his back with
his gloved hands sprawled out on the bed beside him.
She looked
at the insulated gloves covering his arms, from upper arm down to the tips of
his fingers and wondered if he wore them all the time, or only when he was
around other people. Did he sleep in them, she wondered? Could he really never
touch anyone ever, not even for a quick moment? Was there like a ten-second
rule? She was pretty sure that Kane Corp. wouldn't have given her a thick
packet full of rules if there was, but then maybe they were just covering all
of their bases so that they wouldn't be liable if anything were to happen.
Mina
watched as Kane finally lost the battle with consciousness and his breathing
grew heavy and deep.
One of
Art's hands was folded over his torso while his other was palm-up on the bed
near her. Curious, she put out her right hand and hovered it over his. She
could feel his body heat emanate from underneath his glove.
Mina pushed
her hand closer, feeling the heat grow. She wondered how close she could get
without touching him, and wondered just how long she was able to actually touch
him through his insulation before his curse could seep through his glove.
Mina felt
the warmth grow stronger and wondered if the curse worked purely on touch, of
if there was a certain proximity as well... she was only millimeters away from
touching him.
"Stop."
Art's voice was calm, as was his movement as he slowly slid his hand away from
Mina's. When his hand was far enough away from hers, he sat up in the bed and
gave her curious look. "What were you doing?"
Mina
shrugged. "I was just wondering..." Wondering what? She couldn't even
explain it to him.
"Don't
do it again," he said and got up from the bed. He headed to the bathroom
and shut the door, leaving Mina to wonder just what she had been trying to do,
and why.
"I
don't even know why I did that," she said to herself. For some reason, she
felt as though she wanted petrification. No, that wasn't it. She wanted
something from him, from his touch. But she didn't know what. Nothing sexual,
and it was more than curiosity. It was as though she needed something from
him... something pre-destined and obscure. She needed to touch him for
something, and she wasn't sure what.
"This
is so weird."
Mina got up
from the bed and left the room, leaving files there, desperate to get back to
the safety of her temporary room.
She felt as
though something had just been controlling her, and it scared her. What was
going on?