Unexpected Meltdown (Part 2)

"What do you mean?" asked Michelle as she calmly looked him in the eyes.

"It means that I really like you, Michelle, and… more than a friend… and I can't keep it a secret any longer. Even with everything that came to light, I feel like if there will ever be a time… it won't be any other time but… right now, right here… with you. I need to know how you feel about me? I love you," said Aaron as he stared right into her eyes, the sunset sky shining ever so lightly with the red-orange hue. 

Her face was unreadable; in fact, the only expression Aaron could discern was confusion.

"But, I'm not even human... just now… you said you were still jumpy…"

"That was a lie… I could care less if you are a Dragon. I really like you…Michelle."

"..."

"..."

"Aaron… I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way. I do care about you, but I can't reciprocate your feelings," Michelle's words cut through the air like shards of ice, freezing Aaron to his core. His chest painfully constricted, a cold, empty feeling gripping his heart, threatening to suffocate him. Behind his closed eyelids, a torrent of emotions threatened to spill over.

Michelle took her leave as soon as she finished speaking, her footsteps echoing hollowly as she vanished into the house, walking past Adam without a second glance. Adam watched her retreating form and then turned to Aaron, seeing the unmistakable pain of rejection etched on his face.

"Come on… I know what you need. It's not what most people would think would work, but it does," said Adam, his voice gentle yet firm, as he met Aaron's weak stare filled with sadness.

"Please don't tell me it's hanging out with other girls… because… that's not going to work," said Aaron dryly, his voice tinged with bitterness and resignation.

Adam smiled sadly. "No, it's not. It's the body ritual that Layya will put you through. It will ease your mind with mind-numbing pain. With heartbreak as bad as yours, it will let you concentrate on something else, less you want to feel like you're dying," said Adam as Aaron thought it over. "Let's go," he said. "I need to… I need something to distract me." Adam stared at his friend in pity.

"When do we begin this ritual?" asked Aaron. 'Hopefully this helps me feel...something.' The last thought was weak.

Adam offered a small smile. "Any time you want it to start." He waited for Aaron's answer, feeling somewhat relieved that Michelle didn't have the same feelings for Aaron that he had for her. 

"Yeah, let's do it now," said Aaron as he waited for Adam to lead the way, which he did.

They entered the house, and Aaron followed Adam as they saw Layya talking to Dean.

"Layya, he says he wants to do it now, you know, get it over and done with," said Adam as she looked to Aaron and nodded before speaking.

"Are you dead sure you want to do it now?" asked Layya. "Don't you want any time to mentally prepare yourself? This pain isn't something that you will be able to shrug off," warned Layya, 'What's up with his posture?'

Aaron nodded absentmindedly. It would be a good time to unload his tears. "Yes… so where do we do this?" asked Aaron, Jasmine turned to Aaron, her eyes reflected a sadness. 'His voice...'

Layya nodded and looked to everyone else, including Michelle and Brianne, as they entered the spacious lounge. "All of you please take a step back." She showed Aaron where to sit, which he did, and waited as she sat in front of him and spoke again.

"I am going to explain how this will work," she said as she got comfortable. "You will start feeling absolutely nothing, and the pain will start rising until you will feel like every fiber of your body is broken. There is a high possibility that you will pass out from the pain, and that is when the ritual fails; you cannot lose consciousness."

"There is a trick; think of something that can distract you. Really, anything intense will do. Maybe you went skydiving or something. If it affects you emotionally, it can help you. It will help you stay awake. If you fall unconscious, you will be like that for a while," she finished.

As prepared, she took out a couple of things: a vial filled with orange liquid and blue powder in a canister. Aaron nodded. "Ok, you will need to drink this and inhale this," she said, motioning towards the orange vial and blue canister. She handed him the tube, which he drank.

"Tastes like oranges," said Aaron as he gave the tube back to her.

"If only he knew," said Adam with a grin as he looked to Jasmine, who looked sick at the sight of Aaron swallowing it. Dean's face was red as he contained his laughter.

"I will blow this, and you need to inhale it," said Layya as she took a handful of powder and blew it at Aaron, who inhaled but coughed afterward. "That stuff is nasty," said Aaron.

"Actually, this is Fairy dust," said Layya as she motioned to the powder. "The tube of liquid you so easily swallowed is Devil urine," said Layya as Aaron's face lost color and Dean burst out laughing.

"Sorry, bro, I couldn't keep it in any longer," said Dean as he wiped away a tear.

Aaron gagged, but this was just a one-time thing, and he would never have to do it again… hopefully. "Ok… that's gross, but what's next?" asked Aaron as Layya's eyes changed to bright blue, and black fairy wings appeared behind her, along with her outfit changing to a sky blue dress.

'I don't think I'll ever get used to that,' 

"Nature Magic Art; Lesser Body Enhancing," started Layya as a green magic circle appeared beneath Aaron.

Aaron sat still, feeling no pain at all. He was covered in a very transparent aura that was white until an annoying pain started in his hand. "How long is it anyway?" asked Aaron. "One hour, but don't worry, the worst is the last ten minutes before it ends," said Layya as Aaron nodded.

Everyone sat and watched the whole ordeal. Aaron became very uncomfortable thirty minutes into the ritual. "Man, the pain is getting a bit much now. It's more like an annoyance than anything else, but man, it's like an itch I can't scratch," said Aaron as he continued waiting. Nineteen minutes passed, and Layya looked Aaron straight in the eye.

"Brace yourself; the pain is about to take a serious notch up," said Layya as Aaron braced himself. Honestly, he was starting to panic.

Michelle watched as the light aura changed to a deep golden color. She along with everyone else was startled by the sudden piercing scream.