“Headache?” Jake asked, looking up, eyes serious.
“Yeah.” Duncan replied absently then dropped his hand to massage the inside of his forearm.
“Did you hurt yourself?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Duncan replied. “Why?”
“You’re rubbing at the same spot, and it looks like a bruise or something.”
Duncan frowned and looked at his arm. Jake was right. “What the hell?”
Jake sat down next to him, leaning closer to see the spot on his arm better. “It’s on both arms.” Jake pointed to Duncan’s other wrist.
Duncan pushed the laptop out of the way and laid his arms on the table, palms up. “What is going on?” he asked, staring at the faint outlines of—he had no idea. Something on his arms. He glanced at Jake then looked down at his friend’s arms. There was something there, too. He needed a closer look. “Wait, let me see your arms, too.” Duncan gestured to Jake.
Jake frowned but put his arms on the table. On both forearms, clearly visible against his lighter skin, were the outlines of similar shapes. “Shit! Is it an allergy?”
Duncan squinted. They almost looked like geometric patterns. The ones on his arms were exactly the same—a circle interspersed with what looked like vines. He swore the designs grew clearer the longer he looked at them. “Look, they match.” Jake rested his fingers on Duncan’s left arm. “They’re the same on both arms.”
“Jake,” Duncan said, voice low. “What the fuck is going on?” His head hurt, and his arms were itching now, too. “What the hell are those things?”
Jake shook his head. “I have no idea, man,” he began to say then broke off, clutching his head at the exact moment that Duncan’s head throbbed violently. Both men gasped, then as suddenly as the stabbing pain began, it disappeared. They looked at each other then down at their arms. The patterns were fully visible now, like tattoos etched in black ink on their skin.
“Whoa,” Duncan muttered, rubbing at his arm.
“Hey, my headache’s gone.” Jake looked at Duncan. “What does it mean that my unexpected and mysterious new tattoos are exactly the same as yours?”
“I have no idea, but I’m willing to bet that Emma now has a pair just like them.” The two men stared at each other, freaked out. Then Duncan sat back as a thought occurred to him. “You think she’s okay? I mean, the headaches were really bad, and then they just disappeared, like magic. She’s probably at school teaching right now.”
Jake sighed then ran his hands through his wavy hair. “I don’t know, man. I hope so. Hell, I can’t even believe we’re actually entertaining the thought that this is real and not just some vague collective hallucination.” Duncan put his arm around Jake, sensing that Jake needed the physical contact as much as he did right now. Whatever was going on, Jake was his best friend and that would never change. He did his best to ignore the warm scent of Jake’s hair and the incredible smoothness of his skin as he pulled the other man as close as he could.
He felt Jake relax, reassured by Duncan’s easy affection. Duncan frowned. In fact, he could almost feel Jake inside his head, as though they suddenly had a weird kind of emotional telepathy. He wondered if Jake was having the same sense, and then their eyes met and Jake smiled shakily then blushed. Duncan inhaled sharply, feeling a stab of attraction suddenly course through him. Jake’s eyes widened, and his smile faded. With a sudden sinking sensation, Duncan realized that Jake could sense his emotions too. Shit! Jake’s eyes darted away.
“Jake,” Duncan began, desperate to reassure his friend. He cleared his throat. “Jake, look at me.” Duncan willed the other man to turn back toward him. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I want you to know...” He stopped, not knowing what to say. He reached out and grasped Jake’s arm, running his fingers over the mark on his smooth skin. “You’re my best friend.” Duncan’s voice cracked. “I don’t want you to worry, nothing will change that, I promise. I don’t know what’s going on either, but you know I love you.” Duncan ran his thumb over Jake’s tattoo, ignoring the other man’s trembling. He didn’t know what he’d do if Jake left because of this supernatural weirdness. He pulled back, worried he was being too forward.
“Hey, no, you know I love you back.” Jake grabbed Duncan’s hand, stilling the movement. Duncan felt warmth curl inside his body at the roughness of Jake’s voice. “I’m not going to leave.” Duncan closed his eyes, the wave of relief he felt overwhelming him. He listened to Jake breathe in and out, slowly and deliberately calming himself down. Duncan turned the other man’s hand over and clasped their fingers together, familiar with Jake’s meditation strategies. Duncan quieted his mind too, concentrating on Jake’s fingers, the hum of the laptop sitting on the table. Then, just as he was about to open his eyes, he felt confusion. It wasn’t his. It wasn’t Jake’s. He sensed the other man’s presence in his mind like a comforting weight, strange and familiar both, but this new emotion wasn’t coming from either of them. He gasped and Jake gripped his arm tightly. Duncan’s eyes popped open just as he felt the confusion in his mind give way to shock. He guessed that Emma had suddenly figured out what was happening.
Emma gasped, trying to recapture her train of thought. “You okay, Ms. Bell?” one of the students asked.
Emma couldn’t remember the girl’s name. All the kids’ faces suddenly blurred in the wake of the stabbing pain she felt in her temples. Her forearms itched, and she rubbed at them absently through her blouse. “I’m okay.” She tried to think. She glanced at the clock set in the far wall above the stacks. Five minutes until she could dismiss the class. She winced at the glare of sunlight streaming in through the squat windows set near the ceiling.
“Let’s pack up early today,” she said as another flash of pain stabbed behind her eyes. Her arms were starting to really bother her, and she felt lightheaded. Was she having an allergic reaction? She thought back over what she’d eaten that morning while the students gathered their books, excitement at the early dismissal from class running through their voices. Emma sat on the edge of one of the student’s desks, praying she wouldn’t pass out. What was wrong with her?
“Emma? Are you feeling all right?” Julie asked. Emma jumped. She didn’t expect her aide to sneak up on her like that.
“I don’t know, Julie.” Emma rubbed her forehead. “I think I’m going to go sit in the office for a minute. I have a terrible headache. Would you watch the students for me? I dismissed them early.”
Julie nodded. “No problem. And at least you don’t have another formal class until after lunch.”
“Yeah, I forgot about that. Thank God,” Emma said, relieved. She got up and went to the office, carefully maneuvering through the desks covered with piles of ongoing tasks. She ignored the looks the others threw her way. Portia waved at her, but Emma pretended not to see. The ESL teacher and his aide watched as Emma stumbled then got up to come help, but she waved them away. She needed to sit down for a moment. It felt like she was threading her way through an obstacle course just to get to the bathroom. She snagged her now cold coffee from her desk as she weaved past, and then she was at the bathroom.
She opened the door and put the coffee on the sink counter then ran cold water over her hands. She felt hot and cold at the same time. Her arms still itched. She rolled up the sleeves of her blouse then bent down to run water over forearms. She closed her eyes in relief as the water soothed the itch, then forced them back open as she realized there was something on her skin. What the hell? She frowned, headache forgotten for a moment. It looked like she’d gotten tattooed. On both arms. She jerked away from the water, peering at the black circle and vine-like lines suddenly inked on her body. Her heart sped up, pounding uncomfortably as she swayed on her feet. What was going on? She grimaced and rubbed at the marks, but they didn’t come off. She grabbed a few paper towels and sat on the toilet, scrubbing at her arms, but she didn’t succeed in doing anything more than irritating her skin.