Change of Skin: Chapter Three

Hey everyone! I saw that there is some general interest in this story which is fucking awesome so I decided to post the next chapter so we can start getting closer to the juicy parts that I'm just dying to write. So here's the next chapter, it reveals a bit more about Christoph.

Change of Skin

[Chapter 3: Breathe]

Christoph woke up screaming at the top of his lungs, and Paul came bursting through the door alarmed. “What’s wrong Christoph? Are you alright?” Paul asked concerned. Christoph had calmed down considerably, though he was still breathing heavily. “It’s nothing Paul. I’m fine; I just had a nightmare that’s all.” Christoph said.  “Are you sure? You were screaming loud enough to wake the dead!” Paul exclaimed.

Rubbing some of the sweat from his brow, Christoph replied “It was just a nightmare, everyone has them.”  “Ok, if you say you’re alright, you must be. That must’ve been one heck of a dream.” Paul said, trying to get Christoph to talk about it. Sensing what Paul was trying to do and wanting to change the subject, Christoph grabbed his pillow and struck Paul in this face with it. “Mmpf!” Came Paul’s shocked cry. Laughing Christoph continued his assault on Paul’s small form until he had the man begging for mercy. “Alright, alright! I get the point! I’ll give you your privacy, but when you’re ready come out and eat. I’ve already made breakfast, well more like brunch seeing as it’s almost afternoon.” Paul then stood and exited the room.

As soon as Paul left Christoph’s body slumped forward and he clutched his pillow to his chest. That dream had felt too real, he felt every aspect of that dream and could even remember the smell of the incense that was being burned. Shuddering at the memory, he wondered if that were a repressed memory or if it truly were a dream. Pushing the disturbing thoughts aside, he rose from the bed gathered some clothing and went to go take a long hot shower.

Emerging from the bathroom and feeling a little bit less tense than earlier, he sat down to the table and began to quietly consume his breakfast. Paul was sitting on the couch in front of the television, probably to give him some space. Smiling faintly, Christoph thought about how much he really cared about Paul. Without him he’d probably still be wandering around on the streets, jumping at every shadow that crossed his path. The man found him one night asleep on a bench in the park and then invited Christoph back to his home offering him a permanent place to stay. Despite Paul’s tendency to be a bit overbearing, he was a great friend who also didn’t try to pry too much into Christoph’s history, something of which he appreciated very much.

Finishing his meal and clearing his plate, Christoph plopped down on the couch next to Paul. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Paul questioned without looking away from the television. “No, the boss cut my hours severely. He says that he may close the shop soon, but don’t worry I have mon-.“  Paul waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it, it’s not a big deal. I trust you and I know you’ll make sure to pay when you have the funds.” Smiling warmly, Christoph decided to divulge a bit of information to his friend. “Guess what I did last night?” Christoph asked. Still not turning away from the  TV, Paul said “What? You know I fell asleep waiting up for you.” Rolling his eyes some when Paul began to nag like a housewife, Christoph supplied “I was out with Till, he took me to dinner.”  A sound of excitement escaped from Paul as he swiftly turned to face Christoph. “I can’t believe it! I’m so happy for you! Tell me all the details.” Paul rambled.

Laughing at Paul’s antics, Christoph explained how his night went and how he ran into Till on his way home. Each detail earned him an ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ from Paul, “He sounds like he’s really interested in you, I’m pretty sure you’ll be hearing from him again.” Paul gushed. “I’ve also got good news too, Richard called me yesterday and asked me to come to party at his house tonight! Isn’t that awesome?!” Paul prattled. Nodding his head, happy for his friend, but slightly off put by the information Paul just shared with him, he stood and stretched.

“I’m glad for you Paul. He seemed like he liked you a lot too. I’m gonna go out for a while, I’m not sure when I’ll be back but you’ll probably be gone by then anyway.” Christoph said and then the two men exchanged good byes and Christoph exited the apartment.

Once he hit the pavement he let his feet guide him to his destination. Walking for a while Christoph ended right back in front of that mysterious temple again and was paralyzed as he gazed upon it. Suddenly the burning he felt during the dream he had returned full force, causing him to bend forward curling into the pain. “The Gregori are watching…” A voiced whispered into his ear and Christoph whipped his head in the direction the voice came from finding nothing but an empty space. Standing upright once more as the burning left his body, his hair stood on end as he gazed at the Eye staring accusingly at him from the building.

Forcing his body to move from the spot, he stiffly but hurriedly walked down the sidewalk , intent on putting as much distance between that place and himself as possible. Walking further down the road, he came upon a large old library, probably one of the oldest in the city. Feeling bound to enter this place, Christoph grabbed the golden handle of the door and pulled it open. Upon entering the building Christoph immediately felt overwhelmed at the sheer amount of books stored with in this building. Spotting the stairs, he wandered up them letting his feet guide him once more.

Once he reached the second floor and walked over to the rows of books, scanning them all trying to locate what his instincts were telling him to. Finding the section he needed, he ripped several books from the shelves and stalked over to the nearest table. Flipping through the books like a mad man, he absorbed any and all information he found there, though he didn’t find anything yet pertaining to what he was looking for. Feeling his hackles rise, Christoph jumped and went rigid when he heard a quiet voice behind him “That’s quite heavy reading for one such as you.”

Turning in his chair to face the stranger, he laid his eyes upon an extremely tall and lanky man, with shoulder length blonde hair and striking blue eyes that his black wiry framed glasses seemed to complement. “Who are you?” Christoph asked confused to as why this man was seemingly reading over his shoulders. “My name is Christian, but everyone calls me Flake for a reason I care not to discuss. I work here, now again, I ask why are you reading such literature.” Flake said stiffly. Frowning a bit, not liking this man’s brusque nature he begrudgingly began to explain his situation for some reason unknown to him. “You see I had this…dream about my mother who’s been long  deceased and in it she mentioned something called the Gregori and the Ein Soph and I just want to know what, or who they are.” He said exasperatedly.

Walking over to the table and snatching up the books sprawled there, Flake said “Well you won’t find your answers in these books. A word of advice, stay away from reading such material. You do not have the… fortitude to ward off anything that may come from delving into this subject matter.” Flake then began walk away, but then paused. “Also do not linger in front the temple on Goldendämmerung Strasse, unless you want to invite more misfortune into your life.” With that said the man continued on and seemingly disappeared in to the endless sea of books that was the library.

Shaking off the creepy feelings the strangely beautiful man gave him, Christoph stood and left, grumbling to himself that no one tells him what to do or read. He was intent in figuring out his dreams and he could only think of one other place where he could possibly attain help. Exiting the building he continued on, noticing how low the sun was in the sky and wondering why it seemed as though he was losing track of time lately. Walking further and entering the more residential area of the city, Christoph finally stood outside of his last destination.

Striding up the stairs of the house that had a neon sign that read 'Psychic' he knocked on the door. “We’re closed come back another time.” A voice sounded on the other side of the door. “Please, I really need your help. It’s very important to me.” Christoph pleaded. “Yeah, well that’s what they all say.” Came the impolite response. “Look I’ll pay you extra if you can see if you can help me.” Christoph then pulled out a wad of cash and pushed it through the mail slot on the door. Hearing the man sigh on the other side of the door and the ‘click’ of the locks being released and a tall bald man let Christoph in. “Straight to the back, through the black door, have a seat and make yourself at home.” The man said as he stuck his head out the front door and looked around as if someone was waiting in the shadows.

Sitting down on the plush chair, Christoph waited for the psychic to join him in the dimly lit room. “Would you like anything to drink?” The tall man asked. “No , I’m alright thank you though.” Christoph replied. Sighing the man sat down on the opposite side of the table. ”Christoph, I know the answers you seek, but it’s not my place to answer them.” He explained putting his hand up to silence the other man. “You have so many questions swimming throughout your young mind, things someone your age shouldn’t even know about.” Christoph interrupted “Look, I’ve paid you more than I should’ve please don’t deny me the answers I need. At least just tell me who the Gregori are.”

The bald man looked stricken when Christoph mentioned the Gregori, closing his eyes he answered “They are a force to be reckoned with, or perhaps a better term would be revered. They control most aspects of human life, deciding how things operate on this plane of existence and others too. Many have believed that they are dead, an ancient religion that died out,and that they weren't exactly human or that they never existed, but they did exist and still do.” Then the man paused and looked piercingly into Christoph’s eyes.

“The watchers watch you too.” The psychic’s voice resounded with in Christoph’s head. The large man stood quickly and pulled Christoph gently from his seat. “You must go now, I’ve told you more than enough. More than I should have.” He whispered sharply as he pulled Christoph towards the front door. “But-“ Christoph started. “No, you really must go now, for both of our sakes.” With that statement the psychic shooed Christoph out of the door and slammed it shut, quickly locking all of the locks on the door.

Shaking off how frantic that man was acting, Christoph failed to hear the commotion with in the residence that he’d just left. Sighing and feeling more lost than he had before, he looked at the large harvest moon hanging grandly in the sky, taking in its auburn hue and feeling something was amiss. Shrugging the feeling off, he turned to the direction of home and began the lengthy trek back.

Author's Comment: It's getting interesting, no? Well I for one think so. I also think this story is coming together quite nicely, so expect another chapter soon possibly tonight but I make no promises. Also Till is in the next chapter and we find out how the party went for Paul so that should be incentive enough to read, right? *puppy dog eyes*