Transformed Chapter TwelveA Chapter by Tabitha M.Larissa woke up cold accompanied by a pounding headache. Tyko wasn’t laying beside her and she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She got up and changed after she realized she was wearing yesterdays clothes. She wondered if that was considered the same thing as wearing last night’s dress. Once she stepped outside into the hall she spotted Olivia who was walking out of her room too. “How was your date?” Larissa said in greeting. “It was really good,” Olivia smiled. “We clicked really well. Lost track of time. Didn’t get home until after two.” “That’s great!” Larissa beamed. Olivia locked her arm around Larissa’s. “You look like you had a good time too. I can spot a hangover from a mile away, and you, my dear, are sporting one brilliantly.” Larissa smiled sheepishly. “Deidre brought tequila.” “Tequila makes your clothes come off,” Olivia snickered. “Well, my clothes stayed in place,” Larissa said. “Don’t sound so disappointed,” Olivia said. Larissa fought the urge to tell her about Tyko since she wouldn’t know what to classify it as. They hadn’t even talked about it, but she added that to her to-do list. When they reached the stairs she realized the ache wasn’t only in her head, but in her legs as well. “Never have I ever been this hungover,” Larissa muttered. “I’d drink if I had one,” Olivia mused. When they entered the dining room they found Tyko and Deirdre. Tyko immediately motioned for them not to speak. Deidre was talking intently on her phone with her brows furrowed. “I can’t believe you found one already,” she said into the phone. “Are you sure?” She was quiet a moment while the person on the other line replied. “What’s his name? Where is he?” Another pause. “Fine. I’ll be there in twenty.” She hung up and immediately gathered her things while downing the rest of whatever was in her glass. “What’s going on?” Tyko asked. She’d already started speaking half way through his question. “He found one. A new shifter. His name is Lucas that’s all I know. I have to go.” She slung her bag over her shoulder and started to head toward the stairs. “I’ll contact you as soon as I know more.” “Damn it!” Tyko cursed. “I thought we had more time!” Deidre gave him a sad look. “So did I.” Then she was gone and out of their sight. “What do we do?” Olivia asked. Tyko sat down in one of the chairs running his fingers into his hair. “I don’t know,” he said, frustration ringing clear in his voice. “A first name isn’t much to go on.” “Should we go check the hospital?” Olivia asked. He shook his head. “He’s never used the same place twice.” “Maybe he did this time.” “He wouldn’t. Not his pattern.” Larissa stood in silence while the two battered back and forth. She didn’t know what to do. Was there anything she could do? Thoughts whirred in her head as the images flashed behind her eyes. Claws. Blood. Needles. Infection. She had to find him. “Well, we can’t just sit here and do nothing!” Larissa heard Olivia say as she came back to reality. “He might be in trouble!” “Well, we have to!” Tyko said clearly frustrated with her. “We don’t know anything else yet!” Larissa left them to their squabble and didn’t bother to care if they saw her leave. She immediately went down to the basement to distract herself. She had never worked this treadmill before, but she learned the controls pretty quickly...and ran. She ran until she couldn’t feel her legs and then she ran some more. Her whole body was shaky when she finally stopped. No one had come down into the gym and she was glad. She needed time to herself. She started the trek back up to her room running into Tyko in the living room of her floor. She ignored him when he called her name. “Mange!” She ignored him again walking straight to her room. As she was about to shut the door he stopped it with his foot. “Larissa,” he said voice sounding almost pained. “Where have you been? What’s wrong?” In some distant part of her mind,she upped the name tally to four. She took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I’m not feeling like myself right now. I’m sorting through some stuff.” That was a lie. She was trying to run away from her thoughts. He frowned clearly troubled. “I know this situation is stressful. But there’s nothing we can do but wait.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Is that what you said when I was taken?” He nodded expression pained. “We had to wait. We couldn’t just-” She cut him off. “I can’t do this right now.” Tears spilled. He lifted his hand to wipe them away, but when she flinched he dropped his hand immediately. “I just can’t.” She shut the door, leaning her back against it and sliding to the floor. More tears fell. She felt bad for hurting Tyko’s feelings. She knew he couldn’t do anything yet. Like he said there wasn’t much to go on with just a first name, but the pain and the constant fear still sat heavy in her heart. Just the thought of him taking someone else made her sick, made her skin crawl. This world was so messed up. She let the tears fall until she ran out. She didn’t know how long she had sat there, but her muscles were stiff and angry when she made them move her to the bed. She was cold when she fell asleep and cold when she woke up. The chill seemed to be a constant companion. When she was running her muscles and skin may have gotten hot, but her insides seemed to be made of ice. Her other companion had been Ant. He must have felt her need for silence because he never talked to her. Neither did the other few people coming and going while she ran. The second day was rough. She could barely move her legs to get out of bed the next day, but she did with every step sending shots of pain up her shins. Running was a slow start, but soon all the pain and all her thoughts faded. It was three more days of constant running before Ant said a word to her. “You’re pushin’ yourself too hard, lil wolf,” he said in a serious tone shutting her machine off without hesitation. She stumbled to a stop. “What are you doing?” she said outraged. “I have to run.” “No, you don’t,” he said crossing his massive arms. “You’re goin’ to hurt yourself.” She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “For one, you’re not eating right,” he explained. “You’re losing weight again already. When was the last time you ate?” “This morning,” she said vaguely. She didn’t know if that was right. She remembered grabbing a bagel at some point, but she had a strong feeling that had been yesterday. “That’s a lie,” he said. “You weren’t at breakfast, and you were here before I was.” “Well, what’s number two?” she demanded. “You over-stride a lot. Causes shin splints. I bet your shins are hurtin’ like hell.” She didn’t respond. They hurt every morning, but she ran until everything stopped hurting. “You hold your arms too high,” he went on. “Makes you breathe less efficiently, makes you tire faster. You’re clothes are wrong, denim is bad to run in. You’re not hydrating enough, and-” “I get the point!” she huffed stepping off the treadmill and sitting on the bench against the wall. He sat beside her. “Everyone is worried about you, lil wolf,” he said. “Running on a treadmill doesn’t mean you’re runnin’ away from your problems.” “I’m not running from my problems,” she said frustrated. “I run so I can sleep at night. I run so I don’t have to think. I run so I don’t feel anything.” “Those sound like problems to me,” he said. “Not as bad as the problems that will happen if I stop running,” she said. Angry tears irritated her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “What do ya mean?” “If I don’t run, or tire myself out somehow when I’m stressed, I go crazy,” she said. “Literally. I pace, I have nightmares. I’ve even developed OCD tendencies in the past. When I was in foster care in the earlier years, every time I moved to a new place, I stressed out. There were some nights where I had to check the locks on my window fifteen times. Exactly fifteen, no more, no less. I had to remake my bed three times in the morning, and check my backpack five times before I left for school. Stupid stuff like that.” Ant’s expression turned sympathetic. “That’s rough, but runnin’ your body ragged isn’t making anything better.” “It is,” she said exasperatedly. “It clears my mind.” “But it hurts your body,” he countered. “Which needs to be in tip top shape in case Tyko needs your help. And you only get one body.” She grimaced. She hadn’t talked to Tyko since the night at her door. He was one of the reasons why she was running. “You need to find another way to help your mind,” he said. “I can’t let you keep runnin’ like that. And you need to get something in your stomach. But, if you want to do it right, you can meet me here in the morning.” She nodded and sighed. “Thanks. Could you keep my crazy conversation to yourself? I’d rather not everyone know.” “You got it, lil wolf,” he said with a smile full of promise. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She wasn’t hungry, but she went upstairs to the dining room anyway, taking Ant’s advice to get something to eat. She had no idea what time it was, but there was nobody there and no food on the table. She went through the kitchen doors almost hitting Cressida. “Sorry!” Larissa apologized immediately. “It’s fine, girl,” Cressida said, setting down a stack of clean dishes. “What can I do for you?” “Got any leftovers?” Larissa asked. “Sure thing,” Cressida said. “Go sit down, and I’ll bring you something.” Larissa thanked her and took a seat at the dining room table. She chewed at her fingernails while she waited, trying to push the anxiety ridden thoughts to the back of her head. Cressida appeared a few minutes later holding a plate of stir fry. “Thanks,” Larissa said taking the plate with fake eagerness. “I expect that plate to be licked clean,” Cressida said with a warm smile before returning the kitchen. Larissa wondered for a moment if she lived in the kitchen. She couldn’t remember seeing her outside of it. Larissa ate the bites of food slowly and it felt like they were hitting her stomach like rocks. She felt like it took hours to clear the plate, but she eventually did. Not knowing what else to do she went outside to the farm. She was surprised to find that the weather was starting to cool down. She would need a jacket soon, but for now the temperature was perfect. She spotted Sheena with a basket picking ears of corn. “About time you came back around,” Sheena said when Larissa took her place on the opposite side of the row. She recalled Sheena’s advice from last week to only pick the ones with a rounded top and dried silk. “Not by choice,” Larissa said plucking an ear. “Ant kicked me out.” “Good,” Sheena said. “I’ve been telling him to that for days. You were pushing yourself too hard.” “So I’ve been told,” Larissa murmured still feeling the pain in her legs with every step. “I missed you,” Sheena said after a moments silence offering her a sheepish smile. Larissa smiled back halfhearted. “I missed you, too.” They picked corn until the sun started to set and the sky dimmed, full of bright orange and pink. They ended up with four full baskets and Sheena was ecstatic. She babbled on about how much money she was going to make for the house at the market as they walked back into the dining room. Well, Sheena walked into the dining room. Larissa stopped short from the smells of bread and garlic hitting her in the face making her still full stomach churn. She told Sheena she wasn’t feeling well and headed back down stairs. Figuring Ant was up in the dining room she thought she could get some running in without him knowing, but when she went down the basement the door was locked. “Ugh!” she growled in frustration. Sighing in defeat she went back up to her room. She tried to sleep for awhile, but ended up tossing and turning. She eventually started pacing around her room. From the bed, to the dresser, into the bathroom, to the door, and back again. She had made several rounds before someone came in unannounced. It was Olivia. “Put your shoes on,” she demanded. “Why?” Larissa said knitting her brows together in confusion. “Because, I haven’t seen you in like five days, and because I said so,” she said leaning against the door frame and crossing her arms. “I’m not leaving without you.” She raised an eyebrow as if daring Larissa to disobey. Larissa grudgingly put her shoes on and pulled on a black sweater. Olivia smiled triumphantly and led her down the car. “Where are we going?” Larissa asked once they were on the road. “We’re going to my work,” Olivia said simply. “We’re going to volunteer our time to help set up for a party tomorrow. Blowing up balloons is great stress relief.” Larissa raised her eyebrow skeptically. “I’m serious,” Olivia said. “It makes you breathe deep. Then we’re eating chocolate. And we’re going to talk.” Larissa groaned. Talking didn’t sound fun. She already knew Olivia was going to pry out every detail. It wasn’t the kind of bar Larissa had pictured in her mind. She was expecting the kind with a haze of smoke and mixed nuts on the bar...It looked more like a restaurant. There was an actual bar, with a bartender mixing something blue in a blender, and tables and booths scattered everywhere, some of which had green bulbs instead of regular lights. There were also dark, abstract paintings on the walls, and fake plants in the corners. The bar tender greeted Olivia happily, as did the girl sitting at a table close to the bar that was covered in streamers and balloons. “Did you change your mind about helping?” the girl asked as they approached. “Yeah, at the last second,” Olivia replied. “I brought help. Larissa this is Sarah. Sarah, Larissa.” Larissa gave the woman a wave. She was probably about six or seven years older than Larissa. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was in uniform. A black skirt and red, almost silky looking collared shirt. “Who’s the party for?” Larissa asked. “One of the regulars,” Sarah replied. “We’ve got about an hour or so to set up.” “Larissa is going to blow up the balloons,” Olivia said, picking up a roll of streamers and tape. “Come help me.” Larissa sat at the table glaring at the pile of balloons before she picked one up. It was green just like the streamers Olivia and Sarah were wrapping around the square columns of the entrance to the bar area. She stretched the balloon and took a deep breath. It was bigger than her head by the time she was finished. After four she was afraid she wouldn’t have enough breath to finish them all. After seven her jaw started to tingle. Olivia and Sarah returned on number fourteen. Thankfully, they helped with the rest. Once all the balloons were blown up and hung Olivia led Larissa to a booth. “Feel better?” Olivia asked. “My jaw is still tingly,” Larissa complained rubbing it solemnly. Olivia laughed. Sarah came up and sat a bowl of chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and caramel sauce between them. She told them to enjoy and disappeared. Olivia picked up one of the spoons and dug in. “Now, talk,” she demanded. “And eat.” “About what?” Larissa asked, picking up the other spoon. “The latest fashion trends,” Olivia said sarcastically. “What do you think? I know you’ve wanted to tell me about you and Tyko for days.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Larissa said slowly, her heart jumping into her throat and pounding in her ears. “Oh, please,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes. “Anybody with eyes could see the connection between you guys. It was there from day one.” A smile played along Larissa’s lips. “Really?” “Yes,” Olivia said then looked at her pointedly. “Eat.” It was probably the best chocolate ice cream Larissa had ever had the pleasure to eat, even if it was forced upon her. She frowned thinking about Tyko. “I might have ruined that,” she said. “How’s that?” Larissa ate more ice cream, stalling her answer. “Well, I pushed him away, and haven’t talked to or seen him in five days.” “I don’t think anything is ruined,” Olivia said. “You’re both in a stressful situation. Tyko is busy trying to rescue someone while you’re busy trying not to relive what you went through and what that shifter is probably going through. It means you need time, not that anything is ruined.” Larissa gave her a small smile. “I’m glad you understand.” “Of course I do,” Olivia said. “Stress is an awful thing. Don’t let it ruin anything. It will pass, as all things do.” “I guess,” Larissa sighed. “I don’t believe that running for days straight is the best way to deal with it,” she went on. “We’ll just have to find another way. We can do it together. You don’t have to shut people out.” Larissa winced. “I didn’t mean to shut anyone out. Except Tyko. That felt necessary.” “I’m sure it is,” Olivia said. “Like I said, you guys just need some time.” Larissa sighed twirling her spoon around in the melted ice cream in the bottom of the bowl. “Maybe it’s a good thing, this break up thing,” she said. “I mean, we never even talked about what we were. Just some random make out sessions. Maybe I only fell for him because he saved me...” “He rescued you, so what? So did I, and we’re not hiding out in janitor’s closets. You don’t have to label corn to know it’s corn,” Olivia said. “Yeah,” Larissa said, “but there’s creamed corn, grilled corn, boiled corn...” Olivia looked at her pointedly. “It doesn’t matter how you cook it, it’s still corn.” Larissa sighed in response. “We’ll try yoga tomorrow,” Olivia mused. “I’ve heard that’s relaxing.” “Alright,” Larissa said skeptically. “So,” Olivia said mischievously, “what’s it like, kissing Tyko?” Butterflies swarmed Larissa’s stomach as she recalled the memories. “Think about the best feeling you’ve ever had, multiply it by twenty, and set it on fire.” Olivia looked at her blankly. “You lost me at fire.” “I don’t really know how to explain it,” Larissa said sorting through the words in her vocabulary. “It’s like he ignites something inside of me. As soon as his lips touch mine, something sparks, and all my thoughts just vanish, nothing else matters. Just me and him.” “That sounds magical,” Olivia said. “It is,” Larissa grinned, but frowned when she realized she might not get to kiss him again. “Let’s go home,” Olivia said. “Got a busy day of yoga ahead of us.” “Oh, joy,” Larissa said, feeling the complete opposite. Once they were home Larissa crawled into bed and managing to fall asleep. It wasn’t a peaceful one, though....
“You’ll never get out.” The voice was sharp and cold. A cackle sounded, worse than nails on a chalk board. She was chained to a wall. The cement was wet, and sticky against her back. She just knew it was blood. “Never!” She jumped. The voice was getting closer. “Maybe if you beg, I’ll kill you faster.” The scream stuck in her throat. She was paralyzed with fear. “No one even knows you’re gone. No one cares.” The doctor stepped into the light. His smile was stretched. Blood dripped from his fingers. She screamed.
Larissa woke up to somebody shaking her. Cold sweat covered her body and fresh tears on her cheeks. She could taste them on her lips. Olivia was sitting on the bed beside her. She looked scared. “Are you okay? You were screaming. I heard you from down the hall.” Larissa wiped away the tears trying to compose herself. “Yeah, I think. Nightmare.” Her throat was scratchy. “Wanna talk about it?” Larissa shook her head vigorously. “Nope.” “Want me to stay?” Olivia asked. Larissa took a shaky breath. “If you don’t mind.” “Of course not.” Olivia slipped under the covers when Larissa scooted over. “Thanks,” Larissa said still fighting off the onslaught of terror filled tears. She leaned her head against Olivia’s shoulder. “That’s what friend’s are for,” Olivia said taking her hand and squeezing it tightly. © 2015 Tabitha M.Author's Note
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Added on May 12, 2015 Last Updated on May 12, 2015 Tags: fantasy, shapeshifters, romance, young adult Author
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