Chapter 4: Charlotte: Who are you? And what have you done with my sanity??

My head swam. “So what’s your gift?” Lucas whispered in my ear as we walked away from Zac.

“My what?” I asked baffled.

“Don’t play coy little girl, I know you’re a hex,” he flashed me a sickening smiled and slipped a hand around my waist, dragging me down the hall. Lucas’s arm was tight around me, much tighter than I would have expected for his small stature. We reached the back staircase, it was abandoned, dust had fallen onto the steps, a clear indication that there wouldn’t be any one to rescue me. I closed my eyes as he pinned me against the wall. “Come on Hex, tell me what you are so I know how you taste.” I could have sworn he growled at me. Slowly he leaned in. “Come on let me see those icey blues again,” he forced my eyes open. “That’s better,” he breathed, leaning closer he pressed his lips against my neck. His lips parted slightly, just enough for me to feel those sharp pearly whites nibble on my skin. My heart beat faster, blood pounding through my veins. “Mmmmm… that’s what I like to hear.” This time I was sure he growled. I felt those sharp teeth pierce my skin. I let out a scream. “Shut up Hex! You know you like this, all you Hex s***s do.” He hissed at me. I didn’t stop screaming. With a growl I went soaring, the back of his hand had hit my face and I was now tumbling down the stairs. 

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The smell of disinfectants engulfed me, as I gasped awake from the strange dream. I threw my right arm over the edge of my bed to make the annoying beeping stop.

“No, no, no sweetheart wouldn’t want the IV to come out, now would we?” a raspy voice scolded as it placed my arm back at my side. I opened my eyes incredibly confused. “Oh!” the chain-smoking nurse exclaimed looking down at me, “Now don’t you have the prettiest eyes I have ever seen! How are you feeling darling?” She drawled out the last syllable, a clear indicator we were in the south.

“Where am I?” I mumbled, voice rich with confusion. I was still disorientated, what a strange dream I had had. I tried to sit up and readjust myself, only to find my body tied to the bed with tubes and wires. My head pounded, my back ached, and I had a terrible feeling of uneasiness.

“Well my dear, you are at Baptist Hospital East, seems you took a nasty fall down the stairs at school.”

“Where… Where are my mom, and Aunt Tilly, and Mina?” I stuttered groggily still trying to assess the situation.

“They are out in the waiting room, the doctor was afraid he’d have to seduce your mother if he let them stay in there,” she said with a chuckle, “I’ll let them know you are awake and send them in.” After fluffing my pillow and injecting something into my IV, the nurse left to go get my Mom and Aunt Tilly. I lifted my head and looked around the room. It was filled with standard hospital furniture: a TV flipped to some obnoxious day time soap opera, a few chairs for family members to sit in, and a single wilting plant in a vase on the window sill. I sighed, I knew today was going to be a bad day, I guess I didn’t realize just how bad, bad was. Sometime while I was lost in thought the door flew open. My mother, who was near hysterical, jumped across the room and landed right next to my bed.

“Lottie what happened? Do you remember? Oh I’m so sorry, I should have listened to you when you said today was going to be bad,” she cried in between sobs and kissing my forehead.

“Laney, get yourself together child. Lottie is fine!” Aunt Tilly exclaimed trying to get my mother to call down. Aunt Tilly stared at my cautiously, examining every inch of me, her eyes seemed to freeze on my neck, terror flashed in her eyes for a moment, before she returned to her normal appearance.

“Lottie, do you remember what happened, the EMT said you fell down the stairs and hit your head really hard, they were afraid you had broken your back too” my mom asked cradling my head. I thought for a moment. The last thing I truly remembered was being lost in Lucas’s eyes. After that I wasn’t quite sure what had happened, all I had was that strange dream, and I couldn’t tell them that, they’d lock me up in the psych ward. I explained to them about Zac introducing me to Lucas, and left it at that.

“What did this Lucas boy look like?” Aunt Tilly said turning to face the window. I closed my eyes to picture him

“Well, he had hazel-yellow eyes and black hair,” I said pausing trying to recall more images, “he’s about Mina’s height, and very thin, like a string bean. Zac said he plays basketball for the school, he’s the star player. That’s all I’ve got. Why?”

“Just curious Lottie,” mom said cautiously trading looks with Aunt Tilly. “How are you feeling? The doctor says that if you are feeling better you can go home in a few hours. He’s worried you have a concussion though.”

“I feel fine,” I lied smoothly, in reality ever part of my body ached, but I was worried if I told them that mom would go hysterical again.

“Okay I’ll go find the doctor and see about having you released,” Aunt Tilly said slipping from the room.

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“If you have any strange symptoms come up Charlotte, come back and we will get you checked out okay?” the doctor said filling out the last few form so I could be released.

“Of course doctor,” I said with a smile. I was itching to get out of that hospital room. I wanted to know why Aunt Tilly and mom were acting so strange. The only way I was going to find that out was by snooping tonight after they thought I had gone to bed.

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“Goodnight Lottie!” I heard everyone call from the kitchen as I climbed the stairs to bed. They would probably be up the rest of the night and into the morning finishing this order. Because of my little escapade, an entire box of cookies had been crushed, and another batch burned beyond recognition, they had a lot of work to do to be able to ship by noon tomorrow.

“Goodnight!” I called back with a yawn. Every inch of my body ached and screamed for sleep, but I knew the sandman would not grace me with his presence this evening. My mind swirled with the dream I had had in the hospital, plus mom and Aunt Tilly’s reaction. I went into the bathroom to run a bath, when I caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror. On my left check was a faint outline of a hand print, just like where Lucas had hit me in my dream. Even more alarming was the bite mark on my neck. It couldn’t be true, no one had sharp enough teeth to break through skin like that, nor did anyone have the strength to throw me down the stairs like that. No, I must just be hallucinating. It’s probably the pain meds the doctor gave me. I quickly turned off the water and drained the tub, realizing that it probably wasn’t my best idea to take a long hot bath. Instead I opted for a quick shower, then turned in for the night.

After hours of tossing and turning, I gave up on the idea of sleep. I sat up in bed and stretched, every muscle screaming in agony. I reached for my headphones when I heard faint, but panicked whispers from downstairs. Ever so quietly and carefully I slipped out of my bed and into the hall. Perching at the top of the stairs I was able to hear everything going on below.

“Yellow eyes! Yellow eyes!” I heard my mom hiss, “No one but them have yellow eyes!”

“Aunt Tilly we have to leave, we have to pull her, get her out of there!” Mina exclaimed, “I know you saw the bite mark too! It has to be one of them. We’ve never had a breach this bad before!” Bite mark, I thought as I lifted my hand to my neck, so my dream really did happen?

“Hush!” Aunt Tilly demanded, “Both of you. Now. Charlotte’s safety is the most important thing to me and you BOTH know that. We will not pull her, we will not move, and most of all we will not overreact. That only draws attention to us and makes it appear as if we are on the run.”

“But, Aunt Tilly we are running, specifically from creatures like him!” my mother cried, hysteria bubbled up in her voice. I could tell that there were tears running down her face.

“I went over all of the faculty, staff, and students. Not a one holds any relation to Lenox’s pack. We are fine,” Aunt Tilly assured her.

“We have to tell her. Now. It’s the only way she’ll stay safe, she doesn’t know how to handle someone like that!” Mina begged.

“Absolutely not. She is safest ignorant. And that is final,” Aunt Tilly ordered. No one breathed a word. For as long as I can remember Aunt Tilly has always had a way about her like that. If she gave a command you followed, whether you wanted to our not. “Now, here is what is going to happen: from now on, Mina you will shadow Charlotte at school, you will not interfere unless her life or identity are in danger. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” Mina replied timidly. I heard someone crying, I assumed it was my mom.

“Laney, go to bed, you’ve had a long day. Mina and I can finish this order,” Aunt Tilly said in a much more conversational tone.

“O-okay,” my mom stammered and I heard her approach the stairs. I quickly scampered back to my bed. Just as I was pulling the covers up once more the door creaked open. My mom stepped in and tip-toed over to my bed. Sitting on the edge she began to stroke my hair and sing. It was a lullaby that was vaguely familiar.

“Hush love / hush now / darling please / my dear Annea please / my arms will hold you / my arms will protect you / you are my sole world,” she sung, the song continued but in a language unrecognizable to me. “He would still love you, regardless of the circumstances,” she sighed and I felt a warm tear fall on my check. I wanted to reach out and hug her, then probe her for more information. But I stayed still knowing now was not the time for that. She kissed my check then rose from the bed and left the room. Annea, the name floated in my head. Where had I heard that name before?  

Morning came much too quickly, and abruptly ended my dreams of a mysterious man rocking me in his arm and a bloodstone ring. I rolled out of my bed, the floor cool to my bare feet, I slipped on my socks and bathrobe and padded down to the kitchen, hoping some food would ease the knot confusion had formed in my stomach.

“Good morning Lottie,” my mom said with a bright smile. All traces of the vulnerability she had shown in my room last night had disappeared “How do you sleep last night?” she asked after kissing my forehead and sliding stuffed French toast onto a plate.

“Pretty well,” I lie hopping onto one of the bar stools. She slid the plate of French toast in front of me and I dug in. That name had haunted my dreams last night, as well as the boy with the blue eyes, and the bloodstone ring. All three things I was positive my conscious mind had never known.

“That’s good,” my mom replied playing with her necklace. She never takes it off, and it is the most interesting piece of jewelry I have ever seen. To the untrained eye it appeared to be a guitar pick on a golden chain. But with closer observation you saw it was a triangular piece of turquoise with a black dragon carved into the center. 

“Hey mom,” I started; she turned from the stove to face me, hand covering her mouth because she was chewing. “Where did you get your necklace? You always have it on and I think it’s so pretty and was hoping to find one like it.” The color drained slightly from her face and she just stared at me for a while.

“A… Ummm… Friend gave it to me for my birthday when I was in high school,” she said quickly. “Now go get ready to go. We are leaving in twenty minutes,” she said trying to change to subject.

“We?” I ask suspiciously “Why isn’t Mina taking me?” Mom never takes me to school, she and Aunt Tilly normally don’t leave the kitchen till I’m home from school.

“She and Aunt Tilly had to go grocery shopping for a big order we have coming in, which also means we are going to need your help after school today,” she told me sternly. I nodded and looked around the kitchen. The absence of Mina and Aunt Tilly was strange, but I guess it wasn’t that abnormal for them to go grocery shopping. I scampered upstairs, and started to get ready, when I remembered the mark on my neck. Strangely enough when I looked in the mirror it was gone. I really had been hallucinating yesterday, I probably had just dreamed the entire thing with my mom, Mina, and Aunt Tilly. Still there was a knot of unease in my stomach as we pulled up to the school.

“Have a good day!” my mom called as she let me out. I smiled and waved back to her, eyeing Zac approaching out of the corner of my eye.

“Hey, Lottie, over here!” Zac yelled and waved as he jumped off the steps and ran towards me. I felt a stupid grin cross my face as he got closer. Immediately I tried to crush it, I would seem desperate if he saw how excited I was that a 6’ 4”, athletic, brown-haired, chocolate-eyed boy like him would want me around. “Lottie!” he said with a smile and threw an arm around my shoulders, drawing me closer to him. Whatever cologne he had on is absolutely intoxicating, I soaked in the smell as he talked to me. “What happened? I was so freaked out when you fell yesterday! And then they had to take you out in a stretcher! I’m glad you’re here today though,” he said with a big grin on his face.

“No one’s really sure what happened to me yesterday. Maybe I just didn’t have enough to eat, that’s why I passed out,” I said slightly incoherent due to the smell of his jacket.

“Well I will not let that happen today!” he said as the bell rang. He handed me a breakfast sandwich. “I made it myself,” he declared proudly. I smiled back at him and took a bite, even though I was stuffed from breakfast.

“Mmmmm… Really good Zac. Thanks!” I assured him. He smiled back and dropped his hand down around my waste. Agonizing pain shot through my body. I immediately pulled away from him. His smile dropped to a slight frown.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I just thought….” He trailed off, and began to blush slightly. I felt terrible, yes I liked him, but the pain was just too bad.

“Oh no… I just… Umm… I need to get to class,” I stammered then took off towards first period. How stupid could I be?! The star of the basketball team is crushing on me, yet I take off like an idiot when he tries to make a move. What is wrong with me? Zac caught up with me as I entered the classroom.

“Lottie, I didn’t mean to push things or anything. I just don’t want you to leave my side today. That way,” he looked deeply into my eyes, “if you pass out again. I’ll be there to catch you.” He flashed that brilliant smile at me and I melted. I gently reminded myself to continue to breathe as I let him take my hand and lead me into the classroom. As I sat down, I heard the whispers of the girls around me.

“They said she was taking some sort of drugs and that’s why she passed out”

“I can’t believe that skank got Zac Campbell!”

“I heard she got expelled from her last school that’s why she’s here”

“She’ll get what’s coming to her when Nikki finds out about her”. I dropped my eyes to my desk, another horrible part about being the new girl; people start nasty rumors about you.

“Class, attention class, it’s time to start,” Mr. Shim said, calling the class to order. Everyone settled down and took their seats, and class began. We were discussing Beowulf today. Discussions raged on about where Beowulf was respectable or cocky. I kept to myself rather than engaging in their discussions. All of a sudden the uneasy feeling increased and I lifted my head to look around. Annea, I heard something whisper, I looked around frantically. “Ms. Meres,” Mr. Shim said drawing me back to the class, “What are your thoughts on Beowulf’s actions?”

“W…well I t…think that Beowulf’s actions make him a r…respectable leader b… because he didn’t have to go slay Grendel. He did it because he felt he needed to protect people.”

“Very well Ms. Meres but May I ask you please pay attention in class rather than staring out the window the whole time,” Mr. Shim said staring me down. “Of course, sir,” I replied quietly. Discussion continued around me and I prayed for the end of the period. My next class was my favorite music theory.