She Came From the Shadows (James and Tera: book 2)

24

I woke up the next morning able to move freely, but not without pain. My body, especially my ribs, were sore. I had to pop a few ibuprofen for them and my head. I was hurting, but not as bad as the other night, and not enough to see a doctor. More like an aching body after an entire day of exercise, except times two.

I moved my legs over the edge of the bed and painfully leaned myself up. As soon as I put weight into my legs, I immediately fell. However, I was able to catch myself by grabbing onto the bed in an unnaturally speedy way. My body was still out of commission but my reflexes and senses were stimulated. What had happened? Was this part of me consuming Victoria's blood?

I was almost struggling, still, even though my reflexes were back, because I was holding all my weight with one hand on a bed. I slowly let myself fall onto the floor. Before I knew it Tera had made her way around the bed to me.

"Take it easy." She told me, squatting to face me. "You still need to take things nice and slow. One step at a time."

"Then let me try and take my first steps." I told her, reaching a hand over to grab hers.

She wrapped her hand around mine and she stood slowly. As she held on, she pulled me, and I pulled up using her arm. I kept my legs stiff, and once I was standing she took my other hand and guided me as if I were a toddler.

After a few minutes of both of us being satisfied of my walking progress, we got dressed and headed downstairs, Tera still slowly guiding me down each step.

I laughed at her gestures. "I'm fine." When we got down the last step, I heard someone rustling around in the kitchen. "Isn't your dad supposed to be at work?" I asked.

She smiled nervously. "He is."

We walked into the kitchen, and standing there at the counter mixing some batter, an old Indian lady with two braids going down her shoulders stood, the feather earing falling down from her lobe. I could have sworn at that moment I had just found my ability to run again when I saw Dancing Wildflower turn to face us.

"James." She said in a voice that could be similar to the phrase 'calm before the storm'. "You have some explanations to discuss." I gulped.

Tera and I sat at the table in silence. Moments later Flower had brought in two plates of pancakes with some syrup. It was sort of funny how easy it was for her to get acquainted to another person's kitchen. The only reason why I didn't smile was because Flower sat down across from us with her arms folded.

We ate slowly, knowing that as soon as we were done the interrogation would begin. The moment when I took the last bite of her breakfast was the moment I was wishing I was chained up again. She sat back when my plate was empty, her arms still crossed and her eyes on not just me, but Tera too in the frame of her vision.

"Well, where do you want us to begin?" I asked.

"I know about the deal you made with the bloodsuckers." She spat out, obviously still not fond of their kind. "But I want to know everything AFTER that. For instance, what is it I hear about a nightclub?"

I swallowed. Of all people to lecture me about going into a nightclub while underage, it had to be her? "Well, about that..." I started.

"Nightclub?" Tera looked over with a light squint. "You went to a nightclub?"

I nodded, with a confused squint back. "Yeah. I told you that night we were treating Sage to a good time."

"Yeah but you never told me about going into a nightclub. Why didn't you?"

I shrugged. "It slipped my mind. I thought I did tell you." She shook her head, so I further explained. "Well, we took Sage to Pinehill to find somewhere to hang out, and then we ran into Victoria and the other two."