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

26

A little note to you guys, and I apologize dearly if this downs the vibes. I just came to a realization that writing is a cope for my depressions sometimes. I don't know why but it does.

Funny thing is I never imagined even posting a single chapter of a story, especially my pieces that were out of one of my episodes :), let alone even have so many viewers.

What I wanna say is thank you to the little bit of support I get from those who follow. It means the world to me knowing that I and my fantasy world written here aren't alone.

Anyways, let's begin, shall we?

For the past few days everything was normal again. Aside from Sage questioning my crooked nose after it being broken by my kidnappers. But the process would require it to be rebroken, so I'm going to have a crooked nose for a while.

Tomorrow was exciting for me. Though I haven't had much time to catch practices, I was still eligible to compete in my final track competition before graduating next week. Everything was shifting into place and fast. It was exciting but also kind of disheartening to believe the life as a kid was coming to an end and the beginning of adulthood was making its way into the picture.

I wasn't alone at the track after school. There were some other members who were going to be in the competition as well. It felt nice to be surrounded by some of my team for the last time, going through drills and pushing each other to the limits. We always knew how to have a good time while training efficiently.

I felt so much faster, though. I had increased my speed a fraction more than usual and my stamina felt like it had doubled. My wounds from the kidnapping had fully healed, and ever since tasting Victoria's blood it felt like I was steady increasing in physical activity.

It made me feel bad, though, like I was pumped up from some steroids. I felt like I was cheating, but at the same time I was instead increasing my body's health regeneration. I had told Charles about it and he had assured me that it wouldn't last much longer with the amount I had consumed. "It's been a few days. It's reached its peak and should go away soon." He said.

After practice I noticed that the skies were pretty much a shade of orange from the sun going down. I had showered off in the locker rooms before drying off and getting back into my normal clothes. It felt nice being the only one to really do this, showering after each practice. Nobody else was comfortable enough to do it and would always head in to change and head straight back out. I guess I didn't like the thought of my clothes smelling like must.

As I dried off and put some pants on, I heard the door open and close. I thought it was one of my teammates who had forgotten something, but instead I had found someone else who I hadn't seen since my incident, and was even more concerned because of where we were and how dressed I was.

Victoria, wearing a dark purple hoodie with jeans and Converses leaned against the lockers, gazed at me. I felt kind of embarrassed because I still didn't have a shirt on, and I was a little self conscious of the scars over my body, specifically my chest. "My, aren't you a sight after a shower." She said cooly with that side smile of hers.

My cheeks heated up a little, and I reached for my shirt. " Nah uh," She lifted a finger. "Don't put it on just yet. Let me get a good look at you." I thought about it for a minute and decided to not challenge her. She nodded with assertion. "Good boy."

"What are you doing here?" I asked her. "How did you even find me or know I was here?"

"Well I can find you just about anywhere if I've tasted your blood." She told me. "That's the perk of being natural trackers. Since the effects of my blood are going to wear off soon, might as well use this to my advantage now and surprise you out of nowhere." She grinned. "Glad it was when you were fresh out of the shower."