It's been three months since Delilah "Del" Cross stumbled her way into the mysterious town of Whisper Valley. During that time she's grown to appreciate her new life amongst ghosts, vampires, mages, zombies, and werewolves. Yet, there's still so m...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
For a moment the world went foggy again. My exhausted mind and throbbing head worked against each other as I tried to knit together what series of events landed me in that bed.
First my hands reached for my throat, fearful of what mark my fingertips might find. However, my search revealed no fresh blemishes to support a certain vampire's claim over me. I trusted that Antonov wouldn't bite me without consent, but I didn't trust his understanding of how alcohol could affect consent. Thankfully, whatever my inebriated self did the night before, it didn't include falling prey to the seductive vampire's charms.
As I reflected further, a more reasonable thought manifested. If I had been so drunk that I blacked out, it seemed probable and rather reasonable, that I was offered a bed for the night to sleep off the alcohol. In fact, there were likely others staying in the large manor as well, after getting too deep into their festivities.
Though, my anxiety wanted to pull me back to a place of fear and uncertainty, I did what I could to retain the belief that I was here for completely innocent reasons. As I allowed that calm to settle my bones and release my muscles, my vision cleared and I noticed further evidence to my theory. Stacked upon a dresser across from the bed were two bundles of clothing that may have been set aside for me. If they were, then I could at least feel some relief that I didn't just stumble into the room and pass out without anyone's knowledge of my presence.
With that thought in mind, as well as a strong desire to seek out the en suite bathroom to take a much needed shower, I eased my legs over the edge of the bed and planted my feet. However, as I rose up and placed my weight upon my heels, I was sent tumbling backwards.
"Damn," I hissed through clenched teeth. My hands reached down to seek the source of my pain and it didn't take long to discover a swollen ankle sitting above my right foot. With a groan, I readied myself once again to move across the room, but this time I did so with a ginger step and an exaggerated limp so that I didn't further aggravate my sore body.
Upon arriving at the dresser, I discovered that one of the sets of clothing was clearly a pair of pajamas. Made from a soft cotton, the light T-shirt and drawstring pants would have been significantly more comfortable than my abused gown. I furrowed my brows, wondering why my past self didn't bother changing into the pajamas, but then I decided I must have been too drunk to even think about it.
As for the other set of clothing, it was a simple pair of jean shorts of conservative length and a cotton V-neck T-shirt. It also had the additions of fresh underwear, socks, and sneakers. I wondered for a moment how Antonov managed to find me clothing that appeared to be my size, but I figured it was best not to dwell on it and to instead be thankful that I didn't have to decide between the options of continuing to wear the clothes I was in or prancing around naked in Antonov's house.
Once in the bathroom, I got a better look at what the night had done to me. My hair had been relieved of the styling Irene had done the night before. I couldn't remember how it originally looked, but I did recall the pinning involved. Instead of being wound up in some sort of updo, my hair lay loose and frazzled upon my shoulders. There was still a stick or two in my hair, which I picked out with care. Clearly I had gone outside at some point, but for what purpose I could not say. It was an uncomfortable feeling seeing the remnants of a void inside your mind, not knowing what lurked in the abyss of my memories. I swallowed hard and continued to appraise my appearance.
