Rite of Submission - Rite 1

30: Haunted

                I could feel him watching me in the dark, even with my eyes closed. After a while it was just frustrating to know he was sitting there, so I chucked my pillow at him. There was a thud and I opened my eyes to see he'd caught the pillow and dropped it on the floor, leaning back in the chair, his eyes still watching me. "How does someone who looks so peaceful while they're sleeping act so hostile when they wake up?" his deep voice made my heart flutter.

"Whatever," I grumbled; refusing to let him know he'd had any effect on me. I readjusted myself, propping my head on my arm now that I was pillow-less. When I looked back at the chair he was gone.

Tired of feeling like I was going crazy, I tossed the covers back and got up. Looking around the dark room, I didn't see anyone else. I picked the pillow back up and dropped it on the sofa. Taking a deep, slow breath through my nose I tried to see if I could smell anyone else. The room was thick with the vanilla and spice smell that followed Sophia around, but there was also notes of my almond and cherry shampoo. I smelled again for that smoky sandalwood, but couldn't sense it. Holding my breath, I peeked into the hall. There was still no guard, so I crept into Dmitri's rooms.

I looked through each room of his suite. I could only catch a light lingering scent of spice and sandalwood. There were no other signs of him. I don't know why I grabbed one of the pillows off his bed and carried it back across the hall with me. It was comforting to curl up with something that smelled like him while being wrapped in a blanket that smelled like Sophie. With the weighted blanket we'd pulled from my boxes that my parents had bought it for me to help with the reoccurring nightmares I used to have, a sense of peace settled over me. I fell into a dreamless sleep.

Sophie woke me up with a mischievous grin. "Cookies for breakfast?" she bounced into the chair beside me.

I didn't think I had the energy to keep up with a sugar high Sophie today. "Maybe we should do pancakes today," I offered tucking the pillows and blankets into one corner of the couch. She frowned at me. "We can put chocolate chips in them," I added, earning a small smile from her. I didn't understand how she could be so cheerful so early in the morning, or why she couldn't seem to sleep in when there was no reason to be up so early.

We were able to have breakfast before going for my daily vampire donation. I was still teasing her about how she'd shoveled the pancakes into her mouth as if she was starving when we made it into the exam room set up for us. Doctor Martinez was looking through a file when she came into the room, her brown knit together.

"I can't seem to make sense of these numbers," she frowned at the chart in her hands. "The wolfsbane was clearing out of your system at a steady rate, but yesterday's tests show a significantly higher burn rate than the others. Was there anything that you did differently the day before last?"

Sophie and I exchanged a glance, both shrugging. "Not really," I thought back to the other day, "Dmitri had taken me out for a run after we came down to see you. That's where we were before we came to the hospital," my voice faltered as the memory of that glass cell dominated my thoughts. "How is Trevor doing, by the way?"

"Oh, he's doing very well," she gave a warm smile, "In fact he was just released this morning, but we're keeping him on light duty for a few days while he regains his strength." I had been hoping to visit him and maybe ask him about what had happened, wondering what it had been like for him. "You said that you'd gone for a run?"

I nodded, "Yeah, Dmitri took me out to a meadow in the woods and let me run off some of the frustration I'd been feeling lately."

"I think I'd like to run some extra tests today if that's alright with you," she waited for me to agree before telling us anything more. "I'd like to take one vial right now and another in about an hour. Then if you'll help her find her way to the gym Luna, I'd like her to run on the treadmill a bit. Whatever speed is comfortable with you should do, and just until you feel winded or need to slow down. Then I'll do one last draw today about an hour after you're done there."