Zeus - The Alpha of Hatred

Stalker

"Reviewing the results of your tests, I'm happy to say there is no issue with your heart," Dr. Johnson informed, her round face lighting with a smile.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Maybe you missed something?"

I decided to make an appointment with a doctor to make sure I wasn't actually disregarding the signal about some serious heart disease my body was trying to make known as some eccentric black magician's doing.

She laughed. "Yes, I'm sure, Ms. Miracle. But for your assurance, I'll recheck." The middle-aged woman of vanilla hair and glowing skin, skimmed her eyes over the reports for the second time and faced me again. "You're fine, darling. Your heart is healthy and functioning normally."

My brows dipped in confusion. "But the pain..."

"That's indeed strange. When did it start again?" she asked, keeping the report aside and resting her arms on the desk.

"A couple weeks ago." My mind went back to that night, my heartbeat raising. "Since my encounter with the wolf-man—"

"What?"

"W-wolf, I meant." I didn't want her to think I was crazier than what I already perhaps made her believe.

"Okay." She nodded, thoughtfully. "It might be due to anxiety and stress. You encountered a wild animal, and you've been stressed ever since. This often gives a person panic attacks which can lead to discomfort in the chest."

I stared at her, mulling over her words. This could be it except... What about the man I saw? What about his color-changing eyes? What about the way the pain increased whenever I thought about him?

"I'll prescribe you some medication and stress-reducing exercises." Dr. Johnson pulled me out of my thoughts as she scribbled on the prescription pad.

"Is—" I wetted my lips, "Is it possible to confuse a dream with reality, Doc?" I finally asked what I'd been fearing all this time.

She stopped scribbling and paid her full attention back to me. "It's not my field of expertise, but yes, this is possible. Mostly after a person wakes up. But the confusion should clear once they're fully awake." She went back to writing and added, "Though it's a different factor if the person is under the influence of alcohol."

Right...

I sighed, finally deciding. I had been going crazy over something that most definitely wasn't real. An eye-color-changing wolf-man? Did I even hear myself? And to say I had been accusing the professor wrongly.

My mind drifted to our last and only conversation.

"Have we met before?" I had asked.

In response, he said, and quite rudely might I add, "Bold of you to assume I'd remember." before he strode away.

My blood boiled at the reminder. How could someone be so full of themselves and still get to be a professor? Teachers were supposed to be gentle sweet-talkers. Right? Except the few Severus Snape candidates. But Professor Valerious was entirely on a different level.

Once I was out of the doctor's office, I called Talia. "I'm going to the party," I told her.

I had no idea what came over me, but my mind was going through the aftermath of the riot, and it needed a break.

***

When they said Jaxon's throwing a party, I didn't expect it to be this big. It seemed as though he invited the whole young population of the town. People were inside the million-dollar house, on the tumblr-worth terrace, in the backyard pool. Some even gathered in the glass-roofed underground garage to get a first-class view of his supercar extravaganza.