American Beauty

Fear Inoculum

The door swung open as soon as they came up the stairs and Bea was outside the front door, walking over to Sarah to see her before Lex could even get her through the door. At first glance, she stopped to stare at the pale form of her friend, her mouth hanging open before letting Lex bring her inside first. She followed him in quickly, waiting for him to set her down gently on the couch before her hands were over Sarah's forehead, feeling her skin and checking for a pulse with her wrist. "Geez," she felt her stomach twist. She looked pale, but for an anemic this was normal, it just sucked seeing the symptoms on one of her friends. She was certain everyone else looking probably thought she looked like death. "Where was she?" she asked quickly, glancing up at Lex and Selene, who had finally stepped up beside him.

"Heading to class. She had sunglasses on and her hood pulled down." Selene stared at Lex's back, hoping he'd explain the rest. She didn't want to mention the two puncture wounds on her neck. It... Somehow made her sick to her stomach to think about it.

Lex looked at Bea. "She has bruises on her neck and chest. It looks like someone bit her." He crouched down next to Bea to carefully tilt Sarah's head to the side to show her.

Sarah winced and took in a shallow breath, her eyes opening to see a few familiar faces.

Beatrice stared down at the marks and a part of her thought this had to be some sick, twisted freak's fantasy. "What the hell, Sarah?" she groaned, raking her fingers down her face. "Ugh. Well, let me get her vitals and, in the meantime, get me some painkillers and Vitamin C from the bathroom's medicine cabinet for her. Two 500mg of acetaminophen should be a start." She could only assume Sarah must have been hung over to try to walk on campus with sunglasses and a hoodie, though whatever else she had done to herself probably made her feel like crap too. "Honestly, I'm not her doctor, but I'm sure it'll cut whatever headache she's got right now or at least help till we figure out if we should be sending her to the hospital." She looked at her watch as she lifted Sarah's wrist and turned it over in her hand as she felt her pulse.

Selene shut the door slowly as Cameron shuffled out of the back room with blankets she had heated up with the dryer.

"Hey," Cami nodded to Selene as her friend turned her head downward. She would have asked more if she wasn't already on task with Sarah, laying the blankets over her. Selene seemed to move out of the way, finding a place at the corner of the room as Cameron unfolded the blankets to lay them over Sarah.

Lex felt the same way Bea did. "Did anyone see who she was with at the party?" he asked. He felt like if they took her to the hospital they'd ask if she was assaulted and would want a name.

Sarah was so lethargic. Her limbs felt so heavy as well as her eyelids. She wanted to wake up just from hearing everyone fussing over her. Her neck hurt being extended to the side like it was after Lex tilted her head. She winced again.

"Well, let's at least get some ice on it. It'll slow any bruising that hasn't come up yet." Beatrice instructed Lex. "I guess we'll get her patched up enough and see if she's willing to tell a bit more but I definitely think she should go to a hospital."

"Yeah," Selene agreed quietly, staring at her from the corner of the room. She wrapped her arms around herself and that nagging feeling of a reminder that she was forgetting something. Her mind kept trying to tell her, to warn her that something worse was going on, but she couldn't place the concern.

"Fuckin' freaks at the party. I swear." Bea growled, when Derek came over with a bucket of cold water and a rag. She blotted the sterile rag in the water before placing it against Sarah's neck.

Cami sighed, "I can't recall anyone. Derek, weren't you downstairs with everyone else?"

He tried to remember, but it was hazy. "I think there was some dark lookin' guy."