Shadow of the Day (Wolf Moon Sequel)

Chapter 60: Sensitive

Ivy POV

It had only been a day or two since I'd really been back on my feet, but I was wondering if I was perhaps rushing things a little. Dad was glad to see me upright and better, though he was still hovering and making sure I had something to eat or drink constantly, so I guess I'd given him a good enough scare that he'd be vigilant for a while.

I'd had a headache for days that didn't seem interested in going away at all and every meal cooked that had once made our house smell delicious, now seemed overwhelming in the worst way. Like the food was being made directly in my sinuses and refusing to leave. Even my favorite fruity shampoo and conditioner seemed stronger than ever and I was left to tie my hair back constantly so it wouldn't float in front of my face and waft the smell directly into my nose all day. 

School, on the other hand, was the worst part. I'd never realized before just how loud it was, how aggressively different everyone smelled mixed together in the hallways and classrooms, how the sun would beam directly into my eyeballs through the classroom windows. I had even spent lunch with Lila and her friends--her pack--and they had thoughtfully moved outside to have lunch with me even though it was still quite cold just to give me a break from the chaos of the cafeteria.

We didn't discuss anything remotely supernatural at all, it was so freakishly normal to sit and have everyone complain about classes and homework and tests that I was actually able to relax a little until the bell rang and I had to go right back inside to all the people and noises and smells.

It had been so great to sit between Lila and Matt in the fresh air, and talk about stupid regular things I was almost tempted to find a way to blow off the rest of the day but I knew I'd worried my dad enough without skipping school too.

It had only been my first day back and already I was dreading going again tomorrow and was weighing the cons of pretending to be sick again so I could stay home in my room where it was quiet and not so smelly or bright.

Lila and I had gotten home from school only twenty minutes ago and I was trying to enjoy the blissful silence and dimness of the living room, lying on the couch with a pillow over my face and the curtains drawn against the spring evening sun that was finally starting to go down. 

"Sensitive, huh?" 

I moved the pillow down to my nose to see Wyatt looking down at me from over the back of the couch, smiling and cheerful. I hadn't even heard him come in, but it was hard to hear anything over my pounding headache. 

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"To light. It's not so bad, but it definitely takes some getting used to and sunglasses are going to be a real gamechanger," he said as he leaned his elbows on the back of the couch. "You're lucky to have Changed during the winter months. Roxanne Changed in the middle of summer and she was even more miserable than usual."

I'd spent all this time terrified of Lila and upset, only to become exactly the last thing I had ever wanted. It was the cruelest irony ever and all this suffering felt like karmic payback for treating Lila so poorly after I'd found out.

"You're going to get a lot of headaches at first," he said, "It should pass in about two weeks once you adjust to everything. Food wont be as good anymore either, you'll need a lot of extra spice to compensate. You should load up on sunscreen once summer comes even if you don't think you'll need it, your skin will get really itchy if you're in it too long so don't forget it."

That was the least of my concerns. "But the smells. What do I do about the smells?"

"Unfortunately, not much. Ride it out until you start to adjust mostly, but I'd recommend switching to hygiene products that don't have too much scent to them so at least you're not annoying yourself."