The Unknown Alpha

Chapter five

***Hey guys, here's a slightly longer chapter for you. Yay, new powers for Bailey already, and it's only chapter 5. See if you can pinpoint her new powers and leave a comment. Anyway, don't forget to show your support and vote for my stories. I'd appreciate it***

A shower would never be enough right now.

Bailey sat in the bathtub, submerged with foam and bubbles, but even the lavender scent of the bubbles and the scalding water didn't help ease the tension in her muscles.

Bailey rotated her arms, but the stiffness remained. She must have done some serious damage when she fell. Or maybe it was the seizures that caused her body to ache? She didn't know.

Bailey leaned back against the tub, staring down her toe that emerged from the bubbles. Her toe wiggled amongst the foam. She couldn't stop thinking about Shay. About what happened. She was already a freak, now, she'd surely be a laughingstock tomorrow at school. The rumours that Shay no doubt would spread . . .

Bailey sighed heavily, her head tilted back to gaze at the ceiling, her hair heavy with water. She didn't know what to do. Tell her parents, but they'd whisk her off to see a doctor straight away. On the bright side, she'd probably miss school tomorrow.

Bailey slid down the tub until water covered her face. She kept her eyes open, even though the water and bubbles stung a little bit. Maybe she could convince her parents to switch schools. Purefin High was always an option. She didn't need to attend an elite school.

Bailey emerged for air, her mouth spluttering water. Purefin Institute was the best school in the state. Best facilities. Best education. Often leading to university scholarships.

As Bailey tugged on the chain connection to the plug, she stood and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel. No, she'd have to remain at Purefin Institute for now. Thick hair stuck to her forehead. Bailey pushed it aside and rubbed at her stinging eyes. Maybe the bubbles did more damage to her eyes than she previously thought.

Bailey walked slowly back to her bedroom, using the corners of the towel to dry her eyes, but the stinging sensation only remained. Weird.

She gave up, figured her eyes would settle soon enough and started to pull on some clean clothes. As she pulled on an oversized shirt with a silly cartoon on it, she was completely unaware that the green in her eyes had dimmed, giving way to bright flecks of silver.

By the time Bailey had turned to her mirror to comb out the tangled, the silver was gone. Unconcerned, Bailey hummed softly as she wrestled with her hair. Finally able to tame her knots, she left the damp locks hanging and went downstairs.

Through the lounge, she could hear Conner and his friend Barry Kitson arguing over a Gameboy.

"That's not how you kill the demon!" Barry was shouting over Conner's shoulder. "Let me." He reached for the game, but Conner only elbowed him away.

"I've got it," he snapped back, face red and flustered.

Bailey peeked in the lounge as she passed, but the boys didn't look like they were about to kill each other, so she left them to argue over the game. She was just elated that Conner seemed to put his mission to force his body to manifest on pause for now.

Bailey glanced at the clock as she entered the kitchen. She frowned at the time, as if she could put her lateness on the clock itself. No blame for herself. Her mum would be home any minute, her dad usually arrived just before dinner was ready, but tonight, she was a little late.

Bailey looked in the fridge, settled on some diced chicken, then started working on some homemade marinade. She coated the chicken in the thick sauce and plonked them on a pan, ready to start frying. As a second thought, she added a bit more drizzle of lemon juice to the chicken, then turned on the heat.