POISONED BLOOD

Chapter 10

In the comfort of my room, I slip into green sweatpants and a pink tank-top. I fall backwards on my bed and let the soft swirling colors of my comforter engulf me. Ahh.. I missed my bed today. Grinning at the pure bliss of it, I sigh and roll off, my bare feet hitting the concrete-tiled floor with a light smack. My laptop is still in my bag and the battery is probably dead or getting there, so I take it out and place it on my desk. I search for the black charging cord and hook it up once I find it beneath the clothes I wore today.

"Laney.." My skin crawls and goosebumps fly up my arms, raising the hair. Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. The small, yet intensely strong female voice sifts through the air like sprinkling rain. My eyes glance around nervously. I try to be easy-going about it as I open the wooden door to my room and purposefully avoid showing any sign of discomfort because that is what makes this worse. My clear crystal necklace gleams on the mirror stand and a part of me really wants to snatch it up and let the soothing energy pass into my skin from the white thread carrying it, but refusing it I leave the room.

"Na na nana na na..." I sing randomly, no rhythm whatsoever. It helps me drift away, far far away but my unpleasant feelings surge back as the voice persists. Help me, please! With no idea of what to do I walk around tidying up messy areas of the kitchen and living room. The dishes are mostly done, so I leave them alone for now.

"You should listen to us." The skin on the back of my neck prickles with the clarity. US? There's more than one?! I snap my head to both sides and turn to face the empty living room. Nothing is there. Get a grip, Laney. Although, I try my hardest to pretend everything is absolutely normal... nothing is normal about the clear violet path of air, leading from the foot of the couch and flowing toward the hall. Shutting my eyes, I force this from my mind and tell myself that when I open them it will be gone. One.. two.. three!

"Gah!" I scream as a hot, searing gust of impossible wind hits the front of my body; it pressures my skin from the top of my forehead to my toes. Stumbling back, I fall on my butt and I SWEAR there is something right in front of my face. It seems like a mirage, clear and see through but wavering. My heartbeat skips and flies, tumbling down my rib cage. Isis, mother protect me! Just like that it's gone. The Goddess is listening to me and I thank her internally. I am Wiccan and many call me evil, in fact it's one reason I was bullied so badly throughout middle school. Yes, I believe in spirits and the magicks. Truthfully, I attempted to be christian at one time a year or two ago but I couldn't leave this belief system behind no matter how much I wanted to. Now, I don't. I love this way with all that I am. It's like the rush coffee drinkers get from caffeine and bungee jumpers' adrenaline when they risk their life for the thrill. It is power running in my veins as my fingers brush a leaf or even closing my hand over a rock that came from the ground under my feet. Energy pulses and I take it into my being; it's comfort, joy, and euphoria all in one. A spell is only words without your honest trust in it and a chant is empty if you put none of your life with it. It is an ancient religion, older than Christianity. People will believe what they want to believe, but my way is not evil.

A knock turns into a steady beating on the back door behind me. I'm still sprawled on the floor, but I hurry up as fast as I can.

"LANEY! Open the door, I've got stuff in my hands." Grandma hollers and on the other side of the door her voice is barely muffled. Skipping in fake giddiness, I flash her a smile when I unlock the bolt and let her in.

"There's more in the car." She says and I nod, allowing my smile to fade in the time that she can't see. They don't need to know what happened and I'm not about to tell them. The hood is up on her black Mulan car and I reach my hand in to gather the last three bags from Walmart, a silver cross falls from one and lands at my feet on the paved driveway. Sighing, I reach for it and place it back in the bag. My grandparents are Christian and it's the most irritating thing to have what you believe in judged and looked down upon by anyone, but when it is your loved ones doing the judging, it hurts you.

I run to my room and tackle my bed. Rolling around a minute, I consider going straight to sleep but I have about three hours to kill. If I go to sleep now I'm more than likely going to wake up later in the night. I sigh and go to my laptop, unplugging it and laying back down on my stomach. Signing in is hard like this... Ugh. Irritated with myself and my body's inability to adapt to uncomfortable situations, I sit up against the wall with the little computer on my lap. If it was somewhat human, it'd be laughing at me. I have a friend request on MiiBook and when I hit the little red thing to see who it is my heart does the Birthday Song Dance in my chest! GREY!!!! Oh my....

"Well, crap!" I burst into giggles and hide my face in a puffy, Valentine's Day, red-heart pillow and this makes it that much worse. What do I say? Do I accept it or not?! Umm... ACCEPT! The minute I answer his request, he sends me a message and my mouth falls open.

Hey, Beauty. No words can describe my internal reactions right now. Beauty, me? I could be cute... I guess, but I'm no beauty. I realize I'm twirling my wavy dirty-blonde hair around my finger and stop immediately. Rolling my eyes with a big smile, I reply.

Hi, Beast. His response is almost instant.

That's a pretty accurate description of me. Shaking my head at this, I laugh a little before saying anything.

You're more than that. Haven't you ever watched Beauty and the Beast? I send this before I can take it back. Oops. I curse under my breath, but blush brightly at his next words.

You remind me of Belle.