Shadow Bite || WATTYS 2017

Chapter Thirty-One

I wake up to something cold laying in my hand. Because I can react, my hand heats up, as if it's on fire. I let out a yelp of pain and my hand unclenches, dropping the heated thing to the mattress. I sit up straight, more awake than ever, and squint at the morning light reflecting from the white surfaces outside. The orb glistens like an innocent angel on my bed. Eyeing it suspiciously, I slowly crawl of the bed and grab a pen, lightly rolling the orb onto its side. I gasp in horror. A symmetric round hole has been burned down through my covers and through the mattress. I look at it, and back at the orb.

It literally burned a hole through my bed. I groan and prick the orb with the pen. The tip of it melts. Suddenly, it's as if the orb is compelling me to touch it. Like the stupid person I am, I do, and frown with confusion as my fingers graze its now ice-cool surface. I pick it up and roll it around in my hands.

How the hell did it get into my hand anyway? I didn't go to bed with it last night. Yeah, shocker, I'm not that weird.

Animated voices downstairs pull me from my thoughts. I pick up my phone from the desk and turn it on, groaning when I read 8:32 AM. Now who would be crazy enough to come over here this early?

No one messes with morning-Cami. No one...

Ignoring my bed-hair and morning breath, I pad down the stairs in my penguin-pjs and reindeer slippers, growing more and more curious as the voices grow louder and laughter fills the corridor. I turn the corner and freeze.

Asher is leaning against the island counter, laughing and chatting away with Mum and Dad.

Laughing.

Why isn't Dad holding a gun? Why isn't Asher dead yet, swimming in a pool of his own blood?

This is way too weird for me to handle this early in the morning. Their previous encounter was awkward as hell, so why would they be laughing?

I'm good at convincing people...

Asher's words circle around in my head and I narrow my eyes as he spots me and waves his hand, curling each finger one after the other tauntingly.

"Oh Camilla! Look who decided to join us this morning!" Mum zooms in on me and I see her struggling to keep her laughter in at the sight of me at this glorious time of day.

-We actually won't be staying any longer Mrs. Wilson, but thank you." Asher smoothly fills in, and I cross my arms, raising an eyebrow.

"We?" I demand, but Asher ignores me, instead just sending a discreet wink at me. Where did all of his anger go? It's only two nights ago, so shouldn't he be somewhere else tearing some poor animal apart for fun? Or, I don't know, maybe even ripping out trees from the ground and throwing them around like a crazy maniac. Because that's what I think would be the normal thing to do if I was him.

"Oh, that's a shame. Well, you better get going. Have fun! Bye Camilla!" Mum blows a kiss at me and resumes to her conversation with Dad, as if she hadn't just shipped me off to a boy - more like a man - that she'd only just met twice.

"I'm not going anywhere, Asher. I demand answers." I try to stand my ground, but with every step he takes closer to me, I feel my determination waver.

Frickedy frackle he's hot...

No, Cami, concentrate!

He comes to a stop in front of me and gently takes my hand. I immediately feel my body responding to his touch. "I'll give you all the answers you want, but please, we have to go now." The urgency of his voice and his pleading eyes immediately set me into action, and I hurry back upstairs, pulling him with me. Without wasting a second, I rush into the bathroom after him telling me to pack the essentials, and throw all of my toiletries into a bag. I do the same with a few clothes, and after changing into joggers and a sweater - in the bathroom alone with the door locked - I stand in the middle of the room, looking at him impatiently. He nods and lifts me up into his arms, and I let out a squeal of surprise. His muscular arms engulf me and his body heat warms me up. He nears the window.