The End Of The Beginning

Waking Up

Blackness for at least three days. That's what I saw. I was conscious, yet I couldn't hear or see anything. I could tell I wasn't dead, I could feel my breathing. And I could feel occasional freezing cold hands on my body.

I slowly open my eyes, blinded by the fluorescent lights up above. My body felt numb, almost like everything fell asleep. To my left, I see a table with bloody tissues and cotton balls. On my right, I saw another table with sharp objects like needles and decide to just look up. I gather that I'm in a hospital, a blue curtain all around me. Empty chairs are seated towards the opening. Stretching and yawning, I notice a new bite mark on my right arm. I look it over and feel it, too. It's deeper than the one from Zaiden, as well as colder. I look over that one, and it looks pitiful and weak compared to my new one.

Voices from outside startled me. "I don't care! I can't just march in there and tell her! She needs to wake up and know she's ok before that." "Just go in and practice." Another voice says. I knew these voices. I wanted to get up and hug them, but I don't think that would be good. It might scare the hell out of some doctors. "Fine." The first voice says and the curtain rips open. Dalton walks in, but when he sees I'm awake, he stops dead. Zaiden, who was right behind him, bumps into him. "What the-?" He stops when he sees me. "So much for practicing." he laughs. "Vanessa!" Dalton says happily. He runs to my side. "Thank goodness you're ok!" "What happened?" I ask. Dalton's face falls in a split second. "I.... Well, I, uh...." Zaiden begins taping his foot, waiting for more of an answer, too. "I bit you. But my venom was killing you, not changing. So Ruben sucked out all my venom. That's it." Dalton says, looking guilty. "It's my own damn fault. I made you bite me even though you didn't want to." "I could've just not done it." "I'm in the clear." Zaiden said. Dalton turns to his brother, annoyed, while I laugh. "Where's Ruben?" I ask. "Downing the water downstairs. He had to get all the Dalton venom out of him before he died, too." Zaiden answers. Dalton heaves a sigh. "I'm just glad you're both ok." He said. "How come I feel so weird?" I asked. "You were poisoned. You're not gonna feel your A game." Dalton says, getting up. "Want anything while I'm up?" "I'll take some ice cream." Zaiden said. "I was talking to Vanessa." Dalton slaps his brother on the arm while Zaiden laughs. "Get it yourself." Then he leaves.

"What are the doctors saying?" "The doctors?" Zaiden frowns. "They say you'll be fine. You can probably come out in a day or two." "And my family?" "Your family? Oh, that's who I forgot! And that explains why the same number keeps calling us." "You didn't tell my family?" "Relax, I covered that. You can't trust this one with anything important." Ruben walked in. "Ruben!" I smile. "How'd you get the venom out of you?" I ask. "Oh, um. It wasn't pretty-" "He had to make himself puke. That's why he was drinking the water." Ruben turns to his brother. "You're just a bundle of sunshine today, aren't you?" I laugh.

"Vanessa, I got you some water." Dalton comes back in. "Thank you." I say, taking it from him. "Are you tired?" Ruben asks. I shake my head. "No. Honestly, I've never felt more awake." He nods. "That's cool. I was just wondering since it's four in the morning." He points outside. "Well, I did sleep for, like, three days." "This is true." Zaiden said. "C'mon, guys. We're technically not supposed to be here." There seemed to be more to Dalton's words. "We should leave you to relax. See you...later today?" Dalton asks. I nod. "Great. I love you." "Love you, too!" I call as they close the curtain.

Now it was just me in a hospital bed with a glass of water and bloody utensils at four A.M.