Hypnotize

Hypnotize: Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Shanti woke with a start, drenched in sweat; she stared blindly at the ceiling above her, trying to block out the voices surrounding her. Something was holding her down, keeping her from moving; she knew that it wasn't going to hurt her, instinctively, so she blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Her bite mark throbbed, but it was a manageable pain.

Turning her head to the right, she saw Casey arguing with Shawn and Kenny; Caleb watched them, while her mother was talking to a tall, striking woman. The woman glanced at the bed, and started. "I think that they're waking up."

Shanti looked to her left, and came face to face with a sleeping Nathan. His face bore a scowl; he seemed to be in pain. Without thought, she smoothed his brow, and the scowl disappeared, replaced with a small smile. She burrowed into his side, letting her eyes close again, falling back to sleep.

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The next time Shanti woke up, there was no one else in the room. She turned to look at Nathan, and realized that he was awake. He was looking down at her fondly, but he didn't stay anything; neither did she. They didn't need to. She nuzzled his neck, questioningly. He obligingly showed her his mark. She beamed, fingering the strangely shaped mark; it looked roughly like half of a ying-yang symbol. She showed him hers, and he traced it; it seemed that her's was the other half of the ying-yang symbol. She fell back asleep as he pulled her closer to him, using his arm as a pillow.

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When Shanti woke up, it was to the annoying sound of her fan's whirring. It was too loud for her. She felt Nathan stir beside her, and she turned to see his eyes flutter open; they closed instantly, screwed up.

"Turn off the lights... they're too bright."

She got up obligingly and turned off her fan as she moved to her bedroom window, seeing through half-closed eyes to try and filter the bright light, drawing the drapes together. He sighed, content, and pushed himself up into a sitting position. She went back to him and slid underneath the covers, eyes closing. She wasn't tired anymore, but there was a faint buzzing in the back of her head; easily ignored, but still there.

"How are you feeling?" Her throat was dry, and the question came out as a whisper. She coughed; no change.

"Like someone ran over me with a loaded trailer, reversed, and then did it again. You?"

"The same." A pause. "I'm going to get some water. Do you want some?"

"I'll come with you."

He slid out of bed, and held out a hand to her. She grabbed it; a thrill raced through her, and her startled glance mirrored his own.

"I thought we stopped this?" she asked, her voice sounding frightened.

"I thought so too. We have to talk to your parents, and my parents. They obviously have something to do with this."

He didn't let go of her hand as she opened her bedroom door, gritting her teeth against the sound. It creaked too loudly for her ears, and the wood felt wrong underneath her hand. As she passed a mirror in the hallway, she realized that she was wearing something else besides her school uniform; it was a light, white summer maxi dress. She wondered how she had ended up wearing it. She glanced back at Nathan and realized that he was only wearing sweats; she now remembered seeing a shirt on the floor that hadn't been hers, but she had not realized it had belonged to him.

One more step, and... she hissed and closed her eyes, running blindly to the drapes, trying to close it. She could hear Nathan's tiny whimper as she groped along the wall, trying desperately to find the drapes. Finally, she was able to close it tightly, and the room darkened mercifully. She opened her eyes slowly, warily; the room was dark enough for her liking. She opened her eyes all the way, with a relieved sigh.