The never ending kind

5- No Way Am I That

Drying off and putting the gowns back on, I finally chanced to look at myself in the mirror, only to gape openly and nearly pass out. I sat my bum on the cold hospital floor, taking calming breaths through my nose and out my mouth, very tired of throwing up or passing out. Nope, no more of either for me please, thank you very much.

I rocked a little, ankles crossed and hands covering the head hidden in my knees, "Okay, okay. Deep breath, Drey. Think it over, you only glanced at yourself. Take a moment and calmly look."

I huffed out a few more breaths before mentally nodding my head and turning on my knees, slowly rising, arms then hands on the counter as my reflection slowly appeared once more. I leaned further in over the sink, trying to take on a clinical perspective rather than an emotional one. I looked at my hair that had seemingly grown several inches since the last time I had seen it, the new hair markedly different from the old. It made my heart wrench at the difference. My hair had previously been a light nutty color, but now was a sharply shiny light bronze. Definitely one point in the 'freak' category. My skin in general was about the same color with the same small light scar under my left eyebrow that was almost invisible, the light freckle-like beauty mark on the upper left side of my nose, small light one on my upper lip in the crease and the one on my clavicle near the dip in the center that led up to the column of my throat. Those were still there, but the color and general sun damage were gone, though there hadn't been much since I mostly worked inside.

Aside from my hair, what truly had me spooked were my eyes. Before... This, I had central and a bit of sectoral heterochromia. The center around my pupil was yellow while most of the rest had been a light blue with a dark blue around the outer edges. I had a few hazel specks and a little pie slice on the right that was a light hazel. It was my favorite feature that I had, secretly, because most people had considered it freakish, especially in school. I had often been told not to look at people, the shits. Now, as I stared into my eyes, a heavy sadness filled my heart just as they filled with the heavy rain of tears. A sob left my throat as the difference hit me and I bent down, hugging myself as if to keep the pieces of my soul together. The sobs increased, wracking my body until not even that was enough to assuage my defeated form. I screamed the pain out; the loss of myself. I cried and screamed, holding myself ever tighter at the betrayal.

I shook, pain entering my system as my screams turned to whimpers, flinching when the door burst open, eyes squeezing even tighter closed. I whined in fear when I felt arms wrap around me, pulling me into a lap that rocked me as I continued to release the unfairness of the world into the air, the figure continuing to rock me without faltering even when I grabbed and slightly ripped the material held within my clenched fingers.

"Shhh, shhh," I heard the person whisper in my ears. He, according to his voice and body, continued to rock me, holding and protecting me from the world called reality. His arms held me tight, hand rubbing my back as his head rubbed mine, lips continuing the soft, "shh, shhhh."

A hiccup woke me from my stupor some time later. I was still in the person's grasp, the rocking having stopped but his hands just as tightly protective as it had been when they first wrapped around me. His head was still against mine, his scent extremely calming. I sighed out, face feeling the the pull and itch of dried tears.

It was my stomach that caused the guy to chuckle lightly, "Hungry, are we?"

I blushed, not willing to let the moment of comfort and protectiveness end just yet as I held him tighter and leaned more into his sturdy body. His chest vibrated with his words, "We'll stay here for just a bit longer, then get something to eat because my butt's starting to go numb on this cold bathroom floor."

I sighed again, nodding slightly as he started rubbing my back again.

The steak looked really good, but I couldn't have any of it. Instead, I was stuck with a smoothie and liver. I'm really not picky and will eat anything, but not many people can eat liver and actually like it. The guy eating his steak near me chuckled, and I frowned down at my plate in response.

"Come on, it's not that bad," The guy, Vance, tried to claim. I was having none of it as I leaned down, sniffing the almost offending meat. 

"Uh huh, right," but I picked up my fork anyway, sadly only needing that to dissect the almost mushy meat. "Then why aren't you having this?"

"Because I'm not the one that apparently puked out parts of my guts and other innards," was his quick response, eating his steak and nothing else with relish.

He's lucky that I'm grateful for his embrace and a little guilty at the partial destruction of his shirt. I quickly shoved in a chunk, chewing and swallowing quickly before sucking a large mouthful of smoothie and swishing it around to kill the taste. 

He snorted, taking a sip of his own smoothie innocently before continuing the rapid destruction of the much tastier meat, "By the by, where's the veggies... Aside from the ones hidden in the fruit smoothie?"

He frowned at his smoothie, "There's, there's... Vegetables in here?!" He pushed it away a bit, looking betrayed. "How could Madeline do this to me? Utter betrayal!"

"Yeah yeah, get over it because it still tastes just as good," I stabbed another piece of liver, "compared to this."

I waved the offending meat at him, but he grabbed my hand and ate it from the fork, "Still better than gross veggies."

"Uh huh," That, I did not agree with, having a close relationship with the healthy food. 

When finished, having sniped and whined about our various food until it was gone, Vance asked me the dreadful question I myself was trying very hard not to think about, "Why were you so upset earlier?"

I swallowed hard, my throat feeling thick once more, "I-I, um, I don't look the same. Any more."  

Vance leaned back in his chair. Honestly, I only really knew Vance's name because after I had calmed down enough, my stomach had rumbled and we had laughed before he had someone bring us a meal. It was awkward and quiet, neither of us knowing what to say, only getting out our names before the food was used to mollify the tension.

After a moment of silent thought on his part, he finally looked up at me once more, "How do you look different?"

"If you haven't already noticed, my hair is two-toned," I grimaced, not meaning to put my frustration into my words. "Eh-em, sorry."

"None taken. So, your hair?" I nodded.

"Also my skin looks a little different," I rubbed my face, running my hands through my still-damp hair before choking out, "And... My eyes."

I looked up at him, trying to remain calm, "What the hell happened to me? I don't remember much of anything!"

"Okay, I would say calm down, but in your shoes that would have just pissed me off more," Vance put his hands out in the universal peace sign, a.k.a the 'please don't shoot me' sign. "I, personally, am not the best person to answer those questions, cuz hell if I know. I'm more the type of person that's the big brother and part-time babysitter. Not that you're a baby- I just tend to put people more at ease. It's a scent thing."

"Scent?"

"Ah. I'm, uh, going to make a call to get someone that will actually be able to explain what the hell is going on," He rose, taking out his cell phone and exiting the room.