Turn Away | c.h

Chapter 70 - Next to Me

this photo is really out here to personally FUCK ME UP
LIKE GODDAMN CUT ME SOME SLACK U ASSHOLE

also a bit of a messy chapter.. not sure how i feel about it but i hope you guys like:))

«Stella's pov»

Calum had been taken from me once again, and I was left to my own devices. I laid in around, trying to pass time as I awaited for his return but it never came. Hour upon hour, my anxiousness grew, every minute that they kept us apart, the antsier my body became.

I paced around the small space, but it only made me realise how tired I truly was. So I sat back down with my back pressed into the wall, trying to figure out what they were doing with him. But it made me completely overthink, and I had to regather my bearings on reality once again. I couldn't just sit here and assume the worst about it, I had to remind myself that Calum was strong and powerful, and could definitely look after himself. I had to stop undermining his abilities and strengths. He always tells me this- that I don't have enough trust in him and that he's capable of taking care of himself, and he was right. I had to let go of my overbearing protectiveness and let him handle himself right now.

I trusted Calum with everything else, so why not learn to trust him on this one, too.

It was the people behind him that I didn't trust. I was new to this, not even a week into my journey of being a vampire, yet I knew how to tell wrong from right. Those men out there were not pure-hearted. They were malicious and unstoppable, they knew how to manipulate and hurt people into submission. They were all so intimidating at the same time, they walked with this kind of dominance as if they owned everything they saw before them. It was beyond insane.

I paced the small space until my body grew exhausted. I was hungry, I was nervous, I was stressed about Calum, and I was still in pain. It made for a debilitatingly exhausted mix.
So I ended up laying down on the bed, struggling to keep my eyes open. They drooped lower and lower until I could no longer stop them from shutting. The more I tried to fight off the tiredness, the more my body was willing to succumb to it. In the end I gave up, and let the sleep fully consume me.

•

I woke from the familiar taste of blood, the metallic tasting liquid filling my senses and sending me right awake. My eyes took a while to adjust to the light, they were unfocused and foggy, just like my mind. I felt so physically and mentally exhausted, that it felt like a chore to even be awake.

"Stay with me, Stel. Try and drink up."

Calum's soft voice cooed me awake, and I found the strength in me to gently swallow down the blood that was being dripped into my mouth. My eyes finally started to adjust, and I could finally see Calum's silhouette before me; his brown eyes glowing in concern and his hand gently pressed into my waist. An insurmountable energy began to fill me, the more I drank up. I could feel my body strengthen with each passing second, and I was thankful for it.

He guided me to sit up, my hand wrapping around the cup that he was holding. His dark eyes watched me as I took it from him, pouring the thick, red liquid into my mouth. I emptied the cup, slightly out of breath as I placed it down beside me. I had never been that hungry in my entire life.

"What happened... where'd you go?" I mumbled out, breaking the silence as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, smearing blood onto my skin. Calum gently pushed my hair back, eyes filled with concern.

"You slipped into a coma, Stella. They left you here with no food for a week." He softly explained, hand resting on my shoulder. I furrowed my eyebrows at his words, looking up at him.