The Alpha's Games

Eight

*Unedited Chapter*
When I wake darkness is the only thing that greets me from the traumatic events I had to endure.

It is so dark that I can't even see the hand in front of my face.

I reach next to the bed and feel around the nightstand for the small lamp. When it is found I flip on the light observing my surroundings immediately. My bare body has been placed on my bed sloppily. The thin towel I was given is the only thing shielding me from being exposed. Uncomfortably I unwrap the wrinkled towel from sticking on my skin. I then rise from my bed and groan when my stomach crys out. The stressors of today must have caused me to fall ill. More of in panic and fear than of actual sickness.

Begrudgingly I make my way to my bathroom and collapse in front of the toilet. My stomach screams in fiery pain as I sit up. Tears slip from my eyes as I put my finger in mouth. Before I can back out I shove my finger as far as they can go. My gag reflex kicks in and just as I remove my hand vomit splashes into the water.

When I finish throwing up I moan again. Using the counter as a push off I manage to stand. My stomach still grumbles but cold sweats aren't breaking over my body. I stumble from the bathroom and over to the closet. In the dark, without looking I throw on the closest pair of underwear, pants, and shirt I can find.

My energy in my body seems be burnt out. My stomach grumbles in slight irritation but it's soft enough to ignore. My mouth is dry and a glass of cold water is the most tempting thing life can offer. With the thought of water in mind I stumble over my feet to the door. The struggle to the kitchen is harsh and I fall down once. The struggle is worth it because once I gulp down water I feel better.

My immune system boosts my energy and the nerves in my body seem to calm. Cold sweats rake my body a moment after drinking the water. I have to lean against the marble counter in order to not collapse on the floor. The water that is in my stomach seems to bubble. It makes me feel even more sick than before I came down here. I regret the choice of water completely.

"Caliana?" Chris calls from the entrance of the kitchen.

What is he doing here?

I turn my body and I solute him. He's deeply frowning and as he gets a look at my face I can tell he feels pity. I want to tell Chris that I'm feeling a bit low and excuse myself. The weakness in my body is hardly holding me up.

"I'm sorry," I whine because the pain in my stomach is unbearable.

It bubbles like a volcanic eruption. Against the linoleum tiles I hear Chris walk closer to me. I try to wave him back. Scared that he may catch what I have. A sharp clench in my gut makes me yelp.

"Im sick you can catch what I have. Don't come closer," I say through a pant.

The sweat on my forehead begins to pool. Chris doesn't heed my warning and he turns my body. With his thumb he pulls down the lower half of my eyelid and checks my eye. I'm not sure what he's doing but I don't have any energy to push him away.

"I won't get sick, I'm immune," he murmurs
"You weren't supposed to be up until 7. Your experiencing tomorrow's games already."

I nod my head and my body begins to slouch. I lay my head on the cool marble to try and relax. Chris grips my torso and pulls me up. My stomach screams and the outer skin begins to burn.

"You have to stand up because if you lay down it could hurt you," he says.
"Please" I beg "please I want to lay down."
"Not until the morning," I feel a few strands of my hair be moved from my neck.

I'm still leaning against the counter so again I try and lay down. Chris hauls me up again but this time rips me away from my counter. Chris wraps his arm around my shoulders to prevent me from falling. My skin begins to burn so bad that I want to rip it off. Without full realization of what I'm doing I lay my head on Chris's shoulder.

"It hurts," I gripe.
"We are going to go see something. Something that will distract you," he rushes out.

I don't reply and hardly realize I am moving. My legs feel weighed down by gravity more than usual. Cold sweats begin to ripple across my entire body. My skin feels sunburned but my teeth clatter like I'm freezing. The hallways are too dark. Eventually my skin hurts so bad that I stick my claws into myself. I claw at my arms like they are pieces of deli meat. When Chris realizes what I'm doing he restrains my arms at my sides.

"Ok I'm going to help you, but you can't claw yourself," he begs.

I hardly hear what he said but nod my head regardless. Chris pushes open a door and guides me inside. I can't see anything because the room is pitch black but I know it's spacious. Our footsteps echo against a small sliver of concrete. The further he guides me in the softer the ground becomes. It's squishy like soil and smells of forest. My eyes are wide as I try to take in my dark surroundings. Chris whistles a high pitched tone and I jump beside him.

My breathing is rugged as I wait for what he called for. Familiar and deadly paws thud against the earth. Harsh loud breathing interrupts the quite night. The hair on my neck stands as I feel a wet nose press against it. My body at first freezes, holding in every type of noise and movement. The snout lowers from my neck to the clothes I'm wearing. The monster trails down my body until he comes into contact with Chris's arm securely wrapped around my little torso.

"Can you stand for me right here and not collapse from sickness?" Chris ask casually.

I shift my body towards him with a gaping mouth. How could it be that he was more worried about my sickness then the murderous hounds that surrounded us? When I'm silent at his question he lets me go. I bite the inside of my cheek until blood pours out of the wound. Alone I stand in the pitch black. Fearful and with stomach pains coming back to me even more fierce. How was it possible that Chris could take away all physical pains from my body? I'm not exactly sure that I'm ready to find out.

A clicking sound echoes through the room. I clench my fists prepared for the hounds to leap at me when they can see. Instead I find myself standing in the middle of a clutter of tall oak trees. I see hounds peeking around large oak trees. Their eyes are no longer dark but light and lively.

"See they aren't that bad after all," Chris whispers into my ear.

His arm snakes back to its original position. In an instant the sickness that stirred inside of me disappears. Instead a warm radiating wave courses through me. I gulp as Chris calls the name of one of the hounds. She bounds from the trees joyfully and trots over to Chris like a show horse. 

"Hey Aggie," Chris leans forward on the balls of his feet and runs his hand through the little amount of fur she has.

Aggie is one of the larger hounds and she keeps her eyes closed as Chris pets her. I notice burn scars and other scars running down the bare parts of her body. Aggie only has a small patch of fur on the top of her head and neck. The rest seems to of been forcefully burned off. On instinct I reach my hand out to pet Aggie. I run my hands through her fur and smile.

"Why wasn't she this lovely earlier?" I inquire with a frown.
"She has to be put under orders. She's puppeted like a lot of the people and creatures around."

I nod my head and nervously continue to pet her. More hounds begin to stand next to Aggie. Their soft eyes smile and they shove each other out of the way to get pet. It's a shame that they are portrayed as such monsters to Deneb. If I had known this side of them before their murderous side I would of been much more sympathetic. Embarrassingly I was quick to jump to conclusions that they were creatures that killed in joy.

"All you have to do is get to know them," I glance over at him to see he's already looking at me "a lot of people portray them as murders, monsters, selfish creatures that exist merely for their benefit, but that's not true. You just have to give them a chance."

I bite my bottom lip and nod my head.