Blood and Betrayal

Chapter 18

Good lords, I am so sorry it took me so long to get Chapter 18 out. All I can say is that I'm sorry, and I'll keep trying to get these out faster! O_O Anyways, here is a long chapter, and a glimpse into the inner depths of a monster...
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        Just like every other Friday morning since the start of this school term, my alarm clock went off dutifully at six o'clock, letting me know that it was time to get up and get ready for work.
       Unlike every other Friday that had come before this one, I smacked the "off" button on the wretched thing, and proceeded to call in sick to work. I was not truly ill, but after the events of last night I could not imagine facing people and acting normal. I would not be attending my English class later that evening, either. The encounter with Avery the previous night had royally messed me up. Seeing him in English class and during our tutoring sessions was just barely tolerable, only because he did not appear as the vicious, hungry, vampire I had seen last Winter. For the first time since that fateful night in what I now knew was Kenny's basement, I had seen Avery's true predator face in the flesh, not just in nightmares or flashbacks. It had brought all the fear, sadness, doubt, and every other negative emotion back to the forefront of my mind, and I felt as if an old wound of mine had been savagely ripped open again.
       Getting a full night of sleep had not helped my mental state any, and as I lay curled on my side in bed, I took in every detail of my surroundings, trying to ease my pulse back to a more tempered rate.
       Through my gauzy, sheer, white curtains, I could just see the beginning of Autumn's frost framing my window. I was pretty sure that if I came out from under my warm duvet, I would instantly feel the nip of the air's chill. Almost on instinct, I pulled the crisp, white blanket up around my neck, as if it could shield me from the horrors of life forever. All of my linens had just been washed, and every inch of my bare skin relished the feel of fresh fabric rubbing against it. Minutes bled together, as I lay there in my near-completely dark bedroom, listening to my soft breaths and staring at my window. I didn't want to be awake, and soon enough, all of my dark thoughts gave way to that blissful oblivion, where the last thing I registered was my head sinking even further into my downy pillow.

        My eyes were closed, yet I squinted them shut even more, turning away from the assaulting bright light that was bringing me back into the realm of the living, bit by bit. The familiar scent of my laundry soap and fabric softener wafted into my nose, and my face brushed against the most comfortable pillow I had ever owned. It was clear that I was in my own bed, but the light ache in my back was something I hadn't encountered yet, upon waking in it.
       What time is it?

        Clumsy hands fumbled and scanned under the duvet, until they hit something cold and hard. My phone's screen told me that I had been asleep for six hours, after calling into work this morning. Noon!? I never slept that late! Not even on weekends! A deep-seated panic gripped me as I flung my blankets to the side, lurching out of bed and towards my bathroom. I leaned over my bathroom counter as far as I could, turning my head each way to get a good glimpse of my throat. When no marks immediately stood out, I turned my attention to my wrists, my arms, and even my inner thighs. The light yellow bruises were not there, nor were any other bruises or marks. My skin was as clear and as pale as it ever was. The adrenaline starting to wear off, I slowly slumped down to sit on the edge of my bathtub. The idea that my extended sleep was due to emotional exhaustion and trauma, not exsanguination, was surprising, but also akin to a cold slap in the face. I was definitely not healed from the events of last Winter. I had never really even confronted it, merely just slapped a band-aid over the whole experience. More than anything, I craved a normal life, a regular young adult existence. But how could I achieve that, when I saw the monster who stood out most in my mind nearly every day? An icy shiver tore through my body, and I physically shook my head to avoid slipping into that dark, black pit where my thoughts had been since last night. I would not go to work or class today, but I was determined to get back to it tomorrow, and not let Avery win.
       With that strong thought, I rose and quickly shed the sleep shirt I had been wearing. It was shortly kicked into a corner of my bathroom, before I turned on the showerhead, the water temperature as hot as it would go. Showers were excellent at washing away bad days, and I was fully content to let the horrors of last night swirl down the drain.

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