Defiance: Perfect by Nature

Chapter Two: Fallen from Grace

Chapter Two: Fallen from Grace

Max had never experienced a hangover before, as his Immortal blood burned the alcohol off before it could get to that point, but what he was feeling now could only be described as that. His head was pounding savagely, sunlight hurt his eyes, and even the sound of a fly buzzing somewhere near his head sounded like a chainsaw. To top it all off everything felt different. He knew he was lying down on a very comfortable and fluffy bed, but it felt dull compared to what he was used to. He could hear cars honking outside his window but they seemed muffled and distant. Even his body felt different, like he could feel his own weight.

Images came flooding back into his mind as he lay there with his eyes closed, images he could barely believe. He could see himself fighting Eric in the police station, and then saving Alexander just before his head was crushed. Then he was standing in the middle of the woods with his entire family gathered, being yelled at by his father for the horrible things that had happened because of him. The last image he saw flicker through his mind’s eye was of his mother openly weeping out of the corner of his eyes while Gabriella took his immortality from his body and left him lying there on the cold grass.

Everything after that was a blur of noise and colours and it hurt his brain trying to bring them into sharper focus. He could remember hearing his mother talking to his father while he was placed on his bed back home, but the words were garbled and he could make no sense of them. After that he could remember feeling someone pick him up gently and then the whole world shifted around him, he was then placed on another larger bed a moment later. Someone ran a soft hand through his hair and then everything was lost in blackness.

“Are you awake, sleepy head?” he heard a familiar voice ask gently from his side. He knew instantly it was Erin who was speaking, but her voice sounded a lot different than before; almost too sweet, like eating a full bowl of honey. He couldn’t hear any of the subtle flaws in her voice anymore, like the way she held onto her S’s for a bit longer than she should.

“Wh… where am I?” he asked and his throat felt like it was on fire. It was cracked and dry and he immediately started coughing as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He felt Erin gently lift his head and then tasted water on his lips as a glass was pressed to them. He greedily drank until his throat felt better and he was surprised when he suddenly felt a pull in his stomach and he realized his bladder was about to burst.

“You’re okay now,” Erin said gently and removed the now empty glass of water from his lips and he heard it clank against a nearby table. “You’re in a hotel in, Los Angeles.”

His head feeling a little better, Max opened his eyes and found Erin kneeling beside the large bed, her eyes filled with worry and her lips trembling as she watched him. Being this close to her face Max got to see her up close and personal and he was shocked by just how beautiful she was. He couldn’t even make out the tiny imperfections anymore, it was a mask of pure beauty and he could feel his heart beat faster in his chest.

“You brought me here?” he asked, and with her help he was able to sit up and swing his legs over the edge of the bed.

“I figured you wouldn’t want to wake up at home after what happened,” she said sadly.

“Why?” was the only thing Max could think to ask. It was a valid question though; why was she being so nice to him?

“You stood up for me,” she answered and looked away from his face like it hurt her to see him, “it was the least I could do. How do you feel?”

“Like I have to piss,” he groaned and stood up. The moment gravity hit him fully his bladder threatened to expel its contents right on the spot, so he rushed to the bathroom as fast as he could, barely making it in time.