Fallen

7

"Is she awake" I hear someone ask in a very hushed voice. "I don't know" someone answers and I identify the voice as my father's voice. I try to open my eyes but my eyelids hurt too much and I choose to block out all their voices and just sleep.

"She'll be late for school if she doesn't get up now" my mom says and I continue to ignore them.

Would you guys please leave my room?

I think as I lie in my bed and pretend to still be sound asleep. I hear footsteps heading towards my door and a second set of footsteps follow, then I hear the click of my door and I know they're gone. Slowly I try to open my eyes but they still hurt as bad as they did a minute ago.

What really happened last night?

I reach for my forehead expecting to feel a bandage but all I get is nothing but my skin. O-kay, that's weird because I remember getting hurt last night. I feel my stomach and there is also no bandage. With the shock I have I spring out of bed and sit on it. Immediately my head throbs like a truck just rode over it and then I was shot multiple times.

My eyes are open now and they hurt like hell. I look around my surroundings and see that I'm in my room.

Wait, how did I get here? I was in the forest last night... right?

I can't think clearly with so much pain in my head so I decide to get out of bed and walk to my bathroom to get some painkillers. I take three painkillers and look at myself in the mirror.

"Wow I look like a troll crossed with a witch don't I?" I ask my image and start brushing my teeth. What catches my attention is not my totally dishevelled hair or my troll like look.

"When did I wear these?" I ask my image looking down at my pyjamas. I don't remember ever getting into them, or getting home for that matter. "How did I get home last night? Did Mr Bale really save me?... nah maybe I was just dreaming" I strip off my clothes to take a quick shower and get ready for school.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH" I scream as I take in my nape in the mirror. "Where did I get that. Oh no no no no, I have to find out what happened last night" I take in the tattoo on my neck. It looks like some old ancient symbol.

I never got a tattoo, I am a good girl. I don't do tattoos. "How will I explain this to mom" I thought in horror. "Oh my god dad will kill me now... not send some lowlife to finish me off" I look around my bathroom. "Might as well start writing that suicide note... and do him a favor".

*****************************************************************************************************

Without warning both my parents burst into my bathroom. I felt embarrassed and quickly pulled a towel over my naked body. Thank God it's just mom... for now. "Mom what the hell?" I scream and pull my hair over my neck in attempt to hide my tattoo.

"Oh honey we heard you screaming and thought something was wrong" my mom explains with a worried look on her face. "I'm okay, I just... um... fell" I pause to rephrase my story "I mean s-slipped in the shower... no biggie" I explain and hope that my lie was believable and judging from my mom's relieved look I know she bought it.

"Okay honey, we'll leave you to it then" dad says with relief, I can tell how worried they are about me. "wait, what happened last night" I ask, not sure what to expect. They both look at me and then at each other, and then mom smiles at me and says "just take your shower first and then come downstairs to talk" she smiles and they leave.

I take my shower as fast as I can. 5 minutes tops. Then I dash out of the shower, dry my hair and make one massive messy bun, get dressed and then without a second thought I run downstairs.

I find my parents in the kitchen sitting around the island. "What do you think really happened to Tori last night?" my mom asks my dad in a hushed voice. "She couldn't have been raped right?" she asks again and sobs.

"I don't think she was raped, you heard what the doctor said, and there are no signs of rape" my dad tells her and puts his arm around her, I watch silently. "But then where did all that blood come from then? You heard and saw that she had no wounds at all... and that blood was hers" she sobs again "then what happened to her?" not being able to stand being talked about and have no idea what they're talking about, I take a deep breath, put on a brave face and bounce into the kitchen, as if I just got there.

"Hey" I say to both my parents and force a smile. "So ready to tell me what happened last night?" I asked, leaning on the island but making sure my tattoo is not exposed. "Um" my mom starts but fails miserably as she starts crying. "Tori, last night you came home drunk" those words make my arm slip off the island and almost fall out of my chair.

"Drunk ...b...but ...you...you know I don't drink" I say, surprised of their answer. "Well you were drunk, and you.... Had blood all over your clothes. A lot of blood" he takes a deep breath before continuing, at this point I have no idea what to say 'sorry I was drunk' won't cut it.

"You had a lot of blood, we thought it was your blood and quickly called a doctor, when he got here he checked you and turns you had no wounds, none whatsoever. He then took a sample of the blood to see who's blood it was." He looks at my mom then at me "the blood was yours Tor and... and it was a lot of blood and it doesn't make sense that you're still alive and well and never needed a blood transfusion or anything for that matter. And you were not raped" he looks at me for answers but hey I'm as amazed as you are.

"I was drunk?" that still baffles me. How the hell did I get drunk and when and most importantly was it before or after Mr Blade became my hero? Okay think, the blood means what happened in the forest was real but that doesn't explain why I was drunk.

I looked at my parents and got up from my seat. "I'm sorry but I'm gonna be late for school" without giving them a chance to answer I dashed out the kitchen. I have no idea where my bag is but I know where me cell phone is and I have enough books in my car... which I think is at school and my locker.

I guess I'll be walking.

Only one person can give me the answers I need.