Shift

The Pain

Scarlet shoved everything back into her bag as Adrian hovered in the doorway, waiting. Behind him stood Jake and Ash, standing close to each other and talking out the corners of their mouths.

"Hurry up," Adrian said.

Scarlet scowled at him. It hurt her neck to look at him from that angle, leaning over the bed, all but doubled over in pain. Her spine felt like it was collapsing on itself, her joints ached, and her insides felt as though they were melting. The throbbing in her head had evolved into more of a searing sensation, accompanied by an intermittent ringing in her ears. To make matters worse, Adrian was acting like an asshole for no apparent reason.

"What is your problem?" Scarlet said.

Adrian replied, "I don't have a problem, just hurry up."

A screaming stab of sharp, violent pain shattered through her and she nearly fainted, bracing herself against the bed. She took a deep breath and flung her bag over her shoulder. This cycle of the two of them being mad at each other because the other one acted like a jerk was getting old.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked. She regarded Scarlet with concern, seemingly the only one who noticed how much pain she was in.

"I'm fine." Scarlet pushed past Adrian and stomped toward the truck. When she started seeing double, she realized she was not, in fact, fine.

Suddenly, Jake was next to her, holding to her arm to support her. Scarlet shook her head, regaining her balance, and steadied her legs below her. Jake held onto her firmly until she stopped trembling.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"You're sick," said Jake.

"No, I'm not." Scarlet chuckled. "Werewolves don't get sick." She looked at Adrian, who rolled his eyes.

"I mean, they do," Adrian said.

She leaned against the open door of the truck and eyed him, put on the meanest face possible.

"Penny's sick," said Adrian. And she's a werewolf. That's what we're doing this for, you know. That's why we're out here, driving all the way down to the bayou to find a woman who may not even exist, to ask her for a cure that may not even be real."

"I know, Adrian," she growled. Her irritation grew like a flame inside her belly. "It was my idea. But I'm not sick, not like that."

"Whatever," he scoffed. "There's something wrong with you and you can't just ignore it. You're acting like a stubborn child."

Ash and Jake exchanged glances as if to say, and I thought we were bad. They stood next to each other and watched Scarlet seething from the truck, and Adrian kicking at the ground like a sad kid at the zoo.

"Why are you acting like a total prick?"

"I'm not," Adrian said.

"Why don't you just tell me what you're so mad about so we can move on?"

Adrian glared at her through his thick lashes, looking more hurt than angry. Scarlet thought she could almost see his chin trembling.

"Earlier," he started, quietly. "In the truck. When you fell asleep..."

"Yeah?" Scarlet frowned, making a get on with it motion with her hand.

"You said his name." Adrian sighed, then lifted his chin, looking directly at her. He set his jaw and said, "You kept whispering his name, over and over."

"Who?" Her stomach twisted. She was pretty sure she already knew.

Adrian's nostrils flared when he said it. "Peter."