Things that Go Bump in the Night

Chapter 11: Emesis

A/N: As a byproduct of avoiding what I should be doing I wrote another chapter. Enjoy! And remember that comments and votes make my day :)

Chapter 11:

I sat in the maroon dining room by myself as the monster went to get our plates from the kitchen. I felt awkward in the room. Even before my family had been moved out of the middle district we never really ate dinner in a formal dining room setting, getting us all to eat together in the kitchen was a feat in and of itself. To eat in a room designated just for eating while uncomfortably looking at each other was unfamiliar and rusty to me.

The last time that I had eaten in this kind of setting was at my grandmother's house before the werewolves took over.

 Seven years or so?

And even that had been different. When I ate at grandmother's house I was surrounded by people that I loved and trusted...now I was just in the company of a creepy ass werewolf. The discomfort that I felt was making me see exactly why my father felt like Little Red Riding hood was a frightening tale that he refused to read to me.  

I heard the monster's footsteps coming into the room and sucked in a breath as he entered, sitting up straighter.

He set a plate in front of me, kissing the top of my head as he leaned to set it down. It was good that he couldn't see my face because I was sure it was contorted in anguish. How long would I have to be his play thing? How long would I have to endure his touch and kisses? I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the unspoken message Kyrie had sent me. If I ever want to get out of here and away from the monster I would have to play nice...gain his trust.

I looked down at my plate and froze in shock.

So much.

So much...pretty food.

It looked unreal, like someone had taken a picture out of a magazine and taped it to the table in front of me. Even the light seemed to hit it just right making the colors stand out and my mouth water. He sat down across from me, carrying his own plate of identical volume and quality.

I didn't remember the last time I ate a steak. I didn't remember the last time I had eaten half the food on the plate.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking in my blank stare at the glorious looking food. "Do you not like steak? I can make you something else. Chicken? Pork? Fish? You can have anything you want."

Anything I want?

My mouth and stomach were yearning for this food like more than anything I had ever wanted. I was so hungry...I had been so hungry.

Still not understanding my shock the monster got up and made a move to take the plate away. In a dreamlike state of panic, I stopped him. 

"I like steak." I whispered, not looking at him but I could tell that he smiled as he sat back down.

I picked up the fork and knife and touched the food with them. The knife sank in easily and I cut the steak slowly, carefully revealing the pink center of the chop.

My mouth watered even more if that were possible.

I felt that soon I would be drooling like a starving dog looking at kibble.

Steak.

I stabbed my fork into the tender meat and then raised it to my lips, inhaling deeply before taking a bite.

Damn cows tasted good.

I hadn't eaten meat, real meat not bony fish or half-starved rabbit, in years. I had forgotten how good it tasted, how right it felt in your mouth. I took another bite, holding back a sigh before scarfing more down. I hadn't eaten like this since the werewolves had put the ration restriction on humans.