Shift

Chapter 2

Victor and Kota.

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I woke with a pounding headache. I went to roll over, but the shooting pain in my ribs had me gasping for breath instead. I took a deep breath and was overwhelmed by scents. The most prominent one was Cyprus. The foreign smell had me opening my eyes. Everything was blurry and my eyes squinted against the brightness of the room. A room that I had never been in before.

Wrapping my arm around my ribs, I slowly sat up. My body began to tremble as I realized that I had no idea where I was. Did someone kidnap me? Were they going to rape me as soon as I gained consciousness? My heart was racing as I stood on shaky legs. I had to get out of here. There was no way that I was going to prove my mother right and become another statistic for her to lecture Marie about.

I moved towards what I thought to be the front door. My ankle protested as I put my weight on it. I moved as quietly as I could, slowly easing the door open. The South Carolina sunlight made my eyes and head hurt even worse. I closed the door, but not all the way. I didn't want to alert anyone.

When I made it to the sidewalk, my eyes had finally adjusted to the light. My heart came to a halt in my chest when I noticed that my house was just a few doors down. I made my way down the path, using the back door to get into the house. I took my dirty shoes off so that my mother wouldn't see my tracks. I hobbled up the back stairs, moving straight for my bedroom. Seeing the burgundy walls and pink carpet brought sweet relief. I was home, and I was safe.

Shuffling through the minimal clothes in my closet, I grabbed a faded green skirt that went to the middle of my thighs and a white blouse with ruffled sleeves. I locked myself in the bathroom and sighed heavily when I saw my reflection in the mirror. My hair was knotted around twigs and mud. The process of removing the twigs was tedious.

My shower took longer than I had thought and was far more painful than I could have imagined. Wiping off the fogged-over mirror, I stared at the girl in the mirror. Her blonde hair was plain. She had a small nose and green-as-grass eyes. Her full lips were badly chapped and the dark circles under her eyes gave her a haggard appearance.

My eyes narrowed at the angry red wound on my shoulder. I leaned closer to get a glimpse. It was gruesome. You could see where every tooth had entered my skin. A gasp left me as I remembered. I'd been in the woods. There was a gray wolf that was surprisingly agile. I'd been bitten by a wolf. The blood drained from my face.

How did I get from the woods to the house by mine? Why was I still alive? A wolf would have just killed me, wouldn't it? My head began to ache even more. I pulled my clothes on and ran a brush through my hair, wincing when it hit a tender spot on the back of my head.

I dug around in the things under the sink, pulling out the first aid kit and some cotton circles. I bandaged the bite on my shoulder after thoroughly cleaning it. The last thing I needed was to get an infection. My ankle didn't need to be wrapped since it was only scratched.

I quickly pulled my clothes on as I heard yelling coming from downstairs. Giving myself a once-over, I noticed that the edge of the bandage peaked out of the neckline of my shirt. I dragged the strap of my bra over to cover it. Stepping from the bathroom, I spotted Marie standing at the top of the stairs. She must be listening to our parents.

"Marie?" I whispered.

Her head snapped to look at me so fast that her brown hair fanned out behind her. Her brown eyes narrowed on me before moving over my clothes, lips curling in disgust. "What?"

"What's going on?"

She scoffed at me before stomping to her bedroom. Deciding that I didn't want to be caught lingering on the stairs, I also returned to my bedroom. I grabbed a book off my bookshelf and moved to sit on the chest beside my window. The yelling from downstairs seemed to get louder. The heavy footsteps had me opening my book to a random page.