Bathe In Fire - Shadows of the Night 2

Chapter 16

Hi!

Time for another update! A lot happened in Chapter 15 and everything's coming down on Anna. I'm really curious what you think about this one and a certain character this is about... Let me know if you liked it! 

Thank you all for reading!

Lara

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Chapter 16

I didn't wake gently. I came to hard. One second I was asleep. Next thing I knew I was up and out of bed. Wide eyed. Pulse hammering. A frightened rabbit trapped in a hole deeper than the Grand Canyon.

I knew what had happened, but I could ignore it, deny it reality, as long as I didn't see proof of it. I saw it when I gazed into the bathroom mirror. My breath caught. My hand shot up and clasped the side of my neck, sheltering it from my sight. Puncture wounds where once had been unmarred skin.

I stared at my reflection, hand still hiding what my eyes shunned to see. Slowly I let it fall to my side. Two tiny puncture marks were all it took to shatter my world.

It wasn't the fact that I had let myself been bitten that scraped at my sanity, no. It was the fact that I had enjoyed it. Because when he bit me I liked it. How could I forget who I was? My past. My history. With one bite Alexander had erased it and made me forget all – all that should have mattered. All that did matter.

The pictures erupted in my head, an angry hailstorm of memories. My past. My damned cross to bear.

Fangs sinking into flesh. Fangs sinking into flesh.

The images began to unfold in front of my eyes, and even though they were just that – visible memories, pictures – it was as if I was there. I could see it, thought I could smell the blood. There was so much blood! Fangs sinking into...

My eyes flew open. Seconds passed. I breathed heavily, staring at my reflection.

I stormed out of the bathroom and almost stumbled on my way to my bedroom, feeling dizzy. I tore open a few drawers of my dresser, my mind racing. With trembling fingers I retrieved a small red scarf from the lowest drawer. I pulled it around my neck.

I padded back into the bathroom, barefoot. I looked into the mirror and found a pale young woman staring back at me. Her brown hair was flowing down her back, framing her face. Adorned by dark circles, her brown eyes looked empty and hollow, while her lips held almost no color. Her neck was mantled by a red scarf.

"Who are you?"

I stared back at myself and stared and stared and stared. Sometimes you had to choose what you could live with: the lie or the truth. I made my choice. No. It had never happened. Never.

* * *

The zipper slipped out of my hand and the jacket flapped open again. The vision swam in front of my eyes. I saw myself being bitten by Alexander. Again. Wet hotness in my eyes, and the desire to forget. Angrily I readjusted my bag and grabbed the zipper with both hands, not paying attention to the oncoming stream of people on the sidewalk.

That was when I bumped into someone, pain exploding in my head as I stumbled back. Hands gripped my forearms, steadying me.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

I looked up and found myself staring into green eyes. The woman was about my height, dark brown hair in a ponytail. Clad in a black business suit, her jacket partly covering a dark red blouse, the woman practically radiated elegance.