Inner Predator

Beyond Repulsive

Chapter 10

When I come back to reality the first thing that hits me is nausea. Extreme nausea. I double over and proceed to- for lack of a better phrase- barf my guts out. Once the contents of my stomach are in a disgusting puddle on the ground in front of me, I am able to take in my surroundings.

Chase is slumped in the corner of the room, legs spread out in front of him and head leaning against the wall facing the ceiling.

Panic courses through my veins for a moment because he looks... well, not very alive, but when his foot twitches, I'm flooded with relief. Completely of their own accord, my feet rush toward his drooping form.

I reach a hand out, gently cupping his warm cheek in my palm. All the anger and hurt I was feeling before has vanished. Honestly, all that evaporated about the time I realized I was no longer in control of my own body; replaced with concern for both Chase and myself.

Running my eyes over his body, I look for any major injuries but don't actually see any. Well, a few bruises but nothing serious, so I can't quite figure out why he isn't awake.

"Chase?" I shake his face a little in attempt to wake him up as his name rolls off my lips in a whisper. Slowly his eyes crack open and a lazy smile forms on his soft lips.

"Well that solves that," he says quietly amused. When his eyes meet mine, I suddenly realize how close to his face I am and when my gaze drops to his lips, I immediately pull away to create distance between us.

"What?" I ask not sure if I'm asking in response to his words to that moment that just happened. Wait. It's definitely his words. Definitely. "What do you mean 'solves that'? Wait, a-are you ok?"

"Rory," he leans toward me and studies my face closely, "do you not remember?" His movements are lethargic and slow, like he's too tired to do much of anything, but still, he doesn't seem hurt.

"No."

"No?" His eyebrows raise giving away the surprise that he's feeling at this little revelation.

I shake my head and bite my lip nervously. "I remember up until..." I rub my forehead hoping trying to recall the last moment I was me. "When I... I felt it take over and then I was just. Gone."

"Gone? What does that even mean?"

I give him a bored look. "It means just what I said. It was like I was there one moment and then I just wasn't. I don't remember anything—wait are you okay? What happened?" I take out and redo my ponytail, a nervous gesture more than anything else.

His smile immediately turns cocky. "Worried about me, love? I thought you'd rather me dead."

"I thought so too," I mutter more to myself than to Chase. A couple hours ago I really thought I hated him, but apparently I don't at least not as much as I thought I did. "Just answer the question."

In an instant Chase is on his feet stretching. He's still not moving quiet as gracefully or quickly as usually, but the fact that he's standing must mean he's feeling at least a little bit better. "I'm perfect, you uh, didn't hurt me, not really," he shrugs like it's no big deal.

"What do you mean?" I ask standing so that we're on the same level again. Well, as close to the same level as we can be considering that I barely come up to his shoulder.

For the first time I think can recall Chase actually looks nervous. Yeah, you heard me right, the big bad scariest vampire- strike that, the scariest creature on campus looks nervous. And I'll be damned if that doesn't make my stomach fill with butterflies, and not the good kind.