Having Two Mates {2017}

Chapter Twenty-One

  Why?

  Why was this happening to me?

"See you soon Hailey." Were Demetria's parting words.

  Through hazy vision, I watched her leave until she disappeared completely.

  As I lay there, wheezing through my last breaths, I tried my hardest to focus on staying awake. I wasn't going to die here, not today either. I was overcome with that same sensation I felt in the woods that day only, it wasn't rage, it was the guilt from before. I felt that if I died now, I'd die regretting a lot of things.

So, I forced myself to try and channel that side of me from that day in the woods. I focused on calming my racing heart and tried laboring my breathing. It burned so much but I could feel the skin on my neck trying to patch itself up. I regained feeling in my hands eventually, I grabbed my wound to stop the bleeding as much as I could until I found help. I managed to turn over on my side, however, instead of the blood flooding out of my neck, it came flooding out of my mouth. Still, I pushed myself onto all fours and crawled towards the school doors.

I went in and out of tunnel vision. The blood loss was beginning to take its toll and arms were growing shaky.

"Come on," I wheezed. I reached up for the door handle, cursing at everything because it was so high up. I stretched until it pained me to do so but still, I fell short.

My body slumped against the adjacent wall and my wound had reopened. I cupped my neck but the blood still ran down my body, ruining my clothes. My breathing became ragged again and panic was setting in.

"Somebody," I whispered. "Help me."

It was a shot in the dark but I knew that someone would hear me. They were always so busy trying to get into my head, they had to hear me now.

As if by some miracle, I caught a glimpse of an ambulance pulling up to the school. Paramedics quickly jumped out of the vehicle, spotted me, and came rushing over. I couldn't help but smile to myself.

"Well played Demetria," My eyes started to become heavy. "Well played."

***

I woke up in the hospital in a room again. There was a burning sensation in my neck and my torso felt a little sore as well. Now that I was focusing on it, everything kind of hurt. Especially my chest, that hurt the most.

"Hailey," A hand grabbed mine. "I'm so sorry."

  It was my mother.

One could laugh at her apology in light of recent events. She had disappeared after breaking the news that I was a hybrid. She left without explanation and now, after I've skipped death again, she shows up with an apology. I wanted to snap at her. I wanted to rip my hand out of her hand and tell her to leave. I felt so angry by her apology but I still let tears fall down my face. I still let her hold me as I cried. I let her comfort me because I needed it. I needed my mother right now.

"I know, I know." She stroked my hair. "Alex told me everything."

  I pulled away from her hold.

"I'm really sorry I haven't been there for you Hailey," She apologizes again. "I don't have a good enough excuse for you but just know I'm trying to sort things out so it's easier for you. So please, hang in there." She caresses my cheek with a sad smile.

Was this my mother? Was this the same woman who swore up and down to me as a kid she'd never let anything happen to me? The same with Alex and Nathan. Aren't they supposed to be protecting me like she wishes? Why? Why are bad things still happening to me if I'm supposed to be protected?

"Because you can't protect yourself."

"Hailey?" My mom questions. She was staring at me with wide eyes. Then her expression changed entirely. "You."

My insides started to burn causing me to cry out in pain. A deep grumble rumbled in the pit of my stomach, a growl resulted. I gripped the bed tightly, gasping for air that had suddenly left my body.

My mother had been knocked to the side, blood running down the side of her head. She had a look of terror on her face as our eyes locked. Tears welled in her eyes as the words left my mouth.

"Mom, it hurts."

Nurses rushed to the doorway before turning back the way they came. My mother backed herself into the corner. She was shouting things at me, her voice cracking because she was tired. However, she wasn't speaking directly at me but rather what had taken over.

"It hurts. It hurts." I was curled into fetus position on the floor. Tears were falling down my face but the being that had taken control was pushing my body past its limits.

"Hailey," My mother called. My head snapped in her direction. "Deep breaths. Take control."

She was slowly inching closer to me, a shaking hand extended at me. The other, I noticed, hid a syringe behind her back.

I growled, swinging at her and making contact with the side of her head. I let out a mix between a cry and an angry growl, something that was painful to the ears.

"She tried to get rid of me." I spoke.

  "Let me go," I said, beginning to fight myself. "I don't want this anymore. I want to go back to a normal life--"

"You have no normal life!" The other me growled. It dug my nails into the skin on the inside of my arm. Blood seeped through the broken skin before healing immediately. "You aren't normal, Hailey. You will never be normal."

I cried harder, fighting myself. No matter how loud I screamed. No matter how hard I cried. Nothing would let up. I still burned inside and healed every time I managed to hurt myself. ALl the voices I had been suppressing exploded simultaneously in my head. Everything from traffic to the doctor three floors up breaking bad news to a family, I heard it all. I felt it all.

  "Make it stop," I cried. "Please!"

  I heard the door clang against the adjacent wall from being kicked open. Soon, I was consumed in warmth and a familiar tingle ran up my spine painfully. The heat inside increased tremendously making it feel like I was sitting in fire. I cried out in pain, trying to break free from the hold I was in but they only held me tighter.

"I'm sorry."

My body fell limp and my tears stopped at the brim. The heat subsided and the voices left my head, leaving an ache in its wake.

"I'm sorry, Hailey." Alex repeated again. "I really am."

He was in my head.

It didn't hurt with him in there like it did with everyone else. His voice had calmed me down enough that I could focus on my mother who was watching the scene before her. She still looked scared out of her mind but she seemed at ease now that he was here. My mind and body was now at ease as well because he was here.