Chapter 08

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Varian woke with the familiar scent of blood overwhelming his sense of smell and quickly but carefully untangled himself from Venerra, realizing that his nose had already bled. Touching beneath it, his fingers came back with the familiar red tinted black blood, and he studied his pillow. It was soaked in a pool of the spoiled blood, which had spilled over onto the bedding, most likely reaching through to the mattress.

Slipping off the bed, Varian caught himself, his bare feet sliding in something warm, wet, and sticky. Looking down he realized that he'd bled a lot more than he thought. Stepping back, his bare feet leaving bloody footprints, he ran into the bathroom, sliding with the blood, his stomach lurching. Collapsing to his knees, Varian threw up, but only half the sickening sludge actually made it into the toilet bowl.

The rest splattered the front of the bowl and floor, leaving black streaks and pools.

Breathing, Varian glanced up at the clock he kept on the bathroom sink to keep track of time in his shower. 7:45.

"Oh crap! We're late!" he exclaimed, shakily climbing to his feet and stumbling to the sink. He ducked his head, closing his eyes as his arms shook. He felt so light headed and weak, he wondered if this was how humans felt. Looking back into the mirror, Varian groaned. His nose and cheek were smeared with dried blood, and not surprisingly, more blood began to practically spew from his nose, splattering his shirt, the sink, which soon filled with the blood, and anything else in reach of the free flow.

Stepping back, Varian grabbed a towel and held it to his nose. Tissues and paper towel no longer worked. He could feel the warmth from his limbs retreating, his skin erupting in goosebumps, his already pale skin taking on a blueish tint.

Throwing the towel down, Varian stepped out of his clothes and into the shower. Since nothing he did stopped the flow, he might as well clean off what was on him. His shower lasted five minutes, but his nose bleed was still going strong. Grabbing another towel he tried stopping his nose with it, and grabbed new clothes, dressing quickly and going to wake Venerra.

But his bed was empty.

Fear struck his heart, and Varian stumbled out into the hall, calling out her name. She appeared from the kitchen, dressed, hair brushed, and with a spoon sticking out of her mouth. Sighing, he trudged into the kitchen and saw that she had also packed her own lunch.

"Good girl, Venerra." he said softly, grabbing his keys and her backpack. "We've gotta go now though, so finish your bowl."

Venerra sat down and shoveled the remainders of her cereal. And Varian couldn't feel prouder of her. When she finished he escorted her outside to the truck and they headed off for school, Venerra not saying a thing, her attitude glum and faded, and Varian struggling to think with his migraine, his stomach threatening to heave again, and the scent of blood still overwhelming his senses with the towel still pressed to his nose.

Nathan arrived early to school, managing to sneak out of the house while his parents were still asleep. Eric had come home sometime last night from a business trip, and would most likely be waiting to talk to Nathan after school. Hopefully it would be another long day.

"Lonely... I'm so lonely... Ain't got nobody..."

He rolled his eyes as Justin strolled into his homeroom and sat on top of his desk, continuing with the song. "If you want to keep sitting there, I suggest shutting up." he said.

Justin stopped, glaring slightly. "You, sir, are no fun. Besides, I had to get out of homeroom. Andrea's being bitchy, as usual." he explained. Nathan snorted, shaking his head.

"You're both insane. Now get your ass off my desk."

"Oh, but you love my ass, Nate." Justin responded with a smile. Nathan laughed loudly for a second before ducking his head, trying to stifle his chuckling.

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