Lunae Novae

Chapter Eight

Chapter 8

“What’s happening?” I asked over Hania's wails of pain.

Akio stood above her, crying. “She hasn’t been feeling well since we got here.”

“I’ll go get Doc.” Cortie spoke, rushing out the front door.

I kneeled next to her as Dakota came running into the sitting room. She moved to comfort Akio.

“Hania, speak to me. Tell me what’s happening.” I ran my hand over her head, she was burning up and her hair was stuck to her face with sweat.

“I’m being torn apart!” She yelled.

I looked at the skin on her arm, smooth as ever, just red hot to the touch. “She’s running a fever. Do you have a bathtub?” I asked, looking to Emmaline who stood shocked.

I took action and picked Hania up, moving towards the bathroom I was in. A blood curdling scream pierced through the air and Hania clawed at my arms. “Don’t touch me!” she shrieked.

My arms ached, I wasn’t used to carrying this kind of weight, but I held on tight and pushed forward towards the bathroom. I set her down in the shower cubicle, her cries and moans of pain echoing off the tiles. I quickly turned cold water on, allowing the spray to cool down her skin. Her skin was so hot that steam rose from her body as the cold water hit it.

She moaned and writhed in pain on the slick shower floor. “Doctor. I need a doctor.” She groaned.

“Cortie is getting one. They’ll be back soon. Tell me what’s wrong. What’s happening, Hania?”

“It’s in my head, it’s everywhere!”

As she twisted I got a glimpse of her neck, and long, thick brown hair was slowly growing out of the nape of her neck. I quickly moved to pull her shirt off, making her scream in agony. There was more hair, creeping out of her pores at an agonizingly slow rate, down the path of her spine.

Was she shifting? This couldn’t be right.
Cortie and an older woman came into the bathroom then. They both gasped at the sight in front of them.

“Oh my god, she’s shifting.” The older woman said kneeling down next to me.

“How do you know, is this what used to happen?” Cortie asked stupidly, his mouth hanging open.

“It was good thinking putting her under cold water. It will help keep her fever low enough, hopefully she won’t die.”

“Die?” I gasped. She could die? No. This couldn’t be happening.

“Cortie, go get as much ice as you can from the mess hall. We need-" the doctor was interrupted by another scream as more hair protruded from Hania’s skin. There was another loud snap and her back arched at a gruesome angle.

The doctor looked startled before reaching for a bag she had brought with her. She pulled a syringe and bottle out from it, and quickly went to work.

“Hold her arm for me so I can try to find a vein. Hold on tight. She’s transitioning rather slowly.”

I grabbed onto Hania's arm and pinned it down while she screamed and thrashed. “The doctor is here Hania, she’s going to help. Just try and stay still for a minute.” I tried to speak soothingly, but it didn’t work. My mother would have been perfect for this situation.

“IT HURTS!” Hania yelled again.

The doctor made quick work of finding a vein and quickly injected whatever it was into Hania. “It’s pain medicine.
Hopefully it will work a little, but it will have to be administered frequently because the fever will burn it up.”