Children of the Night

Chapter T W O

My mother wanted me to have a word with her. I followed her down the old wood stairs, my fingers trailing the handrail. I could hear her breath coming out in shallow releases. I could hear her heart beating in a slow rhythm. Never have I ever heard that before. Not with such clarity. My surroundings made me dizzy, making me head for the nearest chair.

 "Now be honest with me honey, are you okay?" Mom asked, concern clearly etched on her face.

"Yea, I'm feeling great, Mom. Why?" I said, lying. I felt awful.

Her nose scrunched as she tried to comprehend me. Her eyes were filled with such scrutiny; it was as if she didn't know me at all.

"You've just been acting very odd lately." Mom said with worry as I fingered the worn green fabric of the chair I was sitting in.

"I'm just worried about you, honey." She said after I had said nothing. I looked into her soft brown eyes. Wrinkles had creased in all the right spots, making her look old but not ancient. Her hair had a few gray streaks highlighting her wavy head. I sighed inwardly.

            "You don't have to worry, mom. I'm fine." I said, disbelieving every word that came from my mouth. I got up and walked on the creaky wood floor to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I found a pleasant surprise.

"Mom, when did you buy a cake?" I asked as I pulled it out and set it on the counter.

"I've had it for a few days now." She said, grabbing two plates from the cupboard. I sliced two pieces and placed each one on a plate. "Here," I said giving Mom the plate. The chocolate cake looked inviting. A layer of thick dark chocolate rested above a soft brown mousse. I took a bite and regretted it immediately. Vomit sprayed from my lips onto the floor and me. I rushed to the kitchen sink and threw up more of whatever could still be possibly left from my stomach.

"Oh God!" Mom held my hair back as I released more of my stomach. When I was done, she helped me up to the stairs and into my shower. I had thrown up all over myself. She turned the cold water on, and I relaxed in the clean water.

"Good thing I didn't eat any!" Mom laughed, trying to make a joke as she picked up the spoiled clothes and towels off my bathroom tile.

"I'm not there yet," I moaned. She nodded and whispered a soft 'right'. Once I was done cleaning up, I realized that night had already descended. I was unaware how fast time flew. Mom went downstairs to clean up the rest of my mess. I fell on my bed and drifted into a deep slumber. That night, I dreamt of nothing.

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I woke in the morning with a pounding headache. I was going to go to school no matter what. Slipping out of bed and onto the cold floor, I realized that I had no dreams last night. How bizarre, dreaming of nothing, I suppose it was better than my usual dreams. I padded to my closet and picked out a gray bra, and matching underwear. I was in no mood to wear any bright colors. My hand numbly opened the closet door and ruffled through the sorted clothes until it came back out with a plaid flannel. Orange and browns and reds crisscrossed to form perfect squares inside of perfect squares. I buttoned the flannel up and left the top three unbuttoned. I rummaged through a pile of dirty clothes until I found dark wash shorts.

I dressed quickly then went to the bathroom. I looked like shit. My hair was dull, my face was pale. Nothing seemed right about the way I appeared. My brown eyes had specks of glowing purple around the irises. That was new. I blinked hard and rubbed my eyes.

 My eyes stung a bit but it was probably just a reaction from the Tylenol. Dismissing the weirdness, I grabbed my phone and my purse. A low buzz came from my phone. It was a text message from Aliza, my best friend.