IncuBUST

Paralyzed

"That's what that was? That light?" she asked pulling at the air in front of her mouth. I nodded. She was silent for a moment.

"You fed off my father..." I nodded again. She looked at me and an expression of disgust came onto her face. I was sure that expression was for me.

"He must have tasted nasty. Why would you choose him?" she asked and I almost laughed.

"I didn't choose him. I just hadn't eaten in a while and after being injured it didn't feel like I had much of a choice." She nodded as if that made perfect sense and then she looked at me in shock.

"You were stabbed!" she gestured wildly. I nodded slowly, not sure where she was going with this.

"I saw the blood!" she continued. She took a step forward and touched my chest and before I could say anything she wrenched up my shirt, nearly throwing it over my head and knocking me over. She prodded and inspecedt the skin that had been jagged and bloody just last night.

"Uh, could you maybe stop, please?" I asked timidly unable to see her face around my shirt. My face was flaming. The only person who saw me shirtless was my sister and I wasn't the exhibitionist she was.

She made a strange humming sound that was the first sound I heard from her since her cries of terror and thick stuttering speech the night before. I felt her cool fingers soft on my warm skin and I glanced to the side trying to fight the awkward.

"So, um, what kind of speech impairment do you have? If you don't mind my asking. Were you born with it?" I asked. She slowly lowered my shirt and looked at me. She wasn't even embarrassed.

"I was born deaf. It was temporary but it lasted long enough to impede my ability to speak...I was also in a car accident when I was eleven and my brain was damaged. The doctors said I was lucky, but now I have even more problems with speaking. My vocal cords are partially paralyzed or something," she said and then shrugged like it was no big deal.

I nodded and smoothed down my shirt, my face still flaming. She didn't seem to notice my embarrassment.

She suddenly looked around and and started fumbling with the door of the dishwasher. She opened it to reveal racks of clean dishes. She took out two glasses, set them on the counter and asked, "Did you want a drink or something? I have...water...or tea! I could make tea."

I shook my head and said, "No, thank you, I'm fine." She nodded and filled one glass with water and sipped at it. She leaned against the counter and with one hand she asked, "So do you have any super powers or anything beside sucking the life out of people?"