bite.

Chapter 3

After the events of the night, Francesca tucked me up in my hospital bed and told to go to sleep. I didn't like the babying shit, but after being shot, I didn't have the strength to protest.

I had gone along with it and allowed Francesca to fuss over me, even though, deep down I hated her and Magda for ruining my life.

I had no long-term plans to stay with her and Magda. They could find some other daughter to play happy families with.

But for the short-term, I would need to stick with them until I had the opportunity to recalibrate and figure out what the hell I was.

I was a great believer in knowing how and when to pick your battles - and this battle with my new vampire parents would have to wait.

After Francesca had tucked me up in bed, I fell into a deep sleep where I had a disturbing dream.

I was in a laboratory observation room, watching a couple of scientists experimenting on dogs in metal cages. The scientists were replicating an experiment I recognised from psychology class - Seligmann's Learned Helplessness experiment.

The dogs were put in an electrified metal cage, where they could not escape. The scientists administered shocks to the animal and observed their behaviour. At first, the dogs tried to escape the electric shocks, moving from one end of the cage to the other. But as time progressed, the dogs learnt that no matter what they did, nothing could prevent them from being shocked.

I watched those dogs, silently surrender to their fate. They stopped fighting and simply lay down as the scientist continued to shock them.

I stood behind the observation glass, unable to do a thing. I wanted to help the animals in the cages, but I didn't know how.

I tried banging on the glass, but the scientists ignore me.

Eventually, the metal cages with the dogs were taken away and a new batch of test subjects were brought into the room. This time around the subjects were not animals but men chained down to hospital beds, covered in tubes and needles that were hooked up to angry looking machines.

The men were crying, begging for the scientists to help them. They ignored them and began placing electrodes on their body, preparing them for the electric shocks.

I screamed at them to stop, but they continued. In horror, I watched the men writhed and convulse as the scientists administered shock after shock.

The screaming grew and grew until the dream abruptly ended.

My eyes opened and I was sitting up upright in bed, wide awake covered in sweat. I was breathing so damn hard, I was practically gasping for air.

I pulled my knees into chest and hugged myself.

"It's a stupid dream. You're okay... you're okay," I told myself.

It took a few moments for me to fully calm myself. I'd never had a dream that was so real and vivid. I could still hear those men screaming in their beds.

Pushing back the bed sheets, I got out of bed. The room was dark and fumbled about for a light switch. The floor felt uneven, kind of like a fairground funhouse. I clung to the sides of the walls, trying to keep my balance, but something caught my foot and went crashing into the floor.

"Baby?" Francesca's voice yelled.

A door opened and Francesca switched on the light. She saw me lying on the floor in a heap and leapt to my aid.

"Oh, sweetie. You got all snagged up in your blankets."

"I'm fine," I said swatting her hands away. "Where are we?"