Toxic Beauty

Chapter 4: Frozen

Her eyes fluttered open and a soft glow of light consumed her vision. She blinked repeatedly before it cleared and an old water stained ceiling came into focus. At first she was confused with a strong need to throw up but then as the clouds in her mind faded and the ringing in her ear subsided, she heard a fire crackling in the distance and she realized she was next to the fire place at home.

She felt still as if her body was strapped down by iron. She made no attempt to move her arms and legs for they felt as if cement had dried within them. Her lips were cracked and burning and her tongue was like sandpaper. She wanted to just lay there but she desperately needed water. The last thing she remembered was walking home with Nix but-

She sat up abruptly and a surge of pain had her falling backwards, her lost memories came back on a monstrous wave. The memories flashed before her eyes like a slide show of pictures: Nix being consumed by a black mist, a yellow eyed creature attacking her and the burning sensation in her hand. She remembered everything and confusion followed.

 "You're awake?" Nona whispered when she checked on Samara for the hundredth time. 

Samara inspected the ceiling with lazy eyes before turning her head to Nona, "Yeah. Wha- what happened?"

 "Nix came home badly wounded and in a rage," Nona answered with a sigh as she placed a glass of water to Samara's lips, Samara could see the worry residing behind her eyes, "he led me to you."

Samara remembered his enraged howls and white eyes and her pulse spiked, "Is he okay?" She tried to push herself up on shaky hands, “Where is he? Where is he Nona?"

Nona nodded reassuringly, "Nix is fine Samara, calm down, he has some deep wounds but he'll live. He can't talk but you can, what the hell happened out there?" 

As Samara retold the events that had left her with a headache from hell and Nona listened with revulsion. She realized the hesitation before Samara showed her the mark on her wrist and continued with what had happened. The truth was, Nona had seen that mark before.

She wasn't sure how long ago it had appeared on Samara, again, but it was obviously long enough for a Malha to sense her. Dark creatures like those never leave the dark and depressing cracks and crevices in the forest. Not even to feed and it was evident Samara didn't know what the creature was or what was happening. There was so much she didn't know and Nona would have to tell her, everything. Just not yet. 

So she lied, “My god, Samara, I'm so sorry. I...I can't imagine how frightened you were. Maybe someone in the town will know what that...thing, was."

"I...I don't know what's going on Nona. What happened in that forest? I killed it, something I did, killed it." Samara had been shocked to learn that she had been sleeping for an entire day following the attack, her body felt quite rested but her mind however, was an entirely different story, "What happened to me?" 

"I wish I could answer your question now baby but I can't. But trust me," Nona reached for Samara's hand across the table, hating the lies leaving her lips, "everything will be okay. We'll figure this out." 

“How? We can't tell anyone about this. What would I say? Oh yeah I kinda hit it with some invisible force from my hand and killed it. Oh yes, I tend to do that sometimes! Its a gift!”

“Well, you don't have to say it like that."

Samara shrugged a shoulder and rubbed her eyes, "That's how it will sound to someone else Nona. I mean what was that thing? Its tongue was...ugh," She messaged the flesh between her brows that she had pulled together for too long, it wasn't helping her headache. “I've never heard about things like those living in the forest, not so far up anyways."