Nick stared at the ceiling fan slowly revolving above him, the steady "whoom" of the blades creating a monotonous background noise.
He was never going to be able to fall asleep.
He could feel everything in the room, sense each little movement, every shadow and gentle draft. There were so many damn smells too, lingering scents that had embedded themselves everywhere in the room. The fabric softener from the sheets, cleaning spray used to wipe off the furniture in the room, the faint hint of the hot smell a vacuum cleaner leaves behind, even the traces of paint left from the walls.
It was overwhelming.
He let out a quiet groan and rolled over, burying his face into the pillow in an attempt to smother out some of the intrusive senses. Instead, he nearly choked from inhaling the powerful scent of fabric softener, shampoo and feathers the pillow was stuffed with.
He sat up quickly, gagging and scrubbing at his stinging nose as his eyes began to water. "Damn it!." He muttered angrily, snorting several times to try and clear his nasal passages of the smells.
His newly hyper sensitive ears heard footsteps in the hall, and he paused, concentrating on the approaching person. He could tell from the footsteps that it was Tala, and as she paused outside his door the faint sound of her heart beat echoed in the sudden silence, resonating with his own.
She slipped into the room a moment later, her eyebrows raising in surprise when she saw his watery eyes and red nose. "What...?"
He sniffed and rubbed at his nose and eyes one final time before saying sulkily. "Accidentally inhaled into the pillow."
She snickered as she walked over to the bed.
"Don't laugh! Ugh the only thing I can smell is stupid fabric softener and feathers!"
She sat on the edge of the bed and brushed several tears that had leaked from his irritated eyes off his cheeks. "Sorry, I know it's overwhelming and intense."
He sighed. "Is it always like this?"
She shrugged. "It's worse because of the full moon, and because you're new to all this. It'll fade a bit tomorrow, and when you become used to it you learn how to ignore most of it unless you're trying to focus on something in particular."
He rubbed his forehead and sniffed again, sinuses starting to clear somewhat. "Well I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to fall asleep tonight...everything's just too distracting."
Her fingertips lightly brushed over the sygil on his shoulder. "Does it hurt at all?" She asked, slightly concerned when her skin slid over the indentations from her fangs.
He shook his head, suddenly very aware of her presence now that his senses were free from the fabric softener. "No." He said quietly.
Her eyes flickered up to meet his, shining clear and bright in the darkness, like twin silver moons.
He could see them so much more clearly now, and he found he was incapable of looking away from their mesmerizing depths, they held ocean spray from a powerful wave, a never ending field of stars with swirling galaxies and glowing constellations. "Wow..." He murmured.
She smiled, her pronounced canines looking powerful and enticing. "Not so bad yourself." She replied quietly, noticing for the first time how his hazel eyes looked like a glade deep within a sunny forest.
He gently reached his hand up and brushed her hair away from her face, letting his fingertips gently brush against her skin. His fingers tingled where he made contact with her, but this time it was warm and pleasant and...safe feeling. Unlike the dangerous buzz they'd experienced before.
She closed her eyes when his skin touched hers, letting out a content sigh. She must feel it too.
Then his lips were on hers, and all was right with the world.
It was like they were the only two people in all of the universe, there was only them, each of their senses completely focused and captivated by the other.
Nick no longer knew the smell of fabric softener, only the enticing scent of Tala. She smelled like fresh earth and wildflowers, like sunshine and blackberries, completely wild and powerful, sweet and strong all blended together. Her heart beat in time with his, he could feel each pulse underneath his fingertips as he caressed her skin, every beat a proclamation of passion and need, every breath against his lips was a prayer, every movement an invitation to worship.
Her arms were around his neck, fingers combing and tugging at his hair, desperately pulling him closer as their pent up desires were finally unleashed, free from hindrance and restriction.
There was no stopping them this time.
For the rest of his life Nick would be able to recall every moment of that night in vivid detail, never had he been with someone who consumed every fiber of his being, captivating his body and soul with such passion and tender care.
He knew what they had was different, it was special. Not only was their passion for each other off the charts, but there was a deeper understanding and connection, a tender love that would last a lifetime if they allowed it to.
And somehow, he had a feeling they would.
The next morning Nick woke up slowly, happier and more at peace than he had been in a long, long time. The sun was shining in from the window, casting warm beams onto the floor. He stretched slightly and relaxed against the sheets, letting out a content sigh.
Then he frowned, his arm moving to feel the cold space beside him.
He sat up, blinking his eyes to adjust them, -which they did far faster than they used to- and peered confused at the empty sheets beside him. Where did Tala go?
For a moment, anxiety and doubt crept into his mind, maybe she just didn't care? No, that wasn't true, there was probably a more than reasonable explanation for her absence. She couldn't have left too long ago, the mattress where she'd been laying was still slightly warm, and he could still catch traces of her scent in the air.
He climbed out of bed and quickly got dressed before going downstairs, following the trail of her scent until he reached the living room.
His whole body stiffened outside the door as he caught the faint sounds of someone crying, he could smell salt in the air, mingled with a scent other than Tala's which was strong in the next room.
Turning the corner and walking into the room, Nick's stomach plummeted and he stopped abruptly when he saw Violet sitting on the couch next to Tala, eyes red and streaming tears as she sobbed into Tala's shoulder.
Tala glanced up at him, her brows furrowed slightly as she rubbed Violet's back. She silently communicated an apology to him, to which he just gently shook his head, she didn't need to apologize for disappearing from the room, especially since it was because of something important.
"Vi, what's wrong?" He asked, moving over to crouch in front of her, concern growing in his voice when his eyes flickered to an official looking document clutched tightly in her fist. "Is it Alex? Is he okay?"
She nodded quickly. "Y-yes, he's fine...he's at school." She inhaled shakily and met his eyes. "Its...it's dad..."
Nick's heart stopped. "Wh-what?"
She sobbed and motioned to the paper in her hand. "He...his plane crashed last night...they found the bodies this morning."
Nick shook his head. "N-no...no he's coming home next month...he can't be...not after everything."
Violet tried to lay her hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away roughly. "No! He can't just abandon us again! He needs to come home and make things right! He-he can't..." Nick's chest felt too tight, his throat began to burn as everything whirled around him.
"He's dead, Nicky! He's gone, just like mom!" Violet sobbed hysterically, burying her face in her hands as a fresh stream of tears poured out.
Nick stumbled backwards, his breath hitching painfully in his throat as it grew harder to breathe.
"Nick...I'm so sorry." Tala said, moving toward him.
He shook his head, halting her in her tracks as he backed toward the door. "I...I need some air." Then he was suddenly outside and running, where to, he didn't know.
His thoughts never had a chance to sort themselves out, his mind buzzing with panic and confusion as he ran. He couldn't focus on anything, there was just too much to handle, too many things trying to cram themselves into his mind.
Being outside he was assaulted by thousands of sounds, smells, and sights, the sun was far too bright, everything was too clear and vibrant and loud.
His chest heaved as his bare feet tore at the ground, pushing him on, away, escaping.
But there was no escape, and so he ran until he collapsed against the warm plastic of a slide sitting in an empty playground.
He pressed his forehead against the smooth surface, breathing hard and fighting to keep back tears. His chest was aching, a familiar pain, one he'd hoped not to feel again for a long, long time.
After losing his mom...he'd never wanted to feel that again.
But this time it was different, because with the grief there was also shock, at least with his mom he had known it was coming. Shock at the news, shock as his brain tried to register the truth, but even beside that...there was anger.
He could feel the rage bubbling up in his chest, roiling and burning and begging for escape. He would never get closure, he would never get the chance to tell his dad how hurt he'd been after he abandoned his children, he'd never get the chance to confront and forgive him.
He was an orphan now...both him and Violet. What was he going to do? He was barely an adult, he wasn't ready to be completely on his own. He'd been counting on his dad coming back and working things out...he'd wanted to work things out...find that relationship they'd had years ago, get back to the way things were. What was he going to do?
He dragged himself over to the swings and slumped down into a worn seat, blankly staring at the ground. He just sat there, sat and let himself hurt.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when his mind slowly began to register things again, the shadows had moved and the sun was beating down on his back hard. Hours, he'd sat there for hours without moving. His butt was going numb.
His eyes flickered up when he detected the approach of someone, staring emotionless as Alejandro walked up, hands dug deep into his jean pockets, and sat down in the swing beside him. Casually kicking at the dirt which caused his swing to sway gently.
"Your back." Nick said, his voice sounding even more emotionless than he assumed his face was.
Alejandro nodded. "Got back a couple hours ago."
Nick stared at his friend, catching all the little things he would've missed before his...enhancement. The peculiar shade of the circles under his eyes, the almost imperceptible twitch to his head every time he moved, the hollow...dead look to his eyes.
"How did you find me?"
Al turned to him and shrugged. "We used to play here when we were little, its where we were when your mom passed away...I figured you'd be here."
So that's why the park felt so familiar.
"So..." Alejandro said, digging the toe of his sneaker into the dirt. "I guess you can sense what's wrong or...whatever now, right?"
Nick stared at the ground. "Tala filled you in?"
He nodded. "Yeah, took an hour or two to get all the details hammered in, but I'm caught up now. Always knew you were special." He added with a light chuckle.
Nick turned and looked at him. "You should have told me."
His face darkened. "I know...but I couldn't, I didn't want you to treat me different. And don't try to deny that you would...everyone is."
Nick felt fresh waves of anger and grief surging through him. "I deserve to know! You had no right to keep that from me!"
Alejandro stood up angrily. "Of course I have the right! I'm the one dying!"
Nick felt hot, angry tears burn in his eyes as he stood up as well, his shaking hands curling into fists as he faced his best friend. "I'm your best friend! What were you going to do? Just die and leave me like my mom? And now my dad too?! It was selfish and cruel to keep it from me!"
Alejandro flinched at his words, regret and guilt pooling in his eyes. "L-look, Nick...I'm sorry about your dad, I really am. And...I am sorry about not telling you, I just-"
"No!" Nick shouted, shaking his head as the tears finally spilled out onto his cheeks. "No! No more excuses! I'm sick and tired of damn excuses!"
Al's eyes widened in shock, and he took a step back from Nick. "Uh...N-Nick?"
He blinked as something flashed in his peripheral vision, and he gasped when he saw his sygil was glowing silver. Then he looked around and saw that the swings were standing rigid in the air, sticking straight up over the top of the metal bar. The assorted sticks and rocks within the surrounding ten feet around Nick were floating about five feet off the ground.
He stumbled backwards a step, and everything dropped back to the ground, the swing chains screeching slightly in protest as they bounced back into place.
Alejandro's eyes were wide. "Dude..."
Nick placed a hand against his sygil, surprised to find the skin cool to the touch. "Did...did I do that?"
Alejandro raised his hands. "Don't look at me! This tumor didn't give me any supernatural powers."
Nick let out a heavy breath and then turned to his best friend. "Al...I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "You have the right to be mad...and upset. I'm not looking for an apology, just let me enjoy the time I've got left, okay?"
Nick nodded, swallowing hard as the fact settled in that soon he'd be losing another person he cared about. He couldn't help feeling like a disease, afraid that everyone he loved would die.
He tightened his fist. No. He could protect them now, he would protect them.
He lifted his gaze and met Alejandro's eyes. "Let's head back to your house...I owe Vi and Tala an apology for making them worry by running out like that."
Alejandro nodded as they started walking toward his car. "Sounds good. Oh yeah, so I heard you and Tala got freaky last night." He said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Nick shoved him and rolled his eyes. "Geez, grow up your little pervert."
Alejandro laughed. "So you did! Man I thought as much when I saw Tala wearing your shirt. Way to go dude, and I hope you know I'm expecting details later."
Nick shook his head, chuckling lightly as they got in the car. As they started to drive back to the Ward's house though, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling settled firmly on the back of his neck. He couldn't explain why, but he had the bad feeling something bad was going to happen.
And it was coming soon.