SciFi and Fantasy Stories: The Lost Mind - Chapter 2*

“Lhena?” his tone was heavily covered in surprise at the appearance of her form in his room. His gaze had traveled to her form, right when she had turned her attention to the light switch, expecting to see Dana standing there in Lhena‘s place.

When his eyes locked onto Lhena’s body standing in front of his door, his vision was obscured. For the first minute, he had seen her in thermal color, the outline of her in blue and green and her heart in bright red as his eyes assessed this new being in his territory. The moment passed in agonizing confusion, then his vision returned to its human limits and he was suddenly blinded by the bright contrast from his darkened room. She had switched the light on too fast for him to stop her. His mind had been clouded with the possibilities for his changed vision.

His eye lids closed instinctively and he stood up, wobbling on his feet for a second from inconsistent use. Blinking every few milliseconds, he walked in a dizzy state, from the blood rush, to place his hands on either sides of the door frame and steady himself. Opening his eyes, his eyes aligned with Lhena’s face. With a sudden hurried edginess, Julian moved his left hand off the door frame and flicked off the ceiling light, plunging the room into near pitch black, yet taking a chance at brushing his hot flesh against her cool, supple skin.

- -- -

Her back having been already pressed to the door when he came, Lhena had no other choice but to stay there when he placed his body in front of her. His broad form had completely blocked any chance for immediate escape from moving out of the way, not that had she wanted to. Her mind, at the time, had no intention of making her body move, only study his movements for any signs, any reason for his actions. By the second move he made to get off the bed, she had noticed his fumbling feet and undesired sways and analyzed the movements enough to see how sick he had been.

But, when his head had flopped around to face her and his eyes shot open, her scared factor reached its limit that day. His eyes were blood shot, yet the iris’s were the smallest ever. When his eyes locked with hers‘, she froze up, her mind becoming jelly. She just let the moment go by as he switched off the light, brushing his muscled arm against her skin.

- -- -

Julian’s eye immediately adjusted to the darkness as the light flashed off. He stood back, removing his hands from their current positions and placing them in his jean pockets, his eyes falling to the floor.

Her voice ran loud in the small room as it vibrated off the walls.

“Sorry,” she said, timidly. He replied by walking over to the bed and sitting down again, this time leaving room for her. The apology made her smile, That is so like him. At least his mind hasn’t changed. She walked over and sat down next to him, laying her head on his shoulder and putting her arms around his right arm.

For a moment they were silent, then Lhena took her head from his shoulder and looked up into his eyes with curiosity in her own dark blue orbs. “What were you doing in the dark before?” she blurted out.

Eyeing her, Julian remarked smartly, “Did my mother make you come?” Having hoped she would just tell the truth, instead of switch subjects as she did often, he bit down on his cheek while she answered.

She shook her head and asked, “Why were you in the dark?”

Well, at least she didn’t try switching subjects for once, Julian reminded himself. Sighing, he gave up on his hope and answered her, “Because, I’m still sick and the lights bother my eyes.”

- -- -

She nodded, remembering what he looked like as their eyes had met at the door. He had had the courage to look at her face, with the dark circles under his eyes and the red lines growing with the light’s intensity, knowing that it would have her worry about him. What happened this week with him? She thought to herself, Is he really…oh no. His family wouldn’t have moved here if they were. Oh, God!

- -- -

Julian suddenly smiled, thinking back on how she had looked the first time he‘d glanced at her, then taking in the style she wore now. When she’d first come to his school in first grade, they didn’t have any classes together. By sixth grade, he knew her name and face, but nothing else. At that time, she had been a happy girl, who refused to wear the jeans and shirts the rest of the girls were wearing. Then her looked changed in seventh grade, she started to see the possibilities of the other clothes and slowly converted.

By freshmen year, she wore nothing but blue jeans and tailored shirts. However, by sophomore year, her looked had changed faster. She slowly increased her makeup and number of dark clothes. She wore makeup daily and almost always refused to wear flared jeans. Her pants went from light blue flares and dark blues to skinny blacks and a clipped Love Key key chain. Her shirts always fitted her body tightly and she hardly wore white. It was the same as now, although she didn’t wear he key chain, instead it hung on her backpack.

When the light had first gone on, his vision had showed her in levels of body heat. Now he could clearly make out her form as though the lights were still on. For the moment, he didn’t think this odd, he just enjoyed what he saw. He had only saw her face when he had opened his eyes to see earlier, but now he looked her up and down to find her pale skin showing quite a bit.

Her outfit was very different from usual, a tight shirt and skinnys was more her style. Yet what he saw was quite different; a grey cotton mini skirt, black bra, transparent white cotton shirt with a bramble and lock-key design from Buckle, black wrist band and an antique silver key on a silver chain.

Unfortunately for Julian, a very definite, very new smell appeared in the air, pulling him away from his mind‘s thoughts about what he could be doing with her skin. His nose had picked it up, but his mind had ignored it for some time, only now was it really getting to him. He stood up from the bed and started to pace vigorously, hands behind his back.

“Hey do you smell something?” he announced as he couldn’t take it much longer. He paced about the room, sniffing inexorably as his pace quicken.

“No,” Lhena snapped.

I wonder what’s up with her. Julian thought, God, what is that?

“No,” she snapped. Oh, that was harsh, but I couldn’t help it. That blood is messing with me. Wait, what is it that he could possibly smell. There‘s nothing else but that the old pasta in here that he could smell…Oh, God! If it’s that blood from the chicken then we’re in some major trouble.

His movements told her that he wasn’t exactly human, anymore, but her nose couldn’t smell any trace of another like her on his body.

He must be one of us, but then again… Why don’t I smell traces of us on him? He can’t have healed that fast! He shouldn’t be able to, Selene is not here for another two weeks. He can’t have been bitten more than a week ago; that’s not enough time to develop those powers of healing and smell, not yet. Not without Selene to guide him, Lhena’s mind scrambled to understand what was happening with Julian and Selene.

Glancing around the room quickly, her eyes moved from her smooth, newly shaved legs to the gauze bandage on his left forearm.

“Hey, what happened to your arm?” she blurted out.

“This? Well, I don’t really remember how it happened. God, I can’t take this, what is that smell?” he said in an apprehensive tone, “I have to find out what that is. I have to leave, sorry.”

Oh no, why didn’t I see that sooner. He had shown me clearly when he used that had to turn of the light, her mind finally put together some of the pieces and it didn’t look pretty. No, I can’t let him get to that blood in the kitchen, who knows what he could do if he gets a taste of it or something worse!

“No, I need to keep you here,” she grabbed for the first thing she could and got his arm. She held on with all her humanly possible strength, hoping it would be enough. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Julian whirled around and broke her grip. His nails were extremely strong and sharp, which was proved when they broke her skin, drawing blood. The nail had bit deep into her skin hard, making a long, profound gash in her forearm.