Eric's P.O.V.
A scream outside Fangtasia stopped my and Sookie's conversation dead in it's tracks. The bar was closed and I wondered who would be out in the parking lot this time of night. In an instant I was standing outside, observing the scene. Sookie followed a few moments later, breathing heavy at her unexpected need to hustle.
A young girl, maybe in her early twenties, laid in the lot in front of us. She was struggling to pull air into her lungs and blood covered her clothes in dark red splotches. Deep gash marks made there way down her throat and across her chest, and her shirt was shredded beyond repair. She had tears streaming down her face and was trying her hardest to speak. The only result of her efforts was a choking cough caused by all the blood.
"Eric help her!" Sookie shouted at me. She had a look of horror pasted on her face and I knew she must have been picking up on something from the girl mentally.
"Wolves did this." I said, slowly going to my knees. "She must have done something to them. They don't just attack random humans." I stared at the girl with a mix of curiosity and hunger. I hadn't fed yet that evening and the smell of blood was intoxicating. I felt my fangs start to extend and Sookie shot me a look.
"Who cares why they did this!" Sookie shouted. "Just help her!"
I bit into my wrist and watched the first drops of blood slide down my arm. I placed it over the girls mouth and her eyes shot to mine with fear and confusion.
"Drink it." I commanded. "Otherwise you're going to die. I give you two more minutes tops."
The girl made a small sound of protest before giving in and trying to swallow my blood. Her own blood kept trying to rise in her throat and she started to choke as the two collided. I placed a hand under her head to elevate it and finally she was able to start swallowing. Tears began sliding down her cheeks again and her last bit of energy left her. After a moment she was unconscious.
Anna's P.O.V.
When I woke up I was alone. My hair was still stiff with blood but my bloody clothes had been replaced with a Fangtasia t-shirt. I wasn't wearing any pants and I felt embarrassment start to make it's way into my cheeks. Who had seen me this way? I tried to sit up but a pain shot through my chest and I quickly fell to my back again.
"It'll be a while before you feel like moving, I'm sure." a voice said.
I jerked my head to the door and saw a woman standing there. She was wearing a dress that hardly left anything to the imagination, and she had blonde hair pouring over her shoulders. She was staring at me with a look of curiosity.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"Who are you?" the woman asked, ignoring my question. I attempted to sit up again, slower this time.
"My name's Anna... Where am I?"
"Oh it's Pam, thanks for askin." Pam said sarcastically. She walked over to a desk in the middle of the room and sat down. I felt a pang of fear start creeping up my spine.
"Why won't you tell me where I am?... Are you one of those that attacked me?" I was staring at Pam like a child would a monster in a fairy tale.
"Do I look like a big harry dog to you?" Pam asked flatly. In the same tone she added "Eric, she's awake."
Suddenly there was a man at the door and I jumped. After a few seconds I recognized him.
"You're the one who saved me."
"My name's Eric. You are in my office at Fangtasia, my bar." Eric stared at my shirt and I followed his eyes down to look at it. Finally it dawned on me and I felt my cheeks get warm with embarrassment. If I had taken a few seconds to use my brain I could easily have figured out where I was.
Eric was beside Pam now and they were both staring at me. I felt extremely self-conscious and looked down at the floor. I had the hardest time making eye contact with people. I just couldn't stand anyone staring at me. After a few awkward moments Eric finally spoke again.
"Why did the Weres attack you?" he asked. I racked my brain for an answer, but all I could come up with was another question.
"What's a Were?"
Eric and Pam stared at me dumbfounded. They shared a glance at each other and then looked back to me.
"Surely you know what a Were is." Pam said. "They attacked you." I was confused. It had been wolves that attacked me.
"The wolves?" I felt like she was taking a very unexpected pop quiz and I was scared there would be a punishment for not knowing the answers.
"Exactly." Eric said. "The werewolves. They attacked you and I'm sure they had to have a reason."
"I have no idea." I said honestly. "I don't even think I've ever met a werewolf."
Eric walked forward to where I was sitting and crouched on the ground until he was eye level with me. I tried not to look at him but he took my chin in his hand and forced me to. "Look at my eyes." He said. I reluctantly did so. It seemed I didn't have a choice.
"Why did the Weres attack you?" He was holding eye contact and I felt my breath start to go ragged with anxiety. I quickly shot my eyes to the ground and took a deep breath. I didn't want this to happen here.
"I already told you I didn't even know werewolves existed until like 5 seconds ago."
A look of confusion spread across Eric's face. "Anna." he said firmly, making me meet his eyes again. "Why did the Weres attack you?" I threw my hand in the air for a moment, clearly not knowing what else to do.
"What is it that you're wanting me to say? I'm telling the truth. I could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time for all I know."
Eric looked stunned and I wondered what I had said.
After a few silent moments Eric called for a girl named Sookie to enter the room. She walked in timidly and I smiled when I recognized her from outside. Sookie smiled back before looking at Eric to see what he wanted.
"I can't glamour her. Can you read her thoughts?" Eric asked, nodding towards me. So that's why he looked stunned. Sookie looked over at me and concentrated.
"No, not really. There's no definite thought but I can sense emotion off of her. Like right now I can tell she's confused and scared, not that I'd really need to be able to read her mind to tell that." Sookie gave me a reassuring smile. "Are you a supe?" she asked. I just stared at her confused.
"A supe?" I asked.
"Yeah, a supernatural being. Something not human. I usually can't read their thoughts the way I can a humans."
"No. I'm human." I felt a new wave of fear wash over me. Was there something wrong with me? My anxiety couldn't take this right now. I could already feel it swelling.
"Well, I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I can tell you're definitely more than human." Sookie watched as my eyes went wide. How the heck could I be more than human? That made no sense. Slowly she reached and grabbed my hand, her attempt at giving me some comfort.
I could tell my anxiety was picking up, I really didn't want to have a panic attack in front of these people. I forced myself to take in some deep breaths, past the pain, and started looking around for any way I could get out of this room fast.
"Don't even think of going anywhere." Eric said. He was leaning against his desk with his arms crossed in front of him. I stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.
"I need air." I said, standing to my feet. My heart was pounding now and everywhere I looked I was starting to see tiny black spots. I could hear my heartbeat roaring in my ears.
"Eric, I think we better get her outside. She's having a panic attack. I can feel it." Sookie quickly stood to her feet and grabbed my arm. My hands were shaking now and my breaths were getting quick and shallow. It was a miserable feeling and I just wanted to fall asleep and let it pass. After a moment I was outside in the parking lot, and Eric was holding me bridal style.
"Take deep breaths, Anna, or you're going to pass out." Eric didn't sound concerned when he spoke. He mostly sounded bored. After a few minutes passed, the roar of my heartbeat started to get quieter, and my lungs could finally draw in delicious air. I gulped it down greedily. When Eric knew I was out of the danger zone of passing out, he sat me down on my feet. My knees felt weak for a moment, but I was quickly standing solid again.
"I'm sorry." I said quietly, embarrassed "I get panic attacks sometimes when I feel overwhelmed. I'm not very good at getting them under control."
"Why were you here at Fangtasia?" Eric asked, completely ignoring the fact that I was talking. He watched me as my eyes hit the ground and I crossed my arms to hug myself. I wanted to fold into myself. I was the complete opposite of an open book.
"I was passing through on my way home." I made an attempt to sound confident in my answer, but I knew I failed. I tried looking up at Eric, but I couldn't make myself meet his eyes.
"Lie." I heard Pam state flatly from the doorway to Fangtasia. Sookie and her had been standing off to the side, I didn't know for how long they'd been there.
"It's not a lie!" I said defensively. Well, it wasn't exactly anyway.
"You don't even have a home." Pam sighed. Sookie shot her a confused look then looked to me for clarification. I felt my cheeks get hot and wished Sookie wasn't giving me that sad stare.
"And how would you know that?" I asked. I had hoped my voice would be strong when I spoke, but even I heard that it was shakey. I really needed to work on my confidence skills.
"Oh please." Pam walked over to stand across from me. I was tempted to step back but made myself stay. "You reek of the streets. You may not be doin' business on them but you've definitely been livin' on them."
I was shocked. She smelled my homelessness? That was crazy. I always tried so hard to look presentable. I bathed as often as I could. I kept my hair clean and brushed. I saved any money I gathered for food and the occasional Walmart clothes run. I never wanted the world around me to be able to look at me and tell that I was homeless. I had never suspected the vampires would be able to tell. I felt tears threaten to escape from my eyes, but I blinked them back quickly. I was not going to let myself look weak right now.
"It's none of your business where I live!" I shot Pam a glare before looking to Eric. "May I have my pants back? I would really like to leave now."
"Where will you go?" Sookie asked, running up behind me to place a hand on my shoulder. I flinched. I hated that question, and I hated the look that I knew would be in Sookie's eyes if I looked at them. The look of sympathy, one of the most shaming looks in the world.
"I don't know." I answered honestly. "But away from this bar, and away from those stupid wolves." Sookie started shaking her head at me.
"No. You're going to come stay with me. There's no way I'm gonna let you keep living out here. It's too dangerous."
Before I could even protest, Eric opened his mouth to speak. "Anna will be staying at my house. I want to be able to keep an eye on her until I figure out what she is and why those Weres wanted to kill her." Everyone was silent and stared at him. I felt a pang of fear start to build up again.
"I really don't want to stay with anyone." I said weakly.
"Too bad." was Eric's only response.
I really hope you guys liked this! I have quite a bit of the story written out already so I'll be able to keep updating as long as I get good responses. :] Please leave me reviews and all that fun stuff. This was my first True Blood fanfic so go easy on me. lol