Switched!

Ten

The Toll of the Change

October 25, 2010

12:45 PM

Monday

The right hook Ramon had thrown to me left my mouth tender and bloody and I was currently icing it, tasting blood on my teeth. "I thought you would block it," he said, running his fingers through his hair. It was just him and me in the kitchen, cooling off after our routinely sparring session; his tank was plastered to his chest, sweat running down his face.

"It's fine," I told him, pulling the ice pack away and sliding two fingers into my mouth, hooking them into my cheek and slipping to ice cubes in the groove that connected my gums and cheek, shivering when they touched the cuts. "But damn, you've got a good arm."

"Oh, I've got more than a good arm," snickered a new voice.

I immediately leapt off the counter, bristling at Liam's sleazy smirk.

"Honestly," crowed Rae's grating voice, "you think she'd get a hint when a guy's not interested."

"At least I'm not a compete pyschotic bitch," I spat, narrowing my eyes at her.

"At least I look my age," she countered softly. "At least I didn't kill someone."

An icy hand might as well have squeezed my throat in a fist.

Don't listen to her.

But it's true. I killed my mother.

By accident. It's normal for young werewolves to injured and in some instances even kill their family members.

That's with people who know how to handle it. Police, judges, and doctors…humans…don't. They see the line as black and white. Either you meant to kill her or you didn't. But they're prejudiced against us. Oh, you killed someone? You must've meant to. Hell, even judges are racist. They hate us. They lynch us and burn us and stake us and shoot us.

Fear is the ultimate weapon.

Gritting my teeth, I shoved passed Liam and Rae, only to be knocked by a bony elbow. My side throbbed and all my muscles begged for mercy. I lowered my head, catching Ramon's eye.

He nodded slowly and I ran like a coward.

1:20 PM

Under the hot spray, I sat and thought. Flashes of old, grainy memories filled my brain.

A woman's laugh.

Lifeless blue eyes.

Rough hands yanking me up. Aunt Lauren crying.

Aunt Lauren crying.

Dad praying.

My mother was a good, kind, gentle woman who didn't deserve to be killed by her own monster of a daughter.

I closed my eyes, letting the water run over my breasts and down my thighs.

Aunt Lauren scrubbing the blood from my teeth with her effective Doctor hands, morphing into a cold woman.

Dad soothing me back to my human side.

Tears stinging my face as I saw what I'd done.

Staring at my chubby hands, wondering how I could've done it.

Monster, monster, monster, echoing in my brain the night after.

I clenched my jaw and clenched my fist tight around my thigh, feeling my nails lengthen with a sharp pressure. Not now.

I'm sorry.

Please.

I'll try to push it back but it's getting harder and harder. For you, I will try until I can't.

Thank you.

No problem.

I licked my lips as the water poured down on me.

If they wanted a monster, they'd get one. Maybe later, though.

6:50 PM

I woke up from my nap in a bad, foul, twisted mood. it really didn't help that Rae was brushing her hair. My head pounded as I pulled myself up and glowered at her.

Rae sat at her vanity in a towel while she ran a widetooth comb through her wet hair, playing some loud music with her wireless speaker. My head pounded as I pulled myself up and glowered at her.

My head pounded as I pulled myself upright and glowered at her.

She smirked and threw a wet towel at me.

"Oh, you're awake," she hummed, combing her fingers through her long hair as she twisted pieces up.

I licked my dry lips as I snarled a yawn. My temples pounded as I ran my fingers absently through my hair. I got to my feet and shivered at the cold floor, pulling my comforter around me as I headed out. The door slammed behind me, adding to my growing headache.

The house was at the cusp of waking, sunlight beginning to stream in and it smelled stale and sounded quiet.

I made my way downstairs and found Derek in the TV room, flipping through the channels.

He grunted a greeting and I simply nodded, only my body bowed as well. I sat down beside him.

Say something. Nadia pawed at me.

Like what? Hi, I'm sorry that I was a bitch to you but you're my mate and I think you're super cool. Can I touch your butt?

I glanced at him.

"Rae's playing some God awful shit," I said to break the silence.

He shrugged, scratching his side.

Stars danced in my eyes as I took a deep breath. Is this part of the change?

I'm afraid so.

"So what's your condition?" Derek asked, flipping between Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and Good Eats.

I blinked, struggling to stay awake. "What?" I murmured. He set down the remote and stretched out in the recliner, looking at the TV.

He set down the remote and stretched out in the recliner, looking at the TV.

"What's your condition?"

"W—" I wanted to tell him; I wanted to spill my guts. Maybe it was the fact that I was hardly awake. I tucked my toes under the blankets. "Can you guess?" I sneered.

"You've got red eyes, you're incredibly strong, and you've got super hearing. I wanna say vampire but I feel like that's pushing it," he told me, biting his lip.

I stretched out, exhaustion sweeping over me. My eyelids bobbed as my head hit his leg.

He tensed. "Werewolf," I managed to whisper as his hand settled over my hair. "Huh?"

"That's my…condition."

"All we need are vampires and we can reenact Twilight. You can be Jacob."

I was too tired to bite his head off for the joke.