Swimming always helped me relax, so I took my time and didn't bother getting out until my next period, where I took a shower to wash off the chlorine. Alone in the showers, I took to humming one of the songs I had learned from my ancestor Melusine, the opera singer. My voice rippled as the fresh, hot water washed over me, stinging at my injured leg which was still healing though the stitches had been taken out. The swell of reverberation seemed to dance against the walls and create a euphony of sounds, melding together in the perfect collection of notes and tones.
The song began to stir something deep within me, a nostalgic sense which lulled all other senses out of focus except for my hearing, which tuned out even the sound of the water falling like warm rain against me. My heart near trembled under the powerful effect of the song, feeling it seemingly rise up and extend through my entire body with resonance until I began to feel a tickling sensation on my left leg. Slowly I rose out of my reverie and listened as the last note hung in the air as I looked down to my leg only to find that the claw marks from the cougar were gone.
Out of shock I slipped on the wet floor and almost fell, having to slam my hand against the cubicle wall in order to steady myself and regain my balance. My breath hitched in my lungs as I then rubbed my eyes, thinking that maybe it was just the water so I quickly turned off the tap, stopping the water flow. I waited, feeling my heart rise to my throat as I slowly lifted my leg and turned it, looking for the long claw marks to find nothing but smooth and flawless skin. Oh my god. Oh my god. This can't be real, I'm hallucinating, I definitely doing something because a minute ago I had four lacerations to my left calf and now there weren't even indentations or scars!
"This can't be happing. This isn't happening." I repeated to myself over and over again as I tried to get myself back under control. What is happening to me? Over the past month I feel like I hardly knew myself anymore, and with everything going on outside with the killings, the animal attacks and my friends closing themselves off from me, I suddenly felt desperately alone. Sinking to the floor, I pulled my knees into my chest as I started to shake, both from cold and from…I don't know what. Turning the water back on, the heat and steam flowed over me as I pressed my eyes tightly shut and just sat there like a child, wanting everything to just go away.
As if hoping that my eyes were just deceiving me, I touched my leg and rubbed the smooth skin in the hopes of finding the marks there but was again proven wrong. I healed. Somehow I had healed in seconds what should have taken months. Was I a freak? A monster? Did this mean that all of my family's history and those stories were actually true? I can't believe it, sirens were just a myth, a made up story from millennia ago. They couldn't be true. "I'm normal, totally normal. Just a normal high school girl who can apparently magically make wounds disappear. Totally normal. I'm normal." Not that it helped that I was squatting in a shower talking to myself like a lunatic, but that didn't seem all that important right now.
Propelling myself forwards I quickly dried and got changed, quickly hiding my leg with the pair of jeans I was wearing so that no one would notice the absence of injuries. I can't let anyone find out about this, before I know it some dudes in white lab coats will come for me and probably experiment on me like sickos. I'll just stay quiet. Nobody would believe it anyway, they'll just think of some excuse. Just carry on as usual, pretend like nothing is wrong. You can do it Cordy, and maybe when you get home, go over those books again to see if you missed something.
For the rest of the day I was jumpy and on edge, unable to settle my nerves, like I was expecting someone to suddenly leap out and tackle me to the ground in order to drag me off to a secret underground lab. You never know, the government could have spies everywhere. Walking to my next class I looked up to see Lydia talking to Jackson by his locker so I slowed down, watching them. I only caught the tail end of their conversation, which basically finished with Jackson being a jerk to Lydia even though all she was trying to do was thank him for saving her life.
He walked off in my direction, our eyes meeting and our usual exchange of frosty dislike ensued. "Jackson."
"Cordelia." God, for some reason I just hate it so much when he uses my full name like that. Unable to help myself, I balled a fist and let him walk straight onto it, hitting him directly in the diaphragm so that it would wind him, hearing him splutter and gasp for air as it was forced out of his lungs.
"Stay away from her from now on." I murmured darkly into his ear before slapping him on the back condescendingly, strutting away for him to glare after me as I went to Lydia, wrapping my hand around hers in order to pull her away and find some kind of distraction to keep her from getting all worked up over a douche like Jackson. She was way too good for him anyway.
"Thanks. I saw that back there."
"Whatever do you mean?" I asked innocuously, fluttering my lashes. "I am the epitome of innocence." The shape of a smile touched Lydia's mouth, relaxing a little as we laced our fingers together and walked side by side to our next class, momentarily putting all worries, cares and concerns out of our minds for a few hours of blissful peace.