2.

Present Day

"You're nervous."

I was lost in my thoughts as I bounced my foot up and down in a fast continuous motion. I peered up at the woman behind the large desk, comfortable in her seat. I shifted uncomfortably in my own. It was not worded as a question, but as a statement. The woman had long, silky brown hair and knowing eyes that raised her eyebrows at me, leaning forward. I pursed my lips, considering my answer. The woman waited, watching my every twitch.

"Of course not," My shaky voice rang out in the frigid room. I supported this by shaking my head and giving her a small smile. The woman said nothing, only cocking her head, her hair falling to one side. She picked up a pen and tapped it on the palm of her hand. I twitched under her gaze and the silence that hung over us. I finally bit the inside of my lip. "Okay. Maybe a little."

She nodded, seemingly pleased with my answer. "And that's understandable." She placed the pen back on her desk and leaned back, resting her hands on her lap. "Tomorrow is your first day here. Moving from Oregon to here may not be a long trip, but it's definitely a transition, one you're still adjusting to. Excluding your other resolved issues," she let her voice trail off as she flipped through my file. I watched as she read a couple of lines before looking up at me. "And how is the sleep-walking?" I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Anything that's bothersome?" She egged.

I shrugged, peering out of the window next to us. It faced a field, the sunlight streaming through. A group of students were gathered, listening to an older man speak. His face was slightly red as he bellowed at the others. There were a couple of boys standing off on the side, looking as if they weren't paying an attention.

The counselor made a small noise, causing me to look over at her. She raised her eyebrows, awaiting an answer. I let out a long sigh, twiddling my thumbs. "No, not really,"

"No?" I located her name plate on her desk. Ms. Morrello. I twitched again under her gaze.

"Uh," I looked around frantically, hoping there would be a different conversation piece other than the thing that kept me up at nights. When I looked back at her, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to get out of the question. "To be honest, uh, I haven't really been sleeping lately."

"And why is that?" Ms. Morrello pressed, picking up her pen again. She studied me for a moment longer before quickly jotting something down. I straightened up to try and see what she had just written, but she adjusted her hand so I couldn't make it out. I made a face, looking away.

"Uh, I guess I don't want anything to happen again." I tested out, popping my knuckles nervously. "After, uh, seeing my mom's face, when, you know, I was found after a week. I didn't want to see that expression anymore. I couldn't handle it. I'm an only child and my father hasn't been with us for years now. So, I'm pretty much all my mom's got. It was awful, the terror and anxiety on her face that night, I could smell it." I froze, snapping my mouth shut, fearful of what I had just said. Did I say too much? Would she be able to piece it together? My heart pounded as I awaited her next words.

"Well Calla, you've taken the necessary percussions for it not to happen again." She assured me, eyebrow quirking. "You've been regularly taking your medication and sleep-proofing your bedroom. Your mother described the maze and told me how it took almost seven hour to complete." My face was impassive as she chuckled for a minute. "You're going to do just fine. I know it."

"I hope so." I said honestly.

Ms. Morrello made a face, looking over at the clock. "I'm sorry, but that looks like all the time we have together today." She admitted, flipping my folder shut. I nodded, grabbing my bad where it laid next to my ever-moving feet. "You really shouldn't worry. About sleepwalking, your first day, or anything." Her tone indicated that she meant something else, but I didn't press the issues. She didn't know, she couldn't have known. "Everything always ends up sorting itself out."

"Okay," I stood up, eager to dash out of the room. "So I guess I can go? Yeah?"

She stood as well, taking her time as she rounded the desk. She leaned against the front, inches away from me. She crossed her legs at the ankle and folded her arms over her chest. "Yes," I gave a sigh of relief. "But if you ever need someone to talk to, I am here, Calla."

I adjusted the strap of my bag. "I appreciate that."

"Okay." She paused, studying me for a moment longer. "I can see this is getting uncomfortable for you." Ms. Morrello let out a small laugh and I joined her, mine forced. "You can go."

"Thank you!" I blurted a bit too eagerly. I felt her prying gaze on me as I hurried out of the room, leaving the door ajar. I hurried down the empty halls, trying not to run and pushed the doors open, hard. I stepped outside, letting the sun bathe me as I pulled open my car door. I stood there for a moment, trying to calm myself down before throwing my bag in the back. I climbed in, shutting the door and pressed my sweating forehead on the cool steering wheel. I'll deal with it when I get home. Just let me get home. I promised myself, though it did little to calm my nerves.

A burst of laughter had me looking up to see the group of students before heading in my direction. Two of the members was hanging back, one with his eyebrows furrowed. I quickly cranked my engine. The loud roar caught the attention of the students as they looked over. My face grew red and I avoided looking over as I whipped back, narrowly missing a beat-up Jeep. I heard a noise of protest come from the group behind me, but I threw my car into drive and whipped out of the parking lot without a second glance.

I headed to the house my mom had rented a couple of weeks ago, my heart still pounding away. My breath was slightly labored as I coxed through the windy, residential roads. Houses whisked past, growing scarce by the minute. Instead of houses compact close to each other, they were now separated by miles and miles of dense, dark woods. After a couple minutes, I slowed down, pulling into a long, gravel driveway that from the main road seemed to end no where. I drove up for a mile before a modest, two-story house came into view. I parked crookedly on the side, shutting off the car. I let out a sigh of relief, grabbing my bag and heading up the porch stairs. I quickly checked to make sure my mom's car was not in the parking lot and I was to assume she was still at work. I unlocked the front door and shut it quickly behind me.

I slid down against it, the house silent, my own panting echoing throughout the empty house. I tried to concentrate on slowing my heartbeat, but that was eventually deemed as futile. I stood back up, walking to the back of the house. I paused when I reached the glass double doors that faced the woods.

I saw my reflection in the window as I let out a shaky breath. I shut my eyes for a moment, hearing my heart pick up faster and faster. I felt something strange going on in my body, still foreign to me. I wanted to let out a noise of euphoria, but I held it back.

When I opened my eyes a minute later, bright, glowing golden-amber eyes were staring back at me.

A/N: Hello! Thank you for reading my second chapter! I want to thank vtennis2010 for my first review, I'm glad you like it! I won't be able to update every day, I just wanted to get chapter 2 out. I really appreciate you taking the time and reading my work. If you could review, favorite or follow, that would be awesome. I'll be able to come up with a definite updating schedule soon, until then, it'll be a surprise! Thank you!