Waking Up (Chapter 2 of The World isn't all that it seems)

Chapter 2 – Waking Up

I woke up in a bit of a daze in my room and in my bed still in the clothes I wore the day before when I was out with my friends - I was wearing a pair of black straight leg jeans with my black shirt that I had custom made with some of my favourite bands on it like Skillet, Green Day, Three Days Grace and a few other musicians that I like, the shirt overall was black for camouflage during laser tag and so I was suitable for the Cathouse. I got up to go to the toilet then get something to eat. I passed the big mirror in my living room and noticed something very strange about my appearance. I had four scars going from the top left of my face towards the bottom right. I noticed my shirt had been torn too along the right shoulder and sleeve. It all came flooding back to me. We were attacked by the Hybrids but I had survived. I wondered if my friends had survived too. Or who didn't.

I went out to the corner shop hoping no-one would notice my new scars.

How could they have healed so fast? Surely it took weeks for something like this to heal over like this.

I bought some eggs, bacon and a Clydebank Post to catch up on some local news - I could find out about the regular news on the telly when I got home. I got home and made myself a bacon omelette - I'm not a bad cook and I could look after myself for the weekend without too much bother hence why I could have an empty - and sat down at the table I had recently made in Craft & Design. I had a message routed into it so I could get good marks, it read, "No matter what life throws at you take it in your stride" it was a phrase I liked to keep close to me to help with what bad things life gave you.

I picked the newspaper and began to read as I ate my omelette. On the front there was part of an article "Several Glaswegians attacked by animals. Turn to page 5 for full story." I turned to page 5 and read the full article. There were 13 people killed. I looked more carefully to find names and pictures. When I found the names the only sound I could hear was the fork slipping out of my hand and clanging against the plate.

My mum. My dad. My friends that I had been out with that day. All of them. Dead.

A river of tears streamed down my face. "No", I whispered, "NO! This can't be happening! This can't be real!" I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't. I put my head into my hands and looked down at the table. "No matter what life throws at you take it in your stride" that was what I had to do. I had to just take it in my stride and hope for the best that it would do me some good. I looked at the article again and found the injuries and supposed cause of death "claw marks across the body and the bodies were drained of blood possibly as a result of the clawing of an animal." Wait what? Claw marks? Drained dry of blood? It was right there and then that I clicked to what had happened to them.

I was scared. Scared to see what would happen now. Well it was Sunday and I had school and the Army Cadets the next day so it was best that I get ready for that and it would take my mind off of things. And it did. I made sure all my homework was done, made sure any and all projects for Craft & Design was finished and I ironed my clothes for the next day. I even had time to iron my cadet uniform and bull my boots. I had my dinner, went for a shower, straightened my hair an went to bed after Being Human and Becoming Human along with being on the blog - these things that I regularly did kept me in check. It kept my mind off things and took my life out of my hands so I could get on with everything else that I needed to do. All of these thing I did, they were trivial, human things that I did.

I slept still and soundly that night

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning and turned to look at the clock. 6:30 Am. I decided to get up since I had to make my own way to school I might as well get ready and take my time and walk there.

I was on my own.

I took my time. I made myself something to eat, got everything together and ready then grabbed my keys and some money and headed out the door. As I was walking my mind wandered off and reflected upon my life so far and how I would survive after all of this. Little did I know more was to come.

I got to school with 5 minutes to spare. I didn't bring a jumper with me that day because I didn't feel I needed it. I walked through the big blue gates like I did every day I went to school like everybody else. I noticed a few people taking notice to my scars. A few murmuring to their friends "Look at Kynthia" or "OMG how did that happen?" I saw Alix Carlyle. My love for her filled me and I always sank into her deep brown beautiful eyes that I could stare into forever. But this time, something was different. My emotions had something else there too. Sadness? Anger? It was rage. I knew it was them that did the damage. I knew I was Alexa Kennedy that gave me these scars and I knew that Alix had bitten my neck. And there they were. The two Alex’s. And this time, they were mine.

The weather that day was a little bit on the chilly side and it was a bit misty but it didn't bother me. The cold never bothered me. It didn't seem to bother them either.

The grounds were relatively clear with barely anybody around. I picked my moment. I coiled my body so I was ready to spring at the right time. Just as the bell rang I let my rage take over and I leapt towards Alix and pinned her to the wall.

"You did it! You killed my friends! You killed my family! You bit into my neck after Alexa scratched me!" I was furious and she knew it.

A smug smile grew on her face and a force pushed me back up into the air until the wall of the school building stopped me and I fell to the ground. I looked up at her to see that she changed but she didn't resemble the creature I saw two nights ago. This one was slightly different. A day time version if you like. When the moon wasn't out, the vampire side took on more effect. Her eyes were flooded pitch black and those same fangs were out but this time there was no veins and no claws.

She walked forward a couple of feet. I ran towards her again ready to throw a punch. But I wasn't thinking straight. I was just two feet away from her and I felt her fist as it came into contact with the right side of my face and I went flying across the car park - we were lucky no-one was around to see this or we would be in a lot of trouble. I was lying on my back and I felt something take over. Something heavy feeling but there was nothing physically there. I got up and looked towards Alix who stood there. As if she was waiting or observing. I got a glimpse of my reflection in the window of the dining hall across from me. My eyes had turned yellow. My canines had extended out and I had very faint black veins crawling up my face.

I was changing. I was transforming right before my eyes. My golden yellow eyes.

I looked up and noticed a figure on the roof of the building. It was Alexa Kennedy. She too had changed in the same way Alix had changed and she was watching me too.

From the rooftop Alexa jumped off the roof in an eagle dive - like a leap of faith from the Assassin's Creed series - and tumbled in the air to land on her feet. They both walked towards me. I broke out into a flat out run towards them both. They looked at each other as if to say "ready?" and prepared themselves to counter-attack. I kept running, building up momentum. There was no stopping my run now. I got three feet in front of them and leapt into the air and landed on my feet behind them. They turned around with a bit of shock on their faces. They hadn't expected that to happen. But then again, neither did I.

I took a fighting stance and readied myself for a fight that was coming. I swung a few punches and kicks and took a few too. I had actually taken a lot of hits and I was wondering how I was still conscious.

Alix ran up to the garden using the stairs while Alexa decided to parkour her way up by climbing the wall. I decided I would run up the stairs but when I got to the top of the stairs a fist connected to my face with enough momentum that I became airborne and landed at the other end of the path. I watched them both run to the edge of the garden, where the wall was, and jump up onto the roof. I had to get up there too. But how do I do that? I took my chances and ran to where they took their leap. I ran back a few metres to give myself enough space to build up speed. I took my chances and sprinted for my life. I leapt off the edge.

That time in the air felt exhilarating as the adrenaline was pumped through my blood. I could feel my heart rate increasing.

I grabbed the edge of the building and pulled myself up onto the roof. I made it. I couldn't believe that I managed to get my way up there without any injury. Then again it wasn't like injury was an issue right now.

The rooftop had something like a corner because that was where the building turned as a corner. They were at the other side of that corner. They must have gotten there when I was getting up on the rooftop. One of them had their phone out, I could faintly hear what they were saying, "Jon! You have got to get here quick! And bring some others with you. I've never seen anyone like this before in the same conditions. There is something strange going on here!"

Hmm, so I was special in a way. A way that was significant to them.

I sprinted to the edge of the rooftop and jumped across the gap that was the corner between me and them. I gripped the edge and I climbed up just to be kicked by the two of them off the building onto the ground of the car park. Great now I'm back to the beginning. But why didn't feel a lot of pain? Why didn't I have any broken bones?

I ran towards the wall again to start climbing back up again when something pulled me back down. My body hit the ground with a low thud. I looked up to see Jon standing over me. I quickly stood up to try and fight him off and the speed of my movement almost threw me off balance but I kept it steady. I was about to throw a punch when I was pinned to the ground. The Alex’s were back and they were holding me down. They picked me up so I was kneeling down. I looked back up to Jon. A low growl rumbled in my chest. "Retract your fangs", he commanded with authority in his voice. This was a different man from the one I met 2 days ago. This one was like a General in the Army. This one was in charge and no-one messes with him without serious consequences. He was speaking directly to me so no-one else did so. But the thing was I couldn't. I couldn’t retract my fangs because I didn't know how to. I didn't know how I changed in the first place never mind change back.

"I don't know how to" I said not sure what was going to happen next. These fangs, they felt...right. They felt like they belonged there but I would be too obvious with them out. But how do I retract them?

"Ok then. Follow what I say. Close your eyes and relax your body and mind. Let your anger leave you. Take a deep breath in." I did as I was told and then I opened my eyes. There was a puddle on the ground and I could see my reflection. My fangs had retracted and my eyes returned to their natural dark brown colour. "Good", he said satisfied that I did as I was told and it worked, "right well since you are very different from the others I'm afraid that you cannot go into school in your condition", my condition? What the hell was he on about? "So we will take you back to the barracks and deal with you then. Alix, Alexa, please take Kynthia back to our home while we phone in to the school to explain why you are all in absentio"

They both just nodded and pulled me up to my feet and started to walk me out of the gates and turned left to go down the hill towards these so called "Barracks".

"What the hell is going on here?" I asked clearly confused and quite curious to find where we were going.

Alexa replied first, "We are going to go back to, hmm what should we call it? Our barracks if you like." Alexa was the calmer of the two towards me. I liked them both but one seemed to hate me and the other was nice to me.

"You know I think we should keep most of it a surprise don't you think?" said Alix a smile growing on her face. But this wasn't like your regular smile. She had a "You’re gonna regret that” kind of hint to it.

We walked towards Alix Carlyle's house - I remember one of my friends, Paul he was killed during the attack, saying that he lived next door to her and that she always plays her music really loud and their rooms were right next to each other. We went round the back of what seemed to be her house and she let go of me. She looked around her like she was checking nobody was looking and mad a movement with her arms in the air as if she was pushing something down. The ground rumbled and a dark hole appeared in the ground where a set of stairs led down into a dark hole.

"Down you go. Don't worry we're behind you" Alexa said nudging me forward. I took a step forward and began my descent into darkness.

---

---