I looked back at her, and my mind felt light suddenly. My vision blurred for a moment, and I suddenly felt hands grab onto me while my vision twister and turned sideways.

I don’t remember losing balance or hitting the ground. I felt like I was floating in mid-air, or falling indefinitely. But the headache was gone.

-

As soon as I was beginning to regain consciousness, the headache had returned. Well, it was actually barely an ache at that point, but I was sure it would get worse.

I realized I was in Travis’ room after my eyes darted around at the posters on the walls. They looked like random blobs before my eyes were able to adjust and make sense of where the hell I was.

And in this room with me were Mal and my sister, who seemed to have been in the middle of a conversation before noticing me looking around.

“About time you got up,” Mila told me.

“It’s only been like an hour,” Mal said. “It wasn’t like it was two days or something.

“Well it felt like it. Kinda.”

I didn’t think a headache could knock me out like that, and I doubt that this was something a vampire would have to deal with.

“Sorry.” I managed to say something, but my face didn’t feel like it was moving at all. I tried to sit up but nearly fell out of bed.

“Hey, don’t do that.” Mal gave me a light shove to the shoulder and I was down again. “You just, uh… stay? Or something. Just don’t get up and move around.”

Mila looked at Mal with visible confusion. “But why?”

Mal seemed confused too, but I felt like it was about something else. “Just sleep some more,” she told me.

I watched as she whispered something to Mila and led her to the door. She looked back at me before heading out with Mal.

What was that about? Already I was left with even more questions that I came here with.

I noticed my body felt really weird. And my face. Everything felt really weird. It’s hard to explain what exactly I was feeling, so picture this:

You’re just laying in bed (like I was at that moment). You’re laying perfectly still, breathing in and out slowly but steadily. But then, you get this feeling that there is a strand of hair just all up in your face or a tiny bug crawling around on your arm like it’s nobody’s business. Can you feel it?

Try to imagine that feeling, but times a hundred and under your skin. And also imagine your skin separating from the rest of you. The bugs and the hair are separating your skin from your muscles, or whatever it’s attached to in there. Also add that tingling static feeling you get when your limbs fall asleep to your entire body. Even your eyes.

I couldn’t feel myself opening my mouth, but I knew I was doing it. I tried to feel with my hand, but even then there was nothing but that crawling static feeling. I think I put my hand in my mouth by mistake. I tried to move it back on my lap, but I think I just flung it over the bed instead.

I was able to move just fine seconds ago, so I didn’t know if Mal put me under some spell like Travis did during our first encounter at the hospital. I was hoping that was the case, because I don’t think whatever I was feeling was normal. Even for a vampire.

There was a lot of talking going on outside the room. I couldn’t focus my hearing well enough to understand what was being said, but I could tell Mal was talking. Travis seemed to also be talking as well, but by the tones of both of their voices I assumed they were having separate conversations. Maybe Mal and Mila were continuing their conversation while Monroe and Travis were having one of their own. Or maybe Mal was on the phone with her dad while Travis was trying to explain to Mila what was going on.

Or maybe they were arguing or speaking over each other and I was just reading their tones completely wrong.

The pain in my head was still there, though it hadn’t gotten worse. It seemed to remain the same on top of the odd sensation going on with me.

That sounded weird now that I think about it, but I digress.

Suddenly someone started talking to me. Or something.

“Hey. Hey.”

It had my voice, but I knew I wasn’t talking to myself. I couldn’t feel my mouth moving, but I knew it wasn’t moving. I don’t even think I closed it yet.

“Hello?”

I searched around the room to the best of my ability for a figure that might be trying to catch my attention. Everything seemed normal and presence-free.

“Close your eyes.”

Why? Why did whatever this person—or thing—want me to close my eyes? And what did it want with me?

“You can’t see me unless you close your eyes.”

I was suspicious of the tone of its—my—voice, but I didn’t feel like I had much choice on the matter. If I was gonna find out what the hell was going on, I just might as well go with the flow and hope the answers will come along the way.

I closed my eyes and waited. My vision was pitch black within seconds, and slowly my body grew completely numb. Or so I thought.

A dead-looking hand made its way out and my periphery and made its way around in front of my face. It grabbed my jaw before I could react, and instantly I shuddered from the as a wave of cold spread throughout my face from its touch.

“Over here.”

The hand turned my head to the side, and I was met with lifeless, bloodshot eyes. The face that surrounded the eyes seemed just as lifeless, nearly skeletal. But there were very small yet distinct pieces of its features that reminded me of a bat.

So obviously this dude had to be a vampire.

And I began to sense that I knew who he was. If you haven’t guessed by now, it should become obvious here in a bit.

“It’s about time we got well-acquainted.”

A ghastly smile spread across his face as he let go and stood up. Never thought I’d have to look up at someone to talk to them.

“Are you just gonna stand around and talk like a cheesy horror flick character?” I heard the words leave my mouth, which didn’t move at all.