The Lions Pride

Chapter 2

I was dreaming of heat. The sun was beating down on my skin while I napped, my belly was full and the taste of meat was still on my lips. The air was quiet and still, I could hear insects buzzing in the distance. The only other sound was the breathing of my pride heavy with sleep. I stretched out lazily, licking my lips, tasting the blood that was still on my muzzle. I was laying on my side with the desert floor beneath me. I felt a deep peace I had never known, the peace of family nearby, a full belly, and bathing in the sun. So simple, so……

Wrong. I woke with a start in bed. It was morning, and the sun was shining brightly on my bed, warming me. I didn’t move for quite some time; I was remembering my dream. I say dream but it didn’t feel like that, it felt real as if I had experienced it. Must have been my weird talk with Mr. Davies last night. My alarm goes off and I nearly fall out of bed trying to shut it up, why is it so loud? The sound pierced my ears and instantly gave me a headache. It would wake up my Dad and he didn’t get home until late last night.

I get out of bed and head to the shower. Every sound I hear, the normal sounds of my house sound so loud to me. I can hear another noise, both familiar and not at the same time. It takes a minute before I can identify it. It is the sound of sizzling bacon, but my mom is cooking that in the kitchen on the other side of the house. I try to think if I’ve ever heard that sound before, and I’m not sure. I must have. I can feel a headache coming on, maybe that’s why I am suddenly so aware of sound.

My shower feels wonderful, I can almost feel every drop of water on my skin. The water is warm but not hot. I finish my shower, get dressed, straighten my hair, and head downstairs for breakfast. My mom is up early and is making eggs and bacon. This doesn’t often happen on weekdays, but every once in a while, she gets a bee in her bonnet as she says. The food smells amazing, my mouth is actually watering. A drop of spit rolls off my lip and falls on my shirt. My mother laughs.

“Geez are you hungry Danni?”

Startled out of some weird food-induced trance; I nod. “Yeah, starved apparently.”

My mom hands me a plate and I start in on the bacon, there is a fleeting moment where I think “It would be better raw” but it is brief and then I’m just eating. Yep, something is definitely a little off today, maybe I didn’t sleep well.

When I got to school, I noticed that Jonathan wasn’t there. Kim poked me in the ribs and said; “Aww your boy toy is absent today”. I tried to respond that maybe he’s taking care of his insane father, but what came out was a simple “yeah I see.” I was feeling irritated at this point, everything was so loud, I felt like I could hear a pin drop in the next room, even with both rooms full of rowdy teenagers. Something was up with my vision as well; everything was so bright I found myself squinting through my classes. By lunchtime, my head was pounding, and I felt sick to my stomach. I went to the nurse and asked her to call my Mom, I wanted to go home.

My Mom came to pick me up, she smelled of sweat and shampoo. The smell was overwhelming and that made my stomach roll more. I needed out of this car. The drive to my house was mercifully short. My Mom dropped me off in front of the house, asked if I was okay or if I needed her to stay.

“No, I just need to go lay down and close my eyes. Thanks, Mom, I’ll call you if anything else happens. I love you.”

“Love you too honey, feel better.” With that, she drove back to work.

I dragged myself up the stairs and nearly fell in my bed. Sleep was immediate and deep, if I dreamed that night, I didn’t know it.

I woke up slowly on Wednesday morning, I felt groggy and tired down to my bones. I looked at my clock, 6:56 am, I had slept for nearly 18 hours. I had a vague memory of my mom coming into my room last night, taking my temperature and offering me soup. I didn’t eat the soup but a half bottle of yellow Gatorade tells me I was at least drinking. I got out of bed and walked downstairs, I needed coffee. I could smell it coming from the kitchen. I was moving slowly this morning, my joints felt made of cement. I had never felt like this in my life. On the counter next to the full coffee pot was a note;

Hey sweetie, I hope you are feeling better, but if not feel free to stay home today. Text me when you’re awake. Love you, Mom

I rarely stayed home from school, only when I was truly sick. Like today, I still felt off. My skin felt hot, and my body ached. Maybe I was coming down with a cold or something. I texted my mom to let her know I still wasn’t feeling well, and that I was going to stay home from school. I took my coffee and ran myself a hot bath. I loved the water and would spend my whole life there if I was able. If I ever found out mermaids exist and I was not born as one, I was going to be so pissed. As I lowered myself into the water, I prepared myself for the sting of the marks on my ass, but it didn’t come. I stood up and looked in the mirror, looking at my butt over my shoulder. There was nothing there. I ran my hand over the smooth unblemished skin of my butt. The skin was unbroken, not even a scar. The marks that had been there were deep and painful. How were they gone as if they didn’t exist? I know I didn’t imagine them, I remember the blood I found on my clothes the next day and the pain they caused.

I must have stood there staring for a half-hour. As I stared at my naked body I noticed other things as well, like the hole in my belly button where I used to have a ring there was gone. I hadn’t worn the belly button ring in several months, but the hole was still there. Well, it was yesterday, now it was gone. The scar on my clavicle from where I broke it when I was 8 in a bike accident, gone. My fingernails, which I bite beyond recognition, were long and healthy-looking overnight. What the hell? That seemed to be a recurrent theme today.

I got out of the bath and spent the rest of the day on the couch watching IZombie on Netflix until my mother came home from work. She checked on me when she came home, I was feeling better, although my heightened senses seemed to continue. They didn’t seem to be overwhelming me as much as they had yesterday. My mom had come home with grocery bags, and I could smell something amazing in them.

“What’s for dinner mom?”

“Steak, baked potatoes, and green beans”

“Sounds great” She had begun to take the groceries out as we spoke. She opened the steaks and put them on the cutting board for seasoning. I couldn’t stop looking at those steaks. My heart was beating so loud I couldn’t hear anything else. There was blood pooled on the cutting board and I wanted to lap it up with my tongue. I was leaning in to do just that.

“Danni.” I blinked and came back to reality. My mother’s tone implied that this was not the first time she’d said my name.

“Sorry, Mom. I’m still feeling a little out of it.”

“It’s okay, honey. Maybe you should go lay down while I make dinner.”

“Okay. Hey Mom? Can you make my steak rare?” She gave me a quizzical look.

“Sure honey, if that what you want.”

My steak was amazing and bloody and I tore into it like a woman possessed.