Chapter 2

Temi kept searching her bag for the phone as her classmates all concentrated their gazes on her with an expression that made her feel like a dummy.

"It was right here; I kept it in my bag before calling for help!" Temi declared.

"Obviously," Ralph said, mustering every ounce of sarcasm he had in that single word.

Rademos wasn't even listening to them. He was more concerned about Andis. He knew he shoved her, and she crashed against the wall. She bled, and he saw her bleed. He stared at his hands. They're Andis's blood. 'What the hell is going on?'

"It's not a prank for Pete's sake; he killed her," Temi argued.

"Yeah, yeah," said Nick, another male student. "He killed her, and she came back like a vampire; her wounds healed up," he added, making Temi look like a fool.

"Don't you guys have anything else to do? Cause I have to get my dress ready for Rademos's party!" Brianna said, leaving.

"Okay, I'm out of here," said Nick, joining Brianna.

"Better luck with your prank next time, and don't forget to clean… Andis's fake blood," said Ralph with a smirk before leaving with the others.

Temi didn't know if she was supposed to laugh or cry. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears. She had never felt so ridiculed all her life, and what broke her heart the most was that Andis denied it.

"Are you okay?" Rademos asked Andis, who was looking at everyone blankly.

"I'm fine," Andis shook her head. "What just happened?" She asked, directing the question to no one in particular. She knew something had happened to her, but she wasn't sure what it was.

"You seriously don't remember anything?" Tem asked in a hushed whisper. She was surprised.

"I don't remember," Andis said sincerely. "Help me remember. How did I end up on the floor, and whose blood was that?

"You gotta be kidding," Temi said dryly, stomping out of the locker room.

Andis was lost, she didn't know what exactly happened, but Temi's attitude was slightly off.

The whole thing was still a mystery to Rademos. He had wanted to shove her off slightly, but instead, he sent her flying in the opposite direction. He didn't understand what had happened. Andis had lost consciousness and came back to life like it was nothing. Her wound had healed entirely, and on top of that, she claimed not to remember ever being pushed.

"Rademos, why is everyone acting weird? What exactly happened?" He was brought out of his thoughts by Andis's question.

"Uhmm... It's nothing," Rademos said, bending over to pick up his backpack. "I gotta go now," he added, leaving Andis on the spot.

"What the hell's wrong with everyone?" Andis yelled. She felt lost.

****

The house was already bustling with activities by the time Rademos got home. Most of his and his sister's classmates had arrived, and they were all just party riders like his sister.

His head was clouded with thoughts of what had happened at school. He could not wrap his mind around anything else, and it all looked unreal to him, more like a dream. A part of him wanted to pin the bizarre happenings on Andis. After all, she was the one who had miraculously healed and was acting ignorant. However, she wasn't responsible for her injury. He stared at his hands, which seemed so ordinary.

Rademos squeezed his way past the throngs of friends Mideora had invited. She's the party-loving type and, to crown it all, a fashionista. Good for her, but he was not in for all of that. Especially after the little drama today.

He needed someone to talk to, someone to confide in, and Mideora did not fit in that position even though she was coming his way. Mideora intercepted him before he could sneak into his room.

"What's up, lil bro?" Mideora said. "Oh, my Savior! Is that blood stain on your shirt?"

"Shh!" Rademos flayed his hands. "Mom's coming."

"Hey, honey," Lafreya said, pecking Rademos on his cheek. "Happy birthday once again."

"Thanks, mom," Rademos stifled a smile.

Lafreya perceived the smell of blood before seeing it on Rademos uniform. "Honey, whose blood is that? Are you alright?"

Rademos scowled at Mideora, and she shrugged. "I'm fine, mom; it's not my blood."

"Apparently not, so whose is it?" Lafreya pressed for more information.

Rademos took a deep breath before explaining. "There was an accident at school, a girl got injured, and I was helping out; that's how I got the blood stain on my shirt."

Lafreya sighed and smiled. "That's nice. Hope she's better now?"

"Yeah, she is," Rademos said. She was more than better; she was completely healed.

"I know there's more to the story than you are letting up," Mideora whispered after Lafreya had gone.

Rademos stumbled on the door, which was ajar, squeezing himself in. "Sis, can we talk about school after the party? Right now, I need to freshen up and change my clothes."

Rademos slammed the door to his bedroom, barring Mideora from entering. He clicked the lock shut, sighed, and collapsed on his neatly arranged bed.

The music from the living room seemed to be playing inside his head. People's voices filled his brain until he developed a partial headache. He could hear every little sound.

A few minutes later, Rademos got up to shower. He could smell the lavender from his soap, which he barely noticed. He began perceiving a whiff of blood and other different smells.

A few moments later, he wrapped himself around with a towel. His hearing became more heightened. He could hear people's hearts beating, he could hear their every vein and artery pulsating.

"What's happening to me?" Rademos mouthed, covering his ears to drown out the sounds, but it didn't work. He released an agonizing yell and fell onto the bathroom floor, writhing in pain from over a hundred sounds.

"Rademos!" Lafreya said to Mideora in the kitchen and they both ran towards his room.