Chereads / Affliction / Chapter 9 - Chapter Nine

Chapter 9 - Chapter Nine

Xanthippeia had not left her bedroom for the past twenty-four hours. Yesterday she had been discharged from the hospital because the doctors simply could not find anything wrong with her apart from some dehydration. She was put on an IV then she was taken home by her family.

Her mother Stella had advised her to get as much rest as possible and she had hoped to but the second her head hit the pillow it was like all the exhaustion from the events that happened simply melted away.

However she was not tired, she was scared. She did not need sleep but she needed answers for what was happening to her. In the twelve hours, Xanthippeia was supposed to sleep she would sit in her bed, looking out the window and thinking. Her memories of yesterday were like a type playing over and over.

She remembers everything from when she left the café upset after her conversation with Quinton. She remembered how she got to school and she remembered an incredibly overwhelming feeling exploding inside of her then a light came from within her body. She remembered being in that crater and her best friends trying to save her. She remembered how scorching hot her skin felt.

Xanthippeia wondered how in the hell did she not die and how she was suddenly so aware of her surrounding environment when she was barely even conscious?

All she felt did not make any sense and the vivid memories were scaring her. She felt a bit flushed thinking about it so she slowly made her way to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. The water made her feel better but the second she looked up in the mirror she let out a shriek.

"What—what the fuck?" she whispered holding her face as she examined her glowing eyes. But not long after that, her mother burst into the room wearing a worried expression on her face.

"I heard you scream honey, what's wrong?." She asked and Xan was startled but tried to hide it from her expression.

"Um yeah, mom I'm I just… surprised at how exhausted I look." She said and added a little laugh at the end to make light of the situation.

"What?"

"I mean look at me, mom! I look like I died, twice." She said adding humour to assuage her mother's worry. It seemed to work a charm as her mother giggled and walked over to give her daughter a hug.

"Oh sweetie, you've been through a lot but you are beautiful. You're always going to be beautiful okay." Stella caressed Xanthippeia's cheek and pulled her another warm embrace.

Xanthippeia felt uneasy for omitting the truth from the woman that has always had her back throughout her whole life. The only mother she knew and loved.

When she turned twelve years old, on her birthday, Stella Castiano and her husband had sat the pre-teen down to tell her the truth of her birth. The couple adopted a newborn Xanthippeia. They had trouble conceiving and after Stella's third miscarriage they had given up on having a child but one day a baby was left on their doorstep late at night during one of the worst storms their city has ever experienced.

They took all the necessary legal steps but because of a lack of biological and medical records of her birth mother they were able to adopt Xan. Since that day their lives have never been more fulfilled for a good eleven years. And five years ago the little family was surprised to learn of Stella's pregnancy and little Luna was born.

"So sweetie, how do you feel about going back to school tomorrow?" Stella asked as they walked back to her bedroom and sat on the bed.

"Um, I don't really know."

"Alright honey I'm not rushing you I just wanted to know."

Xan thought about it for a second, if she went back to school no doubt people would ask questions and harass her more than she had mentally prepared herself for. However, if she stayed home she would be left with this sinking feeling that something happened to her that night she was in the ocean. She didn't want to see the looks on people's faces and it was ironic because she was dreading being back in school for a different reason before but now it was going to be for two reasons. It was exhausting just thinking about it but then she thought of her parents and how they were worriedly staying home to look after her.

"No mom it's okay I think I can go back to school."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay but you have to promise me that if you feel weird or anything like that day you will call me or your dad, okay?"

"I promise."

"Okay now, your friends asked if they can come over after. Is that alright?"

"Oh, okay they can come."

She was sort of dreading seeing her friends but at the same time, she saw it as an opportunity to see how she could handle the questions she knew were coming her way. She figured if she could field questions from her closest friends then she would be fine with everyone else. When her mother left the room although she meant it as a joke she did take a good look at herself. She didn't look like she died per se but she did look really tired. She decided to have a shower and make herself more presentable.

She didn't know why but as the water cascaded down her skin she felt relaxed and almost like everything was going to be okay then her mind drifted to what happened a few minutes ago with her eyes. The reason she screamed was that when she looked up her eye colour was no longer her natural clear pale grey. Instead, they were a darker version of that purple colour from before when she had that vision of Luna. They stayed that way until she was startled by her mom rushing into the room.

What was happening? Was she having a concussion or something as a result of being in that crater? She was getting lost thinking about it that she hadn't noticed the sound of rushing water coming to a stop.

Xanthippeia felt as if she were in a bubble instead of her shower and the water that was supposed to be falling on her just stopped. It stopped and was floating in droplet form in the air.

She observed the water droplets suspended in the air like it was the most normal thing. None of this was normal at all and honestly, it would freak her out more if they didn't look so cool. She reached out to touch one but she hadn't even touched it before it moved.

Did she do that?

"This is so freaky." She whispered to herself in amazement as the droplet moved every time she moved her finger close to it.

It was weird but oddly felt natural. In that instant, she had resolved herself with the idea that she was hallucinating all of this because there was no logical way to explain her eyes were changing colour and manipulating water to her will. She felt as if she were in a sci-fi movie and she knew this was not real. So if it's not real she thought she might as well have some fun with it.

Xanthippeia moved her entire hand and the droplets collected together in one big blob, it felt a little unstable but she controlled it well enough. She laughed a little to herself thinking how insane this phenomenon was. She was in a shower playing with water like it was clay in midair.

Not normal.

All of a sudden her concentration wavered upon hearing the voices of my best friends walking up to her front porch. Somehow she could hear them clear as if they stood in front of her as they questioned each other about what kind of state they would find her in. They were very concerned and nervous, she could tell by their shallow breathing and elevated heart rate as Quinton pressed the bell.

"Shit." Xan cursed lowly. Her concentration was cut off on the blob so it fell down at her feet. She looked up and the rest of the water started to fall again too. She guessed the magical moment was gone. Xanthippeia finished rinsing off and wrapped a towel around her body and dried her hair. In the back of her mind, she concentrated really hard on listening to what was going on downstairs.

She heard her dad talking to her friends talking about how much she had supposedly been sleeping and that she seemed fine now. Xan love that about her dad, if she told him something he believed her without a doubt. Not to say he didn't worry but he just didn't hover like her mother.

Xan got dressed into a fresh Ramones crop top and her black jeans and blow dried her hair. She didn't do anything else but put on her slippers and carefully opened her door to head downstairs. Xanthippeia was nervous to say the least so for a full two minutes she just sat at the top of the stairs thinking what she was going to say to them to ease their worries. Last time they saw her she was half dead in a whole then disappeared then came back all rattled and looking like she came back from the desert.

She decided to bite the bullet and go down. She made it downstairs and followed their voices to the kitchen. She knew her dad was with them so she walked in and they turned to her with shocked faces. They probably thought she would be a blob in her bed.

"Honey you're up?"

"Hey dad."

"Are you okay?"

"Never better." She tried to say looking down.

"Xan, how are you?" Carey said smiling at her. Xan knew that smile; it's one of those awkward I'm trying not to say anything smiles.

"Hey guys I'm fine."

"Xan you look great." Quinton said shyly and she blushed.

Good why does he have to be so sweet when she feel like shit? She decided to grab a bottle of water from the fridge, walked around the counter to and opened the sliding door to go out to the back yard.

Knowing they would follow her Xan sat down cross-legged under the big yellow tree waiting for them to join her.

"Xan, can we join you?" Quinton said and she nodded. They both sat next to each other besides her waiting for her to say something.

"So…"