Tasting Darkness

Chapter 63

“What’s the next class?” I asked, changing the subject. Darius eyed me suspiciously, and Kalen stared at me. His eyes were more around my body than on me, so I knew he was assessing my aura, making me nervous as to what he was seeing. I was careful not to let it touch my lighter side. but I wasn’t sure exactly how auras worked. I could feel them but not see them the way he did.

“You have a theory class with Darius,” Lycus said, oblivious to the strange questioning tension surrounding us.

“Come on, we will be late,” Darius said though the look on his face never changed; I reluctantly followed him to the classroom.

When Kalen wandered into the room with me, I stopped and looked at him.

“Darius said I could join you,” he smiled, bumping my shoulder and pointing to a desk by Darius’s. With a sigh, I pulled the chair out and sat in it. Kalen sitting beside me.

The lecture was boring, and I felt extremely exhausted and heavy. Kalen nudged me halfway through.”You okay?” he whispered, and I nodded, feeling sluggish. Only a few minutes after h e asked, my stomach cramped and twisted painfully. Forgetting about the shredding with my excitement of being trusted with magic earlier, it wasn’t until I felt my underwear dampen that I gasped.

Moving my legs, I hoped I imagined it. When I did, horror washed over me, and I glanced down at my jeans to find a small red stain on my inner thigh. Glancing around the room, everyone was deep into discussing whatever the heck Darius was talking about. Sweat began to bead on the back of my neck as the cramping got worse, and I felt nauseous.

My chair screeched as I slid it back before running from the room.

“Aleera?” Darius snapped, but I didn’t stop; instead, I took off, wanting to get back to my old room. Please, please, please, I prayed before I felt my pants become saturated. The sounds of people walking in my direction had me rush into the first bathroom I came across.

I bolted into the cubicle, locked the door, and dread filled me. How did I forget? Looking down, I felt the blood drain from my face when I found my pants completely soaked; I could feel blood trailing down my legs and filling my shoes.

6 years I had put off the shredding, and now I know why they say not to, but I had no choice. However, I was regretting that now, as my feet became slippery on the tiled floor, it was like 6 years of shredding came at once.

I looked like I was bleeding to death, my blue jeans now soaked red; frantically, I started ripping toilet paper out of the holder, trying to clean it up. It was no use, and I was mortified. How would I get back to my room, and what happens tomorrow when it’s over, and I start shredding my nonexistent power?

Trying to see through my blurred vision from the bloody tears I was shedding, I tried to clean the mess I was making, the tiles beneath me pooling with blood. My tears made the mess worse. It was another side-effect of shredding; our tear ducts changed. Our entire body changed for the shredding. Even my tears had turned to blood.

Giving up, I sat on the toilet, I had no idea how long I was in there, but I couldn’t bring myself to open the door and have everyone see me like this. It wasn’t bad enough that I was tormented daily and now had to be tortured over something I had no control over. Shame washed through me.

“She hasn’t run, she wouldn’t, Darius,” I heard Kalen tell Darius as I heard everyone in the halls outside the bathroom searching for me. My face heated at the idea of them finding me in this state. Yet I was in too much pain and too embarrassed to ask for their help.

I wiped my bloody tears; I knew I was smearing blood over my face, but what else could I do? The tears wouldn’t stop just like the damn shredding wouldn’t.  My stomach felt like it was twisting in knots. I would be stuck like this for at least the next 24 hours, although I wasn’t sure since I had avoided this for 6 years on the run, and if this was anything to go off maybe, it would last longer.

scream angrily at someone before hearing Tobias’s voice, and my stomach dropped. “Can anyone else smell blood?” he asked. Darius’s

when I heard it creak open all the way. I held my hand on

a savage beast. “Get him

someone.

hurt?” I heard Kalen ask before my cheeks flamed

air.

door; you don’t just run out

get him out!” Darius roared; I heard a struggle before Lycus growled, and I heard the door shut as

lip quivered, my vision blurred worse, and had tinged red. “Aleera, open the door,” Darius snarled, pulling on the door handle. A sob tore out of me as

screamed at the bang before dropping down and trying to cover myself. Blood coated the floor and me, my hands covered i n it from trying to clean it up, and Darius gasped. Yet I couldn’t even look up to meet his

it?” Kalen asked. I looked up to see Darius just

Just go,”

“What?” Kalen asked.

check

Aleera?” Kalen stepped closer, coming into view. He gasped as he peered into the cubicle. Darius growled at him, but Kalen pushed past him before reaching for me. I pulled my bloody hand away from him when he tried to grab it. Kalen looked over his

clothes,” Darius murmured, putting his hand on Kalen’s shoulder, who didn’t look like he knew what to do. Hell, I

the devil’s bane. You weren’t running, were you?” Darius asked.

on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he murmured, and I looked at him, horrified at the thought of stepping out

panicked before pressing my face into my knees. However, the

in the mess hall; I thought that was

flustered. Darius ignored me and just scooped me up off the floor. “It’s just blood; I’m not squeamish,” Darius murmured,

and burning off the tiles before I felt the room shudder. He turned, stepping through a portal and into the bathroom attached to our rooms. He sat me on the edge of the bathtub before turning toward the shower, just as Kalen suddenly rushed in with towels and clothes before coming over to m e. He cupped my

noticed Darius started stripping his

some feminine products. Surely we have something here she can use until I can take her i n

 men have with feminine products? Kalen rushed out and shut the door while

feet. My face heated, my skin was prickling with heat, and my stomach cramped. I hunched forward slightly, the pain unbearable when Darius

but he shook my hand off his ignoring me, and I was forced to grab his shoulder when he shoved my pants down that were sticking to my

tugging them down. I stepped out o f them, looking anywhere but at him, wishing the ground would open up