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.

Tobias’s voice, and my stomach dropped. “Can anyone else smell blood?” he asked. Darius’s yelling

find an escape but found none when I heard it creak open all the way. I held my hand on

growled, and the sound was more like a savage beast. “Get him out,”

someone.

before my cheeks flamed when

air.

you

I heard the door shut as Lycus, pushing who I am assuming is

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 I panicked,

before dropping down and trying to cover myself. Blood coated the floor and me, my hands covered i n it from trying to clean

Kalen asked. I looked up to see Darius just staring at me before looking over his shoulder at Kalen, who

fine. Just go,”

“What?” Kalen asked.

check on Tobias,” Darius told

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

some fresh clothes,” Darius murmured, putting his hand on Kalen’s shoulder, who didn’t look like he knew what to

from him. “This is why you wanted the devil’s bane. You weren’t running, were you?” Darius asked. I

you cleaned up,” he murmured, and I looked at him, horrified at

am not going out there. They will see me,” I panicked before pressing my face into my knees. However, the tears

beside me before I felt his hand smooth down the back of my hair. Never in all m y life have I ever been so embarrassed. I am just glad this didn’t happen in the mess hall; I thought that was the most embarrassing thing I would face, oh how wrong I was. Darius sighed when I felt arms go underneath my legs and behind my back,

me up

He turned, stepping through a portal and into the bathroom attached to our rooms. He sat me on the edge of the bathtub

embarrassed about,” he whispered before kissing my forehead when I noticed Darius started stripping

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

What purpose would an army of men have with feminine products? Kalen rushed out and shut the door while I peered over at Darius, who stood

water temperature with his hand before walking over to me; he stopped in front of me before gripping my arms and pulling me to my feet. My face heated, my skin was prickling with heat, and my stomach cramped. I hunched forward slightly, the

I was forced to grab his shoulder when he shoved my pants

gripping my panties and tugging them down. I stepped out o f them, looking anywhere but at him, wishing