Chapter 84: That Part of me
Andria’s POV
Aria, we have been waiting a long time for you. I hope you are alright," Liara called out from the bathroom door.
Soon she was joined by Becca, and they both started calling out to me simultaneously.
"I’m alright, I’ll be joining you all soon, I just need some privacy," I replied to them from behind the door, hoping they wouldn’t find my tone suspicious.
"We will be waiting for you. Remember, if you need any help, you can call on us," Liara said in a concerned tone.
I gazed at my reflection. I was the monster I detested. I could smell their blood, and I felt like feasting on them.
The door opened and Becca entered, "What!?" She panicked. "You are a vampire too?"
I couldn’t explain anything to her because all I wanted to do now was drink from her.
And suddenly she disappeared. And then I realized I was hallucinating.
I looked up at the vanity mirror, and I saw Liara staring at me from behind.
She walked slowly towards me, "Drink me, I know that you want to, it will make you feel better," she urged me, opening up the side of her neck for me.
I hid my face in my palm for a few minutes, then raised it again, and she wasn’t there.
"You can end this torture if you just drink from one of them," a voice echoed in my head, and that voice was part of me, the part of me that was torturing me now. The part of me that was this hideous creature.
"Athena! Athena!" I called out to my wolf, maybe she could help me out of this predicament, but she was silent.
Since she wasn’t there, I might as well endure this process like I endured my first transformation.
I threw up again and again, and I slowly began to feel better. The hallucinations stopped, and my pale face started to disappear as warmth replaced it.
The canines returned to their normal position, and every part of me went back to being normal, as if my world wasn’t turning upside down just minutes before.
I washed my face, wiped it with my handkerchief, and headed back to the living room, where they were all anxiously seated.
They turned around in unison. They were no longer sitting on the living room floor, but on the sofa.
"You look much better," Becca said, looking at others in a manner that asked, "Am I not right?"
Liara stood up and came closer, guiding me back to the sofa.
"I’m much better, Liara, thank you for your assistance," I appreciated her as I sat down.
I narrowly escaped a huge nightmare today, transforming into that creature in one of Liara’s bathrooms, the bloodlust I felt instantly and had to endure the moment they spoke from behind the bathroom door.
"I guess the cleansing potion had its toll on you. Glad you are safe," Arlo blurted, and for the first time since we convened at Liara’s home today, he said something that didn’t have a hint of mockery in it.
"Yeah, it had such a strong effect, like it was purging my soul, but I feel so much better now," I said, looking at them reassuringly.
An uncomfortable silence fell in the room as the three of them looked at each other, waiting for someone to break the silence.
Arlo, of course, was the first to break the silence. "So, how are we pulling this off?" His voice was casual, but his eyes flicked between me and the box like he already had a dozen ridiculous plans forming in his head. "We can’t just run into the cafeteria and jab people. Not unless you want to start a riot."
Becca rolled her eyes. "Obviously not. That’s why we have to spike the food and drinks. Easier, faster and cleaner."
Easier, faster and cleaner. Words that rolled off her tongue so smoothly, but none of this was smooth. But Becca was very optimistic most of the time, and that was always my encouragement.
"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re discussing the idea of taking blood samples from Aria, who has just experienced a panic surge, as if it’s a simple task. And on top of that, speaking about spiking food as if it is an easy job to carry out. We need a plan, but... " Liara interjected. The box still crouched her, her sharp eyes glancing up at me. "First, we need the blood. Without that, we’re just talking in circles."
Liara looked at me as if she were asking my permission before she started her performance.
The room tilted for a moment. The thought of piercing my skin over and over again, filling syringe after syringe, made my chest tighten, but it was nothing compared to the punishment I endured at my father’s house.
Thinking about that place I once called home strengthened my resolve. I had to do whatever it takes to win this election, as it plays a crucial role in elevating my wolf’s status within the grand scheme of things.
I’ll do anything to be so great, so that I can get back at Lena and then Alpha and Luna Falcon, for making my childhood a nightmare.
They all looked at me now; they were waiting for my response. "Well?" Arlo finally asked. "You’re the star ingredient."
I forced my voice steady. "I’ll do it. But we need a plan. Not just what we’re going to do with the syringes, but how we do it fast, without anyone finding out before we do it, how we move without Tracy’s loyalists catching us. You all know half the school is under her thumb."
"Half?" Becca scoffed. "Try seventy per cent. She’s got even the betas drooling over her every word."
"That’s why we can’t rush," Liara said firmly. "We’ll collect the blood now," she said, pulling out one of the syringes and walking up to me. "Tomorrow, I will move to the cafeteria staff to sort some things out with them about employing a new hand."
"I’ll be the new hand," Becca suggests, "I’ll find my way to the kitchen and inject the blood into everything. I’ll need a disguise to serve at the counter tomorrow, ensuring I can also discreetly add the blood to the drinks."
"What about those who wouldn’t want to eat from the cafeteria tomorrow?" Arlo raised an important question.
"Well, we will find a way to make everyone eat at the cafeteria tomorrow," Liara said, shifting her gaze towards me, "And that’s where we need Sir Kaelric’s help."