Compare and Contrast

I'd asked Lee why I was any human exception to the Mist.

His answer?

A shrug.

At the moment, I was standing in the middle of my room, watching as Lee checked everywhere to make sure nothing was in there. Finally, he stopped looking and walked back to me.

"Well, Panic, yeh room seems pretty safe right now."

I nodded. "Where are the others?"

"In the attic," he responded. "Deh yeh wan' teh join them?"

He held out his hand. I took it and we left my room. I couldn't help but notice the comfortable warmth he held despite his being a vampire. I thought they were supposed to be cold. I also couldn't help but notice the sudden appearance of butterflies in my stomach. I ignored the feeling.

Once we were up in the attic, he let go of my hand. I felt a tinge of disappointment, but let it go.

I looked around the room. Matt N was sleeping on the floor next to the coffee table. He was snoring loudly. I resisted the urge to jump on him. Matt K and Curtis were both sitting on the couch next to an uncomfortable and out-of-place looking Craig. Matt K was sleeping. Curtis was just staring. Trenton and Oli stood in front of us, their backs to us.

Then, I heard Trenton speaking. "Who's Evan?"

Curtis and Oli both looked at her, wearing an expression I hardly ever saw them with. Matt K's eyes shot open, the same expression taking over his face. Craig just furrowed his brows and stared at everyone as if he, too, were trying to figure it out.

My heart felt like it shrunk. "You don't remember him?" I asked. How could anyone forget Evan?

She turned to face me. "Honestly, no," she said as she shook her head.

I frowned. I was trying to think of how to word it. Was she wanting to know who the real Evan was? "He's..." Or did she just want to know who the monster outside was? "He's..." Suddenly, the events of the night came rushing to me. I'd seen Evan again, but he was a monster. "He's dead!" I screamed. Evan was dead. He always would be. "It doesn't even fucking matter anymore!"

I ran back down to the third floor. I ran straight into my bathroom. The toilet lid was already open as I fell to my knees in front of it and grasped the seat tightly to steady myself. I stared at my reflection in the toilet water for a short time before all of the contents in my stomach came back up and into the toilet. I reached over to the bathtub to try and turn on the water. I fell before that could happen, though. A strong pair of arms wrapped around me and caught me before I hit my head. I didn't have time to lay there and be happy or even turn and thank whoever it was before I had to practically throw myself at the toilet as I started puking again. This time, though, it wasn't stomach fluids that I puked up. I couldn't even feel the tears streaming down my cheeks as I stared at the blood I'd just coughed up.

Whoever had just caught me was holding my hair up and out of the way.

"Panic..."

I fell backwards into their hold again. I was grabbing the side of the tub, trying to lift myself up but I only kept falling. My vision was going blurry due to the tears. The persons grip on me tightened and pulled me against them. I stopped struggling and turned so I was facing them, burying my face in their chest. Their shirt was no doubt soaked by now. They rubbed my head and brushed my hair back and smoothed it down.

"It's okay, Panic. I'm here. Everything is going to be fine."

That wasn't true at all. I shook my head as I calmed down on the outside. "Stop lying," I whispered in a shaky breath.

I heard them sigh. They pushed my shoulders back and grabbed my chin to make me look at them.

I felt more pain when I realized it was Lee. I wasn't sure why. He was always there for me when I needed him, and even though I'd just treated him like shit a few hours before and never even apologized, he was still here. I was accusing him when I should have just been understanding, yet he was still here for me.

"Yeh had a lot goin' on, Panic. Don' beat yehself up over it."

I tilted my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"It wasn't yeh fault. I understand. I should have jus' told yeh myself. I let yeh find ou' the hard way. I'm sorry."

"Don't be retarded," I mumbled. "Don't apologize to me."

He laughed. "Are yeh feelin' okay?"

"Yeah... Better now that it's all out of my system."

He frowned. "Yeh... Yeh coughed up blood, Panic. Somethin' tells me yeh weren't eatin' blood. We should get that checked out."

I froze. I could practically feel the color leaving my face. "Uhh..." I remembered how I attacked Trenton and... Dear, God."Lee."

He tilted his head a little bit. "Yeah?"

"I did."

He furrowed his brows. "Did wha'?"

"I..." I sucked in a huge breath. "I attacked Trenton... There was blood everywhere, and I don't know what came over me, but... I... I drank some of it."

"What the fuck, Panic?" Shit, he thinks I'm psycho. "Why didn't you tell me before? What happened?"

"I don't know. There was a bright light, and then all of our cuts and everything were gone."

Then Lee just looked really confused. "I don't know what the hell that means. Not at all..."

I sighed and stood up. I decided it would probably be best for me to brush my teeth really good. Lee got up and left the bathroom while I was doing a ridiculously thorough cleansing of my mouth. I mean, I'd just puked and earlier I was drinking someone's blood. I should probably be brushing my teeth, like, ten times over.

I put the toothbrush away and used some mouthwash. When I was done, I walked back into my room. Lee was sitting on my bed with some of my clothes in his hand. He looked up at me when I came out.

"Shit!" he yelled. "I forgot we have teh take showers still!"

"Uhh...?"

"We're goin' out for breakfast, but we have teh get the blood off of us first." He laughed.

"Good point."

He gave me his adorable lop-sided grin, placing his hands on his knees. "Well, hurry up. I'm gonna go make sure the res' of 'em are gettin' showers... Don' wan' everyone thinkin' we're serial killers or somethin'."

I shrugged. "I think everyone already thinks I am. Or just psycho."

"Those might be the same," Lee pointed out.

We have retarded conversations.

I gave him a toothy grin and walked back into my bathroom, closing the door behind me. I carefully pulled my shirt and jeans off, which were drenched with blood. I dropped them into the sink and then examined myself in the mirror. I giggled quietly and opened my bathroom door again, leaning against the frame.

"So, Lee," I said, dragging my arm to rest lazily above my head, pushing my back against the frame. "No, wait, let me redo that one." I leaned forward so my ass was pressed against the doorframe and i was holding on to the doorknob, arching my back so my ass was higher. I bit my bottom lip. Yeah, that's how I do. "I'd say I look like a vampire whore. Right?" On top of the pose, I was only wearing my bright green bra and boy-shorts. The blood from the fight had soaked through my shirt and jeans, staining my skin. My long, black hair was thick with blood, and even though I brushed my teeth, there was blood on them and spilling slightly out onto my lips.

"Definitely," he said, hardly audible. I noticed his breathing was fast and unsteady.

I laughed and jumped out of the silly pose, standing in a normal position. "Yeah, I thought so." I turned to walk back into my bathroom, but stopped, turning back to Lee, who was still laying on my bed. "By the way, I don't know how often my parents would let you come over if they knew you got a boner in my bedroom." I smiled sweetly and walked into my bathroom again, shutting the door and getting into the shower.

He was silent for a few seconds, and then finally yelled, "Hey, it's not my fault! Yeh're tits were falling out!"