Devils Roses 01 - Cursed

flirty kissing, just a solid kiss, and then the warm air surrounded me.
    He was gone and I was alone again. I turned to look at Shane’s huge house and knew I wasn’t welcome there. I wanted to go home, but I was terrified Blake had been to my dad's already.
    My poor dad. I wished I had just been honest with him from the beginning. I walked around the side of Shane’s house and sat on the deck. His windows were closed and he was inside watching TV. I could hear the TV, just faintly from the kitchen window that was wide open. I imagined I was in there watching it with him, snuggled into him and warm.
    Instead, I sat on the hard deck and waited for Aleks to come back, which was unlikely. I knew his dad would either kill him or run away. I was completely alone again, but this time something was different.
    My skin had started to burn and my vision had started to blur. I hugged myself tightly as the stomachache started again, but this time it was intense. I moaned—I couldn’t help myself. I got up, afraid Shane would hear me. I started toward the stalker woods. My legs crumpled along the way, taking me down on the grass. I heard a scream and should have been scared, but I hurt too much to worry about that girl. I crawled along the grass, feeling the sweat pour off of me. I heard the scream again. It was starting to annoy me that the girl wouldn’t shut up.
    “ Aimee…Aimee… is that you? Aimee, oh my God.” I heard Shane’s voice in the background but I tried to crawl away from him. I needed to keep him safe. I felt the black coming to take me. Shane’s worried face and mouth moving was the last thing I saw. I couldn’t hear anything over the girl screaming.

Chapter Sixteen
    When is anything ever enough?

    I heard noises, it sounded like someone talking. There were a few of them. I didn’t know where I was, but I was worried Shane was with me. I was so worried I would hurt him. My body felt as if someone had taken a tiny blade and cut every inch of my body, and then dripped orange juice on it. I stung on the bottoms of my feet even.
    I figured the townsfolk had heard I was a monster and had come with pitchforks to claim me. I could hear them arguing, but I didn’t know what they were saying. I tried to ignore the immense amounts of pain my brain was coping with, and turned off my emotional body. I listened as my sister, Blake, Shane, and someone I didn’t know, argued. It was a woman’s voice. I assumed it was Shane’s mom.
    “ She’s changing, just like she said she would.” Shane’s voice sounded like he was defending me.
    “ No, she’s sick. We need to get her to a mental institute. The drugs have done something very bad to her; I think she has drug-induced schizophrenia,” Blake spoke coldly. I couldn’t believe he hated me that much to want to commit me.
    I heard a growl. “Blake, you try to take her and I will kill you.” Shane was defending me, bliss and guilt rotated inside of me.
    “ Boys, seriously. I think we need to think about the fact, it’s Aimee, boring, lame Aimee. She would never do this on purpose. She hates life or any sort of exciting things and would never worry my dad like this. This is not the norm for her, she is sick. She needs a hospital, not the nutter one either, Blake—I can't believe you said that.” My sister tried to help. I tried not to be offended.
    “ Shane, I think Alise is right. She needs a doctor. She seems very sick.” The mystery woman spoke trying to reason.
    “ No, she stays here. If we take her to a hospital, they’re going to think it's what he thinks it is. There is no way I’m doing that to her.” Shane was defiant.
    “ She didn’t choose you, man. You're defending some other dude's girl.” Blake’s words cut like a knife.
    “ I chose her.” Shane’s words cut deeper. I wanted to scream I was so frustrated. “You’re her best friend, you should have too. I want you both the fuck out of my house.” Shane wasn’t negotiating.
    “ Shane, she's my sister. I’ll go get my dad and he’ll come get her.” My sister tried to threaten him.
    “ Yeah, you really think involving your dad is the way to help her? If you really want to hurt your dad like that Alise, go ahead. You’re more selfish than I thought. Neither of you is thinking what’s best for Aimee. What if she does change into something? What if she did drink demon blood? The doctors will lock her away and poke and prod her.” Shane was my only salvation at that