𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟖

                                    

                                          
   EVERYTHING WAS HAZY, my mind coated in thick fog caused by those demonic creatures that had tore through my brain so easily. My body, once again, felt fatigued and I was truly exhausted but I couldn't shut down. I could still see that haunting yellow glow wherever I looked. 
I cradled my left arm to my chest and held it as I sat on Derek's sofa. In the minutes following whatever had happened when that thing stared into my soul I couldn't remember a single thing. I'd formed some sort of insomnia — most likely in a bid to try and forget what had happened — but the first thing I could remember was the sound of a bone snapping followed by pain. 
Derek had kindly snapped my radius in order to trigger my healing process to fetch me out of the state I'd fallen into as a consequence of whatever had been done to me. My scream that quickly morphed into a guttural growl echoed in my mind as the pain traveled through my nervous system and into my brain stem. It didn't last long and once the healing process — that Derek had intended to trigger — began I came to my senses but faced a small panicked moment. 
One hour and thirty-seven minutes later I was still frozen to the bone, even after the hottest shower my skin could tolerate. It was like my body temperature was stuck at zero and unable to rise. The tremors had stopped at least but I couldn't get warm. 
My eyes were heavy as I sat against Derek's sofa. The party had ran much later than what I'd expected it to. When I came round it was just passing five-fifty in the morning and Derek said I'd only been out of it for a couple of minutes. Those creatures were only here for ten minutes, if that, so Derek must've kicked everyone out at knocking on half past five. 
I wondered how many people would be sick at school today. 
The rattle of Derek's car keys made me perk up somewhat and tiredly I glanced over at him as he put his jacket on and turned to me. 
"Where are you off to?" I frowned. 
"To take you to school." 
I shook my head as I pushed my hand through my damp hair, "Not a chance in hell." 
He rose a firm brow, "I'll drag you off the sofa." 
"I've had no sleep!" I exasperated. "I was attacked by literal demons." 
"It's not my fault you decided you wanted to spend your night partying." He shrugged, "Your choice, now you have to face the consequences." 
I narrowed my eyes at him, "You're the most unsupportive guardian in the world, you know that?" 
He nodded, "Yeah, you can tell me all about it in the car. Let's go." 
I groaned loudly as I threw the cushion to the side, "I hate you." I grumbled as I got up, shoving my feet into my painted white converse I'd had on all night.
Derek barely glanced back at me as he opened the door to the loft, "Tell me something I don't know." 
I groaned loudly in annoyance as he continued to work me up. He was just thriving off my last nerve and I knew he was doing it to get back at me for allowing Danny's party to go ahead in the loft. I get he was trying to teach me a lesson but he didn't have to do it now .. after no sleep. 
I begrudgingly followed him down the stairs and out into the parking lot where I traipsed to his Jeep and hauled my tired body into the front seat. I pulled my hood up and leaned back against the head rest as Derek pulled out the parking lot, the two of us sitting in a comfortable silence. 
Or at least it was comfortable until he began talking. 
"We need to talk."