I was sure Avery would have nodded if she could. Instead, her face scrunched up as she tried to slow her breathing, her full lips tensed out as she forced a controlled exhale.
After a few seconds, her heartrate began dropping again.
The guy finally focused on me, giving me a hard look as if he knew I was the problem. “She needs rest,” he repeated. “If her pulse doesn’t stay under control, then we’ll have to ask you guys to leave whether she wants you here or not.”
I nodded, not seeing any reason to become defensive by his attitude.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was a bit more fond and possessive of his new patient than he should be. Made me wonder if her being hot, thin, busty, and vulnerable was making him more interested than he should be.
Once the guy left, seeming satisfied with my nonverbal response, he left the door cracked on his way out. I rolled my eyes as I walked back over, waiting until he was seated down the hall to close it all the way.
In the meantime, Gabriella pulled up a chair by the wall and sat next to Serenity, speaking quietly. “How’s her mother?” she wondered.
Serenity sighed. “Last we heard, she’s alright. Just a really bad concussion. They’re keeping her in another hospital room for now, probably overnight, but the nurse said he would try to see if they could bring her over in a wheelchair to visit.” She then paused, looking back up at me. “So, Kai, what’s the plan?”
I frowned at that, glancing around the room, only to be surprised that there were a couple of syringes just lying out on the med cart against the wall, both of them individually wrapped in plastic. But then again, I supposed there was nothing overly special about syringes in a place like this. They were probably really cheap, and I doubted hospitals worried too much about people stealing them.
Walking over, I grabbed one and then stuck it in my pocket as I moved back over to the bed, speaking in a low voice. “We figured it might be best if I try injecting her with my blood first, and then go from there.”
“Your blood?” Serenity repeated in confusion.
Gabriella quickly nodded, leaning closer to explain in a hushed whisper so that Avery wouldn’t hear.
However, it was obvious my blonde friend was trying to eavesdrop, desperation evident on her face when she couldn’t hear what Gabriella was saying.
Knowing we needed to have a discussion first, I cleared my throat to get her attention, taking a step closer to the bed, only for Avery’s pulse to spike again when she focused on me.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure why she was reacting to me like this, since she remained fairly calm at school, with the only major difference being that I usually ignored her.
Then again, she’d definitely seen my gold eyes just a little bit ago, so maybe that was it?
She didn’t smell scared though, only anxious.
Holding up my hand, I spoke in a gentle tone. “Hey, deep breath please. That guy is going to kick us out if you don’t calm down.”
Avery whimpered and stared straight up at the ceiling, tears reappearing in her blue eyes as she tried to take a few controlled breaths the best she could. Once her pulse was under a hundred again, I continued.
“Alright, now we need to talk a little bit, okay? I’m going to explain everything, but I need you to stay calm as I do. Can you do that for me?”
“Okay,” she whispered, her eyes tight now.
I frowned, feeling like she wasn’t in the right mindset for this conversation. “Avery, do you trust me?” I wondered.
Her azure eyes abruptly darted toward me in surprise, before she looked up at the ceiling a second time as she thought about it. She then took a long slow breath, her expression suddenly shifting, seeming to become almost determined.
“Yes,” she said firmly.
Honestly, even though I assumed she might respond in the affirmative, given how much time we’d spent in each other’s presence, I was sincerely surprised by just how certain she seemed of her answer.
“Umm, okay,” I began hesitantly, trying to think of where to begin. “So, first of all, I’m sure you saw that I’m not a normal person.”
Her expression became vulnerable again as she took another controlled breath, her gaze still on the ceiling. “W-What are you?” she asked hesitantly.
“Honestly? I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I was born this way, and I’ve had to try to keep it a secret my whole life.”
“Even I didn’t know,” Serenity unexpectedly blurted out, garnering Avery’s attention. “I’ve been around him practically my whole life, and he even kept it from me too. I only recently found out.”
“And I only recently discovered that I could change people,” I added.
“C-Can I see?” she whispered.
I hesitated, before speaking slowly. “Yeah, I can show you. But you need to keep your heart under control.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay,” she whispered, focusing more intently on me.
I nodded, beginning to let the change happen slowly, rather than just shifting in an instant. However, despite what she said, her pulse began picking up again when my hair turned white, and most importantly when my eyes shifted to gold and black. Oddly enough, she didn’t smell scared, but was definitely anxious.
She immediately focused up at the ceiling to try to control her breathing, only glancing at me again after a full minute.
“Can you come a little closer?” she finally asked.
I slowly took a step toward her, followed by another, until I was right beside the top of her bed, allowing her to see me clearly. She examined my face more intently for a few seconds, before her blue eyes locked onto mine, her pupils visibly dilating as she held my gaze, her heart rate actually falling some.
The response prompted me to glance away, feeling uneasy by the effect I was clearly having on her. However, I remained where I was, and after another minute, she spoke up again, sounding much calmer.
“So then, are you all like this now?” she wondered.
I was surprised by the assumption, considering Serenity admitted she’d only recently found out about my secret, and that I only recently discovered I could change people.
However, Gabriella was quick to respond. She stood up and stepped behind Serenity’s chair to stand next to Avery’s head on the other side. “I am,” she admitted cheerfully, abruptly transforming.
Of course, my fiancé’s transformation wasn’t nearly as dramatic as mine, since her skin only became tan while her other coloring just became more vibrant.
“And, of course, Kai might be able to do this to you too,” Gabriella continued, only for her voice to drop. “Except, if he does, then there are going to be conditions.”
Both Avery and Serenity looked at her in surprise, before my housemate focused on me in confusion. “Kai, what’s she talking about?” she asked seriously.
I sighed. “Think about it, Ren. I can’t just go around making people like me. Especially if that gives them the ability to do the same. Like, imagine what would happen if I do this for her, and then she does it for some random guy she likes, only to have him dump her and do it for someone else. It could get out of hand really fast.”
“I don’t want another guy,” Avery unexpectedly blurted out, only for her face to flush bright red, her pulse spiking again.