Chapter 7

 

 

          Nairne had transformed back into a human right as she entered the dining room. Placing Gene on the floor she felt her bones shift and her eyesight weaken. After a minute of silence Nairne looked down at herself to see that she was back in human form. Gene stared at her waiting to be lifted again. Picking him she placed the baby in his chair just as Vance walked out of the kitchen. He froze temporarily seeing Nairne back to normal. Smiling quickly Nairne walked into the kitchen to fix Gene’s food.

 

          Throughout the meal, Nairne caught Vance looking out the window at the sky as if he was being drawn to it. It had been mainly silent, each in their own thoughts. Nairne continually caught herself staring at Vance, trying her best to figure out what he was thinking. Maybe that vision of him as a child awoke something else. Vance turned to look down the table when he felt that someone was watching him. Nairne was staring at him but her expression seemed vacant. Finally, it appeared that she realized that she’d been staring and blushing looked away quickly. Vance looked down at his plate to find that he had barely eaten any of the meal. Glancing down the table at Nairne’s, he noticed that she hadn’t eaten either. Standing up he grabbed his plate and walked into the kitchen.

 

          Nairne watched Vance walk into the kitchen as she felt herself get the goose bumps. Glancing out the window she tried to stop her mind from wandering. Looking down at Gene she smiled before standing up and carrying their food into the kitchen. Nairne stopped abruptly in the doorway when she saw Vance hunched over the sink. Holding her breath she slowly approached him, not sure if he’d noticed her presence. Placing the plates on the counter the noise seemed to echo throughout the kitchen causing Vance to jerk suddenly. Nairne stood frozen in her tracks. Her throat felt closed up and her legs felt like they were stone.

 

          Vance heard Nairne placing the plates on the counter. The noise seemed to explode in his ears as he clenched his teeth. The pain had come unexpectedly while he has washing his plate. It’d started in his right shoulder blade and quickly spread through his whole body. He knew Nairne was slowly approaching him, cautious, making sure she didn’t upset him, and scared he might become violent. Then suddenly, just as quick as it came, it began to fade. Vance slackened his jaw and opened his eyes slowly. The pain was completely gone now. The only sign that it had ever been there was the soreness in his right shoulder. Nairne was about to place her hand on his shoulder when he turned towards her. Again she froze in her footsteps. She could only make out half of his face. She could tell that he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

 

          “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Nairne jumped at the sound of his voice. It was low and strained. She looked at him suspiciously.

 

          “Are you sure? What happened?” Her voice was shaky as she continued to stare at him. He shook his head and straightening, turned all the way towards her.

 

“I’m going to take a shower, I must be exhausted.” He walked passed her without another word. She turned to watch him leave the kitchen. Something isn’t right. People don’t just do that. It wasn’t a memory was it? It must have been a painful one then, but still. Something isn’t right… Nairne then remembered Gene still in the dining room.

 

Vance closed the bathroom door and leaned against it. He raised his face towards the ceiling and closed his eyes. She knows I lied. I just….couldn’t tell her for some reason. He let himself slide down the door until he was sitting on the floor. What happened? I have never had that happen to me before. It felt like there was something underneath my skin. Vance’s eyes shot open. Standing up quickly he pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor and felt around on his back. Turning he looked into the mirror when his finger went across a small groove in his skin. A scar….when did I get this… Suddenly it dawned on him. His eyes widened as he realized where it had come from. Urgan…he must have planted something in me during one of the physical exams. But what could it be. Looking around the bathroom counter he tried to find something sharp. Having no luck, Vance quietly walked into his room and grabbed his pocket knife. Closing the bathroom door and locking it Vance opened the pocket knife and looked into the mirror to find the scar.

 

Nairne carried Gene into his room and placed him in the crib. Vance’s behavior was still worrying her and she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. Should I go check on him? It could have been just nothing…but he was just acting so weird.

 

“Wah wrong?” Nairne jumped a little as the small voice burst into her thoughts. Looking down at Gene and she smiled.

 

“I’m not sure Gene. Vance is acting funny. Stay here, I’m going to go check on him.” Gene nodded his head and turning grabbed one of the stuffed animals in the pen. Nairne stepped into the hall and closing the door behind her walked towards the bathroom. Stopping in front of the door she hesitated before raising her hand and knocking. She waited a few minutes for an answer but she never received one. Nairne’s eyebrows came together as she knocked on the door again. No response only made her fret more. She grew still and concentrated on the sounds coming from the room. Her eyes shot open when she heard a gasp of pain from inside. Terror rushed through her veins as she started beating on the door calling out his name. She tried twisting the door knob but he had locked it from the other side.

 

Vance jumped when Nairne started pounding on the door. Luckily the blade had not jerked deeper into his back. The pain was excruciating and he was having a hard time not crying out. She must have used her keen hearing if she is now banging the door down. Quickly glancing at his face he noticed his hair was stuck to his forehead from perspiration. Finally, he felt something shift and fall out the small hole he’d created on his back. It seemed strangely quiet all of a sudden. Nairne had stopped hitting the door and the only thing he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears.

 

Nairne had finally gained some sense after realizing that banging on the door wasn’t getting her anywhere. Pulling a bobby pin out of her hair she kneeled down and inserted it into the lock. Playing with it for a few minutes she finally heard a small click. Standing up quickly she grabbed the doorknob and threw open the door rushing in after. Nairne halted in her steps staring at the blood that seemed to be everywhere. Finally her eyes rested on Vance who was staring at her with a shocked expression. Both continued to stare at each other, neither knowing what to say.

 

She stared at him taking his condition. He was leaning over the sink and counter which were both covered with blood. Lying on the counter was a pocket knife covered with blood all the way up to passed the handle. His shirt was lying on the floor. Drops of blood had fallen onto that too. The part that drew Nairne’s attention the most was the wound on his back, bleeding too much then what was healthy. Suddenly she grew nauseated as images flashed through her mind. She started backing away slowly, still staring at Vance. He seemed to start advancing towards her but she moved to fast. Vance blinked and Nairne was gone. He had noticed her expression grow distant for a few seconds before she’d run off. She probably had a flashback of something when she was in the labs. He ran out the bathroom door hoping he was headed in the right direction. He didn’t know what state of mind she was in and he didn’t want her doing anything dangerous.   

 

Nairne was running as fast as she could from the images in her head. She felt that the only way to make them go away was in the garden. She could feel the vile rising in her throat as she tried as best she could not to throw up. Not able to hold back anymore she stopped and leaning over threw up.

 

Vance could see Nairne ahead of him stop and lean over to the side. As she ran closer to her, he saw that she was throwing up. He slowed down, not wanting to disturb her but just as he came within fifteen feet of her she turned to him, giving him a blank look and backing away ran. What wrong with her…she didn’t look like she recognized me. As if I was someone else.  He winced as he took a deep breath, getting ready to run. His shoulder felt like a knife in his back. I should have stopped the bleeding or something before chasing after her. He started jogging before gaining speed and continuing his pursuit after her. Nairne felt herself slipping into darkness. Trying to keep her mind from slipping fear took over, causing adrenaline to rush, increasing her speed. Reaching the garden door she opened it and was about to enter when the darkness finally consumed her mind.

 

Vance was catching up to Nairne as they approached the garden door. She seemed to be swaying until suddenly she seemed to have a rush of energy, causing her to run out of reach. Vance watched her closely when she arrived at the door and opened it before collapsing into a heap on the ground. Panic struck him as he saw her fall.

 

 

 

 

Urgan stood with a blank expression as the men at the computers typed at a rapid speed. He was staring straight ahead, not taking any notice to the men who occasionally glanced up at him. They had been hard at work with almost no sleep for the past week. Living off of caffeine was giving them headaches and their eyes were sore. No one dared ask to leave for fear of what the boss would do. Silence had filled the control room for the past six hours. The only sound was the melody of beeps from the holographic keyboards.

 

“S-sir, I think I have some information.” A middle aged man spoke looking to Urgan shakily. Urgan’s head immediately jerked towards the sound of the voice. Looking down at the man, he slowly made his way towards him, arms crossed over his chest.

 

“The t-tracking device we p-planted in the subject’s shoulder was only for t-tracking within the city limits.” The man typed for a few seconds before a giant map showed up on the main screen. It was a map of the city. Urgan looked at it hard.

 

“What are you trying to say?” Urgan’s voice was low and barely containing anger. The man at the computer started sweating slightly at the sound of Urgan’s voice.

 

“Sir, the subject isn’t in the city. This is the most precise reading I can get on his location.” The man’s voice was shaky as a small dot appeared outside the city limits.

 

“I’m guessing he is somewhere about fifty to sixty kilometers outside city boundaries.” Another man said a couple seats down. Urgan stared at the map.

 

“Other than that sir, he could be anywhere hiding.” The first man said. A smirk crossed Urgan lips as a thought passed through his mind.

 

“I think I know exactly where he went.” He mumbled before turning around and walking out of the room.

 

 

 

          Vance sat on the edge of the fountain washing his hands. The water was turning a faint red as the blood washed off. He continued to keep glancing back at the swing where he had put Nairne. She’d been unconscious for almost an hour. He was getting lightheaded from the loss of blood, luckily it had stopped bleeding. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to leave the house without first dressing the freaking wound, and also not grabbing a shirt. Vance glanced at Nairne again, to find that she was waking up. Standing, he slowly walked over to her.

 

          Nairne’s head felt like she had been dropped on her head. When she opened her eyes she immediately closed them again, the fading light felt like it was burning her. She felt around her, wondering where she was. The loud rushing noise in her head seemed to be blocking out everything else. Until she thought she heard someone call her name. Hearing it again, the voice sparked recognition.

 

          “Nairne.”

 

          Finally, she opened her eyes. At first, everything was blurry she couldn’t make out anything, everything looked fuzzy and run together but after blinking for a few seconds her surroundings started coming into focus. Looking around slowly her eyes stopped on Vance who was standing in front of her with a worried smile. It took her a few seconds to remember what had happened. Vance kneeled down in front of her, waiting for her to say something. Looking down to the ground memories of what happened raced into her mind. Gasping she looked at Vance and realized he still wasn’t wearing a shirt. Tears filled her eyes when she noticed blood stains smeared across the top of his right shoulder. Nairne threw her arms around Vance’s neck and buried her face in his chest. Vance froze, stunned at her actions. Recovering, he slowly rested his arms around her waist, pain shot through his body as she tightened her grip around his neck. She was leaning her weight on him, causing his shoulder to protest. Realizing what she was doing Nairne quickly pulled away, wiping away her tears. Avoiding eye contact she pulled off her arm warmer and started unwrapping the binding underneath. Vance stared at her, surprised that she unwrapping whatever it was she’d been trying to hide. Stopping halfway through, Nairne stood up and started swaying, Vance reached out to steady her but she tried not to touch him as much as possible. Slowly she made her way towards the fountain.

 

          “Come with me please.” Her voice was barely audible. Standing, Vance followed behind her. She sat on the side of the fountain and began unwrapping the binding again. He sat across from her, not sure what she was going to do. He watched as Nairne came to the end of the binding and his eyes widened with shock. On her wrists were giant scars that tore almost all the way up to her elbow. It looked as though someone had cut her deep with a knife. He didn’t say anything; he knew she didn’t want him too.

 

          Nairne put the arm warmer into the water and looked quickly at Vance when she noticed the red tint. Looking away she wrung out the excess water before looking at him.

 

          “Turn around please. I need to clean and dress your wound.” Vance stared at her dumbfounded for a couple of seconds before obeying. He winced slightly as the cold cloth touched his inflamed wound. Her touch was gentle, but it didn’t make it feel any less painful. Slowly, the pain began to grow weaker, until Vance’s body was almost relaxed. The only problem was that he was getting dizzy.

 

          “How long was I out?” she asked, her voice low. Vance calculated in his head.

 

          “Almost an hour I think.” Silence filled the air. Vance didn’t want to force her to talk so he remained quiet.

 

          “You lost a lot of blood.” Vance didn’t reply. It seemed that the garden was spinning all around him. He felt himself starting to lean but couldn’t catch himself. He was waiting for the ground to rush into view when he heard a gasp and Nairne’s arms wrap around him, barely able to hold him up. Lowering him to the ground she turned him over and finished binding the wound before checking his pulse.

 

          “You did lose a lot of blood. Stupid…should have taken care of the wound before running outside half naked.” She muttered under her breath. She didn’t realize that Vance was still conscious. A few minutes later she had him sitting up, leaning against her. Her arm was wrapped around his waist and she held his left arm over her shoulders. I’m not going to be able to drag him all the way back to the house…unless I turn. Letting go of him she took a couple of steps and turned into her cat form. She struggled for a few minutes, trying to find a way for him to stay on her back while she walked back to the house. She looked back quickly when she felt him grip her fur, surprised that he was still semiconscious before continuing her slow trek back to the house.

 

         

 

          Vance woke up sweating. He couldn’t remember what the nightmare had been about, but he knew it had something to do with Urgan’s experimentation. Looking around he noticed he was in the foyer, on the couch. Laying back down he rested his hand over his eyes. He didn’t know what time it was except that it was well into the night. His head was splitting, and his eyes felt like they were going to explode. Opening his eyes he peeked through his fingers around the room again he heard something move. His eyes shot over to where the noise came from to find Nairne sitting in the arm chair with Gene sleeping on top. The noise had been a sob, she was crying silently, looking into the picture above the mantle. She didn’t seem to realize that Vance had awoken. Finally, she turned towards his to stop. They stared at each other, each wondering what the other was thinking. Nairne was the first to move, wiping her tears away she looked back at the picture. Vance noticed that she had bound her scars again, this time without the arm warmer over it.

 

          “How long have I been out?” His voice seemed to echo in the room. Gene stirred slightly before silence filled the room again. Nairne looked over to him and stared blankly.

 

          “I don’t know. Maybe four hours.” She spoke without a trace of emotion. She continued to stare at him. She wants to know what I was doing in the bathroom. His hands fumbled under the sheet until he found his pocket, digging around for a second he pulled something out. Pushing the sheet aside he placed his feet on the ground. The fast movement caused the surroundings to spin around extremely fast. He stared at Nairne, trying to focus on her features. Her eyes were wide with fear at what he was doing. He saw her move Gene to the side, so if she needed too, to stand up.

 

          “You a-are still v-very weak, with a fever. Y-you shouldn’t-t be getting u-up.” Her voice was quiet, yet he could hear her perfectly. She was about to protest again when he stood up quickly and took a step forward. He felt himself falling but continued to focus on Nairne, who had stood up and ran to him catching him in her arms. Not able to hold him any longer she collapsed to the ground, leaning against the sofa. Vance lay with his upper body against her, her arms still wrapped around. His mind seemed to be fading into blackness but he knew he couldn’t black out now.

 

          Nairne was breathing heavily from the collapse and the weight of Vance on top of her. Shifting around into a more comfortable position while still keeping Vance against her she was surprised to find that he was still conscious. She heard him doing something with his left arm. Looking to see what he was doing she saw he was holding something in his hand. He moved his head so he could look at her. She could tell he was in a lot of pain by the dazed look in his eyes. He was fighting of unconscious, and he was losing.

 

          “T-this was w-what I was doing i-in the bathroom.” It took a moment for Nairne to realize what he was saying. Taking his hand she opened it and took the small chip into her hand. It was still red and had some strings of skin and muscle stuck to it. She looked at him confused.

 

          “I-it’s a locator chip.” Nairne’s eyes widened as she stared at the chip. She had to ask him so many questions but looking at him again she knew he had almost gone unconscious.

 

          “C-crush it…” He trailed off and his eyes closed. His head fell against her shoulder as she stared at him with shock. Finally, controlling her thoughts she shifted under his weight and lunged the chip against the wall watching it break into the pieces landing on the floor. Looking down at Vance, she grabbed the cloth from the water basin on the coffee table and wiped the sweat off his face.

 

 

 

          The middle aged man paled when he saw the dot on the map disappear. He’s figured out about the locator. He stood up and stumbled up the stairs before making his way out of the room and towards Urgan’s office.