Nathaniel Sullivan

**Nathaniel POV

It is 7:30 in the morning and, as always since the evening I was bitten by that animal, I struggled to get out of bed.

The alarm kept ringing until my younger sister came to turn it off.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Rose? Don't come into my room without my permission" I said, covered up to my neck with the sheet.

She walked around the bed and opened the window wide. The daylight made me uncomfortable and I pulled the sheet up to my face.

"Mum always used to say that the early bird catches the worm. Come on, big brother, we have the world to conquer" she said, sitting down at my bedside without saying anything else.

Her silence intrigued me, and I had lost sleep anyway. I removed the sheet from my face and saw her looking at me with a smile.

"What are you staring at me like that for?" I asked.

"I'm happy you're finally out of prison. Since Mum and Dad died, I had no one else but you. Every day I come into this room to reassure myself that I'm not dreaming. I missed you so much, you know" she said.

"I missed you too. You took good care of the mansion while I was away" I replied, holding her hand.

"Hey, promise me you won't relapse again?" she asked.

"Promise, little sister. Mums death affected me a lot, and I didn't realize that you were my only family. Don't worry anymore" I said.

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you downstairs" 

I then went to take a shower and hurried downstairs for breakfast.

"Nate! It's going to get cold" Rose said.

"I'm here" I replied, hanging my shirt around my neck.I arrived at the table and found toast and bacon and eggs, which I ate with appetite.My little sister hadn't changed.

 She looked so much like our mother that I often mistook her for her when I watched her drink her coffee without sugar.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, smiling.

"Nothing, forget it" I said.

Suddenly, her expression changed as she turned the page of the newspaper she was reading.

"What is it?" I asked, slowly swallowing a piece of bread.

"It says in the newspaper that yesterday afternoon the bodies of three teenagers were found dead in Tollymore Forest" she said.

"Too bad" I simply replied.

"Yes, but that's not what's strange. The wounds are all identical and look like those caused by an animal" she said.

"Let me see" I said, leaning over to her in a hurry.

"What kind of animal can cause such deep wounds?" she asked.

Flashbacks of the evening when I was attacked by that strange animal came to mind, and I turned my face away from the newspaper.

"In any case, don't go for a walk there these days, okay?" I said, putting on my t-shirt.

"Okay, are you walking to school?" she asked.

"As always"I replied.

"Hey, Nate! Mrs. Grey called. Is everything okay?" 

"Yeah... dont worry" I said, leaving.

I was convinced that I wasn't dreaming. But how would anyone believe me? My wound had completely healed the next morning when I woke up. 

Lost in my thoughts, I heard the honk of Oliver Wells Hyundai Tucson, which was following me slowly.

"Hey, buddy. Ready for biology class?" Oliver asked.

"Im not your buddy!"

"Yeah, were not just friends. Were brothers." 

I sighed and continued walking, ignoring him. Among the reasons why I thought I had made a bad decision to go back to university was Oliver. I didnt know him and he was already acting like we were the best of friends. Maybe he felt lonely...

We arrived at the university and he parked his car before joining me in the hallways.

"Do you know what happened yesterday afternoon?"

"Yes, there was an attack by dangerous animals" 

"I'm not sure it was just animals"

"What are you talking about ?" 

"Come on, the Tollymore forest is way too secure. And according to the lab analysis, it was more or less wolf attacks." 

"More or less?" Intrigued

"It seems that the victims defended themselves and managed to injure the animal in question. The analysis found genes similar to those of a wolf. A kind of derivative form, I dont know..."

"And how do you know all this?"

"My mother is a forensic pathologist." 

"Um... You know it's illegal to go through your mothers work, right?" 

"It is if you betray me" He pointed out

As we headed to class, I stopped in front of the door to look at it.Oliver, who had taken the lead, stepped back a few steps to see what had suddenly caught my attention.

"Who is that girl" I asked focused on her 

"Oh, I forgot you're new here. She's Felicia Springs. She's one of the best psychology students. But that's all we know about her. And besides, no one is interested in psychology." He tapped me on the shoulder to bring me into the room, but I didn't react.

I couldnt explain how or why, but I felt something drawing me towards her.

She was talking to a friend and smiling at her. Her long hair covered her face and she gracefully pulled it back behind her ear. I remembered her gaze behind her glasses and I could imagine the scent of her perfume.The more I looked at her, the more my senses focused on her without me realizing it. I could even hear her laughing from where I was. I looked at her for a few more seconds and she eventually looked in my direction.

That feeling of symbiosis again...

Our gazes remained fixed on each other and we scrutinized each other.

"Naate?" Intrigued

"Yes?" I replied, looking at her

"Do you like her"

"No, shes too... innocent and pure for my taste." 

"What vocabulary!" He chuckled

" Hmm, lets go" Entering the room

*** 

"Here, this is for you. You'll distribute them to the biology students. Hey! Felicia, I'm talking to you!" Snapping her fingers

"Oh, uh, nothing."

"Here's your batch of flyers to distribute."

"Do I really have to do this?" Felicia asked.

Alicia responded, "Yes, you're my best friend, aren't you?" 

"Ugh, you're pushing it! But why do you always have to throw these huge birthday parties? Who invites the entire campus to their birthday?" 

"I do. And make sure you give a flyer to Jacobs in person, okay ?"

 "Please, why don't you do it yourself?"

"He plays football, Felicia. All the girls are crazy about him, so if I want him to fall for me, I have to act like he doesn't exist, you know? Hurry up before the professor comes" Alicia urged her.

"Ugh! Is he in biology?" 

"Yes...now go!"

"That's just my luck" Felicia said, annoyed.

***

I was sitting at my desk listening to Olivers complaints when I saw her walk back into our classroom with flyers in hand, looking timid and slender.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She started handing out the flyers and stopped to talk to Jacobs for a few minutes. 

The looks and smiles they exchanged left me slightly confused.

"Who's he?" I asked with a raspy voice.

"Who? That's Daniel Jacobs, you know him" Oliver replied.

"I know. But who is he to her?" I asked, feeling a bit jealous. 

She finished talking to him and noticed us. As if she heard me talking about her, she took a deep breath and walked over to us.I couldn't stop admiring her graceful walk.

"Hi!" Oliver tried to get her attention.

"Um...sorry, I came to give you this" she said, looking at me shyly.

"A birthday party this Saturday night?" Oliver asked.

"It's going to be a great party, so if you have time..." she said, putting her hand in her back pocket.

"Who's Alicia?" I asked her.

"One of the most well-known girls on campus. She's the captain of the archery team. A pretty little snob who often steals the spotlight from the cheerleading team on campus" Oliver explained.

"Um...Alicia is my friend. And you are?" she asked, extending her hand

"Wells...Oliver Wells. And you're Felicia Springs. Majoring in psychology" He said.

"You seem to know a lot" she said, looking at him strangely.

"Don't mind him. He's very talkative" I said, staring at her.

"What but I..." Trying to defend hiself 

"Well Wells lol...I have to go. See you on Saturday, if you'll be there of course" she said, taking a few steps back before turning around to leave.

"She has a nice ass, doesn't she ?" Oliver asked, but I gave him a death stare and he immediately understood that he needed to watch his words.

"Okay, I'll shut up now. Mr. Love-struck" he murmured.

"Good morning, everyone. Please take your seats, the class is about to begin" the professor said.

*** 

Once the class was over, I finally managed to get rid of Oliver and went to exercise a bit. I really needed it.The gym was one of the few places that helped me escape. I put on my headphones to let the music take me away. 

Some good metal to let off some steam. Every muscle contraction, every drop of sweat, was one step closer to the world of my thoughts. 

These thoughts in which I was no longer alone for some time now. 

Felicia Springs...

Who is this girl ? and why do I feel such a strong desire to get to know her better? 

Am I falling in love with her? It's impossible, I don't believe in love at first sight. And besides...falling for such a simple girl ? 

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didnt realize that people around me had stopped to watch me run.

I eventually stopped the treadmill and one of the gym managers, whom I knew well, approached me.

"Man, did you become an athlete in prison?" he asked.

"Why do you say that?" I asked too.

"You've been running at 37km/h for over an hour and you don't even look tired."

I checked my watch and realized that time was passing and I was going to miss dinner with Rose.

"Damn! Thanks for letting me know," I said as I left the treadmill.

"You've become a machine, I swear!" he exclaimed.

I grabbed my towel and bag and headed towards my parents' mansion.

I wasn't already a fan of transportation, but tonight especially, my instinct told me to run all the way home.

I didn't yet realize what I had become since I had been bitten.

I ran so fast that I couldn't believe my own performance.

"Wow!" I shouted.

I eventually stopped on the alley that led to the mansion and had a bad feeling.

I looked around and saw that I was slowly being surrounded by men in masks.

A familiar voice called out to me. It was Ryan, the right-hand man of the Newcastle cartel boss.

The last time he came to me, they had fled because of some strange animal that had bitten me.

"So Nate, last time you escaped us. I'm glad to see you're still alive. I don't know what you sent after us the other night, but I can assure you that this time it won't be the same," he said, pulling out his gun.

I took a few steps back, scared.

"You don't go anywhere until you pay back all the drugs you owe to the boss," Ryan said.

"I don't owe you anything, Ryan. You set me up that day to end up in jail," I replied.

"Oh, but you do owe us, and guess what?" he said, pointing his gun at me.

I raised my hands, feeling anxious.

"Don't be stupid, Ryan. You're not going to kill me here."

"No, of course not. And you know what? The boss wants to do you a favor. Either you work for him and pay off your debt, or... well, you know Rose, your little sister, she's already a very beautiful woman."

"Listen, if you hurt Rose, I swear to you that..." I tried to threaten him, but his gun stopped me.

"Oh, oh, calm down, Robin Hood. You have until Saturday to give us an answer, otherwise... And don't even try to call the police or run away. The boss has eyes everywhere."

He put away his gun and calmly walked away with his men.

He was right, the boss had long arms. Even in prison, I couldn't say anything if I wanted to live. And I had escaped death many times.

I would never forgive myself if something happened to Rose. She was my only family.

I entered our mansion and found Rose who had just set the table.

"I thought you weren't coming," she said.

"Come on, sis," I said, struggling to smile.

"Hey? Are you okay? You look like you've received bad news," she said, worried.

"No, it's just that sports have exhausted me. What did you prepare for us?"

"Oh no, it's not me, I asked the cook to prepare us some turkey. But before that, you should go take a shower, you stink of sweat, yuck!" she said, holding her nose.

"Give me a hug, my dear little sister," I said, approaching her.

"Don't come near me!" she laughed.

I went upstairs and went into the bathroom.

In front of the sink, I thought about my fate when suddenly I noticed that the hair on my arms had increased.

I looked at my palms and raised my head to the mirror.

"Oh fucking shit!" I shouted.

The sound of Rose's footsteps approaching the shower caught my attention.

"Brother... is something wrong?" she asked, panicked.

"Uh, yeah, don't worry. I'm almost done."

"Okay, so..." She said

She turned around and I slowly walked back to the mirror to see my reflection again. My face had returned to normal and the hair on my arms had disappeared.

It was just my imagination playing dirty tricks on me.

I thought I had seen long fangs protruding from my mouth.

And my arms earlier...what was that all about?

I opened the cabinet above me and took some calming pills.

Then I realized that I might need to go back to Mrs. Grey's and explain more calmly what was happening to me.

With that thought, my mind turned to Felicia...

"Thinking about her wasn't going to solve my problems, damn it! Not now, Nate!," Growling at my reflection.

After my bath, I got dressed and joined Rose at the table.

***

"Felicia, my love?" Jade asked

"Yes?"

"You've been standing at the window for a while." He said all intrigued

"Don't you feel like we're being watched lately?" She asked nervous 

"It's a building full of apartments and we're on the second to last floor. Unless you have problems with the CIA," He said, looking out the window

"Just now, I thought I heard someone call my name..."

"Hey, relax. You probably just need some rest. Between work and campus, it must not be easy for you." He said while kissing her 

"Yes, you may be right."

"I'll run you a hot bath, okay?," He proposed

"Okay, thank you..."

To be continued