I came to with red and blue lights flashing behind my closed eyelids. At first, I wasn't quite sure what had happened. I remembered everything with perfect clarity. Almost too perfect. But it all just felt like some crazy nightmare.
That couldn't have actually happened, could it? It was impossible. Insane. The bizarre surge of energy. The earthquake. Changing into a wolf. The huge crack opening up in the ground. There was just no way...
I kept my eyes closed, willing the nightmare to end. I pushed away everything that my senses were telling me. There were no flashing red and blue lights. The blaring sirens... the shouts and screams and sobs... they were all in my head. Just a part of the illusion.
My sense of smell was the hardest thing to ignore. Never had it been so strong and sharp and clear. I could smell fresh blood, seared rubber and gasoline. I picked up on at least twelve different types of perfume. The aroma of latex and antiseptic was so strong it almost burned my nose.
No! I told myself. No! Stop it! It's not real! Any second now, I'm going to wake up. I'm going to wake up in my own bed, in my own room, in my own body. And I'm going to forget about this dream and ace that stupid biology exam.
Oh no! The exam! Had I slept in? Was I going to be late?
My eyes flew open. For a second, I was completely disoriented. I was definitely on a bed, but it wasn't mine. It was small and narrow, with a thin mattress and railings along each side. I was surrounded by ugly green curtains and a single beige wall. Fluorescent lights glared down at me. I felt pressure in my arm and lifted it up to eye level. There was an IV running into my veins.
The world around me was in chaos. The entire hospital echoed with raised voices and pounding feet. Sirens blared. Flashing red and blue lights cut through my tiny bedroom window. I could just make out the parking lot, full to bursting with ambulances and cop cars with more coming in every second. The pavement was scattered with bits of gauze and plastic and even a few abandoned wheelchairs.
A crowd of onlookers had formed. A few people had their cell phones out, taking pictures of the chaos. Some of them were even taking selfies. A news van pulled up and several people jumped out with huge cameras perched on their shoulders. The paramedics were everywhere, racing back and forth with IV's and stretchers. I saw a man being unloaded from the back of an ambulance, his body strapped to a backboard, his head immobilized in a neck brace. It looked a lot like the truck driver.
My stomach churned. It was real. All of it. Not some insane dream. Not a nightmare. Everything had happened exactly as I remembered it.
I felt like I was going to be sick. My thoughts were racing at about a hundred miles an hour. How was this possible? Okay, yes, I knew the shape-shifters were out there. Everyone did. But the idea that I could be one of them... it just didn't add up. There were no shape shifters in my family. No record of shape shifters. Not even an old family story that hinted I might have the ability to turn into an oversized wolf.
And what about the earthquake? The way it had coincided almost exactly with my bizarre surge of energy. The way it had followed me from one place to the next. The massive fissure that had torn the ground apart in my wake. Had I imagined all that?
I was starting to freak out a little bit. My chest tightened, a sure sign of an oncoming panic attack. I felt stabs of pain in my skull that migrated down my neck.
I turned into a wolf! I turned into a freaking wolf!
A calmer, more reasonable side of me attempted to take over. Okay, just chill out, girl. Take a breath.
I turned into a freaking wolf! I caused an earthquake and a huge, massive car accident! What if I seriously hurt someone? What if I killed someone?
Let's think about this rationally.
Rationally? I just turned into a wild animal and I'm supposed to think about this rationally?
Don't panic.
I'm not panicking!
And, besides, wasn't a little panicking completely justified in this situation? If I wasn't allowed to freak out after turning into a wolf, causing an earthquake and getting hit by a truck, when the heck was I allowed to freak out?
"Hi there."
"YAAAAAAHHH!" I flew out of bed like I had just experienced a powerful electric shock. My black slammed into the adjacent window. The IV line slipped out of my arm, causing a spurt of blood. The stand that held the IV bag crashed noisily to the floor. I felt a sharp yank on my other arm. The front end of my hospital bed rolled across the floor and struck the wall with a deafening BANG!
I jumped what felt like a foot and looked down at my arm. I was freaking handcuffed to the bed!
My breathing accelerated. I felt like I was going to pass out. Why was I in handcuffs? Was I in some kind of trouble? Was I under arrest? I couldn't be under arrest! I had never been in trouble before! Not once! Not even a detention for skipping class!
"Woops, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."
A woman's face appeared over the top of my bed. An attractive brunette with her hair slicked back. She held a pen and notebook in her hands. "You're the wolf girl, correct?"
"I... who... what...."
"The wolf girl? The shape shifter? The one who caused the accident on the freeway this morning?"
A wave of dizziness passed over me. Oh no, the accident was my fault! Oh no! Oh crap! oh sh-
"I just have a few questions for you, if you don't mind. But, I'd like to verify some information with you first. You are Cyprus Griffin of 416 Tenth Avenue, correct?"
"I-I'm not.... I don't..." I could hardly speak between desperate gasps of air. I was in so much trouble, here! I was so dead!
"You are sixteen years old and currently attend Willow High public school?"
"H-how did you-"
"Excellent! Perfect! Now, Cyprus, can I asked how long it's been since your first shift?"
"U-ummm..."
"Have you always known that you were a shape shifter? Do you have any history of shifters in your family?"
"I-I didn't..."
"The people who witnessed your little rampage this morning are describing your wolf form as "rabid" and "crazed." Do you have any comment on that? Would you say that your animal form is more wild and uncontrollable than most?"
I couldn't even speak anymore. I was on the verge of hyperventilating. It felt like I was trying to breathe through a straw. Did this person not realize that I was having a bit of a medical emergency here? Where were the doctors? Where were the nurses? How had this woman gotten into my room in the first place? Didn't this hospital have security?
The woman was now scribbling furiously on her notepadĀ as if I had given her long, detailed answers instead of just stuttering incoherently. "Lovely! Wonderful! Now, let's move on to our key issue here. How do you respond to allegations that the recent earthquake--which is projected to have caused millions of dollars in damages--was also entirely your doing?"
I wanted to shout. I wanted to yell at her. I don't know! I don't know any more than you do! Now can you please get out of here and leave me to freak out in peace?
"Multiple witnesses claim the earthquake hit moments after you came into view, and vanished shortly after you left. There are also claims that you were seen literally tearing the ground in half. Do you agree with these accusations? Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Okay, now I was having a full-blown panic attack. My head was bent forward. My chest muscles worked overtime as I fought for each breath of air. The handcuffs were digging into my skin, causing my fingers to tingle and go numb. My right hand was slick with blood. I couldn't even remember how that had happened at the moment.
I don't do well with stress. I never have. And this right here was the most stressful situation I had ever encountered in my life.
Before the reporter could ask any more questions, I heard footsteps approaching and the curtain around my little private area was yanked open. "What on earth is going on in here?"
The reporter whipped her pen and notepad out of sight and offered the nurse her hand. "Hi there! Pleased to meet you! I'm just here visiting my niece."
The young nurse looked completely exhausted, her uniform wrinkled, wisps of hair escaping from her ponytail. But her eyes were sharp as they took in the situation. She assessed the pale-skinned reporter for a moment and then looked over at me.
"Through marriage," the reporter added quickly. "She's my niece through marriage."
"All right, listen," the nurse said. "I don't care if she's your long lost twin. You do not have a visitors permit and you are clearly upsetting this patient. So, here's what's going to happen: I'm going to give you three seconds to get out of this room before I call security."
"Okay, okay, I'm going," the reporter said, raising her hands into the air. "Relax."
Once the reporter was gone, my savior pulled the curtains closed and helped me back into bed. Unfazed by my panic attack, she put an oxygen mask on me face and turned it up to fifteen liters per minute. In spite of the unpleasant, sterile smell of the mask, my relief was immediate.
"Head down," the nurse said calmly. "Deep breaths. There you go."
She cleaned the blood off my hand and reattached the IV while my breathing slowed and the feeling returned to my extremities. I was grateful for her help, but as time went on, I found it odd that she wasn't really talking much. Embarrassingly, this was not the first time I had experienced a panic attack severe enough to require medical attention. In the past, however, the nurses and paramedics had been attentive and compassionate, patting me on the shoulder and telling me everything was going to be okay. This nurse, while she was caring for me physically, hardly said a word.
Once the panic attack had passed, she removed the oxygen mask and went to leave the room.
"Hey, wait!"
She turned around and looked silently at me.
"Umm... thank you."
"You're welcome," her voice was toneless.
I swallowed. Her coldness was making me nervous. "Do you think you could... if it's not too much trouble... call my mom or something? I-I don't want her to-"
"We're extremely busy at the moment. I'll look into it when I can." Her hand was already on the curtains. She swept them aside and the shouts coming from the hallways seemed to double in volume.
"Wait!" I knew she was busy, but I was desperate for answers here. "Please, c-could you tell me what's going on? How long have I been here? H-how many people were hurt in the crash?" the nurse's jaw seemed to flex slightly. "Why... " I swallowed again, "why am I in handcuffs?"
"Because, young lady, you are under arrest for attempted homicide," the nurse said bluntly. Then she left the room, yanking the curtains closed behind her.