(Italics are thoughts and telepathy)

“Why can’t I find a single picture of my mother anywhere?” Alex complained.

Talking to the doctor had reminded him how little he knew about his mother. Now that he had a lot of free time, he’d decided to search for information about her.

The tutor was only with him for a few hours in the morning, and the nurse had his own room and only came when Alex called for him. Alex appreciated the privacy; It allowed him to explore without interruption. However, the extreme lack of information frustrated him.

It didn’t help that he’d been having odd dreams ever since the accident. They were always unclear when he woke up, but the memory of their strangeness lingered. He also couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him, even when he was alone. Searching for answers kept him busy and distracted.

Alex even asked the servants for information about his mother, but none of the three had been around when his mother was alive. The driver hadn’t been with Alex’s father for more than 10 years either.

Desperate for information, Alex snuck into his father’s rooms. Though it wasn’t truly sneaking when he had to roll himself around and kept bumping into things. He was sure his father would somehow discover he had been snooping. Just going into his father’s study and bedroom made Alex nervous. Like at any moment his father would appear, looming over him.

The odd sense of being watched didn’t help his paranoia. His father rarely came home, though, so he was careful to make sure the rooms looked the same as before he came.

“Why is there so little information on her?” Alex asked out loud, in his room. He rested his head on his desk table. Only his father knew the answer.

And he wasn’t brave enough to even think about asking his father.

***

A few weeks later, Alex returned to the doctor’s office. Dr. Randal sat across the desk from him, looking at Alex’s x-rays in astonishment.

“I can’t believe it! I’ve never seen bones heal so fast!” Dr. Randal exclaimed. “We can take the casts off today!”

“That’s great,” Alex agreed. “I’m tired of the wheelchair, and needing a nurse to take care of me.”

“Well, few people like feeling helpless and dependent on others.” The doctor smiled. “At least now you’ll be able to walk again, with some rehab. The leg will be weaker from disuse, but I know you’ll do well.”

Removing the casts was noisy and messy. It took a while, but eventually, Alex could see his skin again. It was paler, a bit clammy, and smelly, but he was happy to have it out of the cast. Afterward, the nurse took Alex to another area where a physical therapist helped him start to walk.

Alex felt proud when he noticed the shocked looks he got. The physical therapist, nurses, and other patients in the room stared at him as he began walking as soon as he arrived. After a quick check-up, they couldn’t do anything but discharge him. He used a crutch, since his leg was still weak.

As soon as he got home, he went straight to the bathroom. Taking a bath without help was wonderful. He couldn’t wait to take a shower.

The next day, the private tutor informed him it was their last meeting as Alex would be resuming school. The nurse left as well. Alex thanked them both, but was glad to see the nurse go.

Being taught at home had been peaceful. It was a far cry from his overly pretentious private school. He had no friends there, only enemies. You had to stay on your toes or get trampled.

His father wanted Alex to take over as CEO of the company in the future; he wouldn’t accept any education that was less than the best. That included the prestige of graduating from Colemen Private Academy. He also expected Alex to be top of his class. Most of the graduates continued on to Ivy League Universities.

Alex hated the conniving and politics. He was the practical sort; he knew the track he was on would lead to advantages in the future. Already, his success on the stock market meant his plans to make it on his own were coming along.

Alex didn’t think his father knew he played around with the stock market. If David did know, he hoped his father would look at it as Alex taking steps to succeed him, rather than escape him. Despite that, Alex was careful with his bids and grew his assets slowly. He had improved his holdings quite a bit. He knew the big money was in the more dangerous stocks, but he wasn’t ready for that.

That evening, Alex sat in his room, enjoying the quiet solitude. The servants hadn’t bothered him since his recovery. When he was younger, the quiet sometimes made him feel scared and lonely. Now it made him feel calm and peaceful. Alex checked his stocks and read a book, and before he knew it, it was well past midnight. He detested having to return to school the next day, but he didn’t really have a choice. He went to bed and was soon asleep.

***

Sometime later, Alex’s eyes opened and he got out of bed. He felt odd, disconnected. He hadn’t wanted to get up, but he couldn’t seem to make his body do what he wanted it to. It was moving on its own. Before he knew it, he was dressed and walking out of the house into the night.

Is this a dream? If it was, he could understand why he couldn’t hear anything, since that was common in dreams. He relaxed a little.

Nothing looked particularly strange, and his vision was clear. Weren’t dreams usually blurry and disjointed? The disparity made him feel uncomfortable. He hated not being in control.

Alex seemed to be moving closer to downtown. A car rushed by silently in the dark as he weaved through a growing crowd. Alex guessed it was around one in the morning. The clubs were still full of people. He approached a bouncer and flashed his gold card. They didn’t even ask for his ID.

Alex hadn’t been in a club before. The colorful flashing lights illuminated the gyrating bodies on the dance floor and those around the bar. He moved through the dancers, garnering a few hot glances from the women. Alex usually didn’t notice women looking at him, but, as an observer in his own body, he saw things more clearly. The girls at school avoided him, so Alex had always assumed he wasn’t particularly attractive. But the gazes tonight lifted his spirits.

It must be a dream, so I might as well enjoy it. He wondered what might happen next.

Soon, Alex was in the center of the dance floor, a girl dancing in front of him. She was beyond pretty.

She looked young and fit; her supple breasts and full hips fit her clothes- a halter top and miniskirt- perfectly. Her pale skin seemed to glow under the flashing lights as she twisted, swirled, and gyrated following the beat of the music. Her short, bobbed hair bounced as she moved and for a heated moment their eyes met across the floor. Alex was entranced, she was a great dancer. Her moves were fluid, graceful, and seductive. She smiled coyly, and moved towards him.

He noticed the leering, envious eyes from the other men who had wanted the girls attention. Perhaps they wondered, why him? But Alex and the girl danced without a care. After a few songs it felt like they were in their own world. Alex was moving smoothly and dancing well, despite his skills in reality, he hadn’t ever danced much.

The night would be perfect except for the lack of sound and touch. Every time she brushed up against him he could feel nothing. Not even when her full breasts grazed him as they swayed in and out of each other’s arms. The lack of senses just made it clear to him that this must be a dream.

Still, This is so cool. I wish I was this suave and graceful in real life.

He laughed at himself in his head, hating his lack of confidence.

After dancing for a bit, the two moved to the bar getting drinks before taking their leave.

My first drink of alcohol and I couldn’t even taste it.

The woman smiled as she spoke, her large eyes looking up at him as she held his arm. Alex desperately wanted to know what she was saying. Perhaps she had suggested they go to her place, and his excitement peaked. He didn’t even know her name, even if she had said it, he couldn’t hear her. She had a mysterious aura about her and he was in awe of her. Alex was glad his body was doing what he desired, even if he couldn’t control it or feel anything.

The woman flashed a sidelong smile at him, pressed up against Alex’s side as they walked. Her breast brushed up against him each time they moved. Simply watching it happen made Alex excited. They moved to less and less crowded streets, continuing to flirt along the way. Or at least, Alex assumed they were flirting.

They were walking through an alley when the girl tripped. Alex half expected her face to crash into his. She looked like she was expecting a kiss with the way her lips pursed together, and her eyes closed.

The dingy alley was the last place Alex would have gone, especially with a pretty girl in tow. It was littered in garbage, which made him glad he couldn’t smell it.

A kiss?! Now?! It was an exciting thought, but he had no experience. He watched her come closer, feeling embarrassed.

However, when her teeth turned into sharp fangs and her polished nails grew into crooked long claws, Alex knew immediately that he was in a world of trouble. Her previously short hair lengthened and moved towards his neck, moving like a living mass. Alex was shocked and too unprepared. All he wanted was a kiss. A kiss that could renew his vigour. But instead, what was in front of him was a 'kiss' of death.

The girl's eyes had become dyed in crimson red that was eerily highlighted by the dim light of the back alley road under the moonless night. As she pulled him closer with her hair, she licked her lips in rapture. Her claws crept onto his neck, he knew that he could not talk or reason his way out.

His body pushed and she flew back, the hair breaking away from him. She glared at him with glowing red eyes, and snarled a few words at him heatedly. Alex wasn't sure what was going on. The girl of his dreams was turning into some crazed monster. He wanted to wake up or run away as the girl leapt at him.

He smoothly dodged her attack, but she moved again just as quickly.

She jumped towards him again, her nails reaching out as if to shred him to pieces. But smoothly he pulled up the dumpster next to him with one hand and the large box was instead sliced into parts as it fell to the ground. A bag of old pizza toppings exploded, spraying the wall with tomato sauce. His body moved through the mess, not even getting a speck on Alex’s clothes.

What the f- Alex wanted to escape this crazy dream, but his body continued to move against his wishes.

Alex tried to speak, not even sure what he wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out of his uncooperative mouth.

She danced around the debree and tried to grab his shoulders, baring her teeth as her face got closer.

Is she trying to drink my blood or kill me? The thought of getting his blood sucked kind of excited him and repulsed him at the same time.

He grabbed her wrists and held her in a viselike grip. She looked surprised, and winced before yanking herself free.

She rubbed her wrists as she observed him, her eyes jumping from one spot to another, as if searching for weaknesses. She tried to grab or hit him, but he dodged or deflected each of her attacks with minimal movements.

Alex saw the growing frustration in her eyes. But there was also fear. To see such a look in her pretty blue eyes chilled him.

She was so fast that Alex couldn’t even follow her movements. But his body seemed to know where she was going to be before she even moved. It looked like he was playing with her. Her eyes flashed as she glared at him, and yelled silently, charging at him again.

Alex side stepped and the air conditioning unit beside him exploded as her claws sank into the vents, spraying him with water.

He shook off the water and dodged to the right. Parry. Block. Dodge. Grab.

She radiated rage as she aimed for his neck again but he moved at the last moment and turned hitting her with a spinning kick in the back. She soundlessly slammed into the ground cracking the concrete and creating a small crater. Blood trickled out her mouth as she pulled herself up wiping her mouth as she moved more carefully around him.

She jumped sideways and shot forward moving so fast she seemed to disappear. She appeared at his side her hand in the shape flat like a dagger as she tried to pierce his abdomen. His body twisted like a whip and slapped her away and into a wall. The wall fell as dust and debris clouded up the air around them.

Even after all that, she still stood up again her broken arm eerily snapping back to its proper shape as he watched. She spun up and over attempting an axe kick at his head.

It was like every James Bond movie Alex had ever seen in his life. His body even dive rolled into a roundhouse kick to her head, but nothing fazed her. She was like a tank on two legs, plowing through anything in her way.

Despite his anxiety, Alex had to admit the fight was bad ass! He was even winning. He had practiced martial arts before, but he wasn’t nearly as graceful and fast in real life.

He dodged the next few attacks and she became more frenzied moving even faster and hitting harder destroying anything that got in the way. She swiped at him and sliced the electric pole next to them in half. He threw things at her as he dodged and moved each of which she smashed into oblivion with a snarl on her face.

The attacks created huge potholes which they both avoided as they continued to create more chaos. But no matter how fast or hard she hit non of her attacks could even graze him.

She grabbed a trash can and it flew toward him, shredded into sharp pieces. Alex brushed away the fragments as he moved forward. She climbed the walls, and cut him off. He knocked her away and ran the other direction.

She chased after him. Alex stopped at a dead end. No escape.

Alex screamed in his head.

The brutal twist of her smirk marred her beautiful face as her hands shot out toward him. Suddenly, Alex's hand caught the girl's throat in a vice-like grip. His movement was so fast that the girl could not dodge at all. He then lifted her above the ground, pinning her to the wall and looked at her with a smile. But this was not just any other smile. This was a smile that would spell out the victor. And death would come to the loser.

She looked at him as if it were a joke, but when she tried to wrench his hand free this time, she couldn't. He tightened his grip. Her eyes widened in fear, her body tensed, and her face twisted in obvious pain.

A strange purple, crimson mist started to flow out from her mouth and nose. She hit him, kicked him, and scratched him again and again, but it only made him bolder. Despite her scratches he wasn’t even bleeding as if he had a barrier or something. He brought her closer--close enough to see the tears streaming from her eyes. He wrapped his free hand around her neck and squeezed.

As more of the mist came out she was growing weaker her tear stained face seemed to plead for the torture to stop.

Alex was forced to watch as her energy seeped out. Her body twitched and her eyes rolled back into her head. When she stopped moving, the strange mist also stopped. Alex dropped her carelessly to the ground.

The girl fell like a lump, dried and lifeless. Her once glowing crimson eyes were no more. And her pale skin had wrinkled beyond one's imagination. The victor was decided. The torment that the girl went through was ended.

Is she dead? She looks dead. An ambulance? I can’t. I don’t have control. This can’t be true. It must be a dream. Please, let it be a dream.

His body, unconcerned with Alex's inner struggle, left without looking back.

Alex was in a daze and didn't even know how he got home. Confusion and guilt clouded his mind and he barely noticed when he entered his room.

He collapsed on his bed, blackness seeping into his consciousness, and he knew no more.

(I know they have the auto links now but just in case you like the regular link better I will keep it. I know it works a little differently)