Morning Sickness

Beth shrugged off the blanket and rolled over, landing on her feet with a groan. Thank goodness her internal clock was on time. She had never needed an alarm clock before in high school and was hoping the same would ring true in college. Her watch said 7:34 am. Mumbling to herself about early birds, Beth walked over to the closet and changed into a Boston t-shirt and cut off shorts.1

Kira was still crashed, or appeared to be. She was nestled under the blankets. Very expensive blankets Beth thought. The girl crossed the room to her desk, but paused half-way. There was a new smell in the room - several new smells.2

dirt, asphalt, trees, deer The scents wafted from the clothes in Kira's hamper. deer blood, That particular smell came not from the hamper, but from her roommate's bed. Beth crept closer and inhaled. The sheets were immaculate, almost too perfect to have held a teenage girl all night.3

But there she lay, her back rising and falling with her breath, even though Beth had yet to pinpoint her breathing. There was the smell: where her breath ought to be, drifting out of her slightly open mouth.4

Midnight snack, Kira? Beth was hungry when she woke, but wasn't so sure anymore. Her back was tense, the minute hairs along her neck bristling. She stifled half a growl in her throat before it escaped. Bile rose into her mouth, mixed with foam.5

She had never met anything so like herself before. With the scents in the room, she was reminded of so many good times with her family - running through the woods, bringing down game, howling for the sheer joy of it. But this creature was not a wolf, did not smell like one or act like one. So why, despite the obvious effort to hide the fact, did she smell deer blood? The more she thought of it, the stronger the smell became. It excited her, almost as much as it frightened her.6

Her mouth suddenly dry, Beth turned back to her desk, where she began brushing her dark brown hair. Kira began to stir. Beth kept the same sweeping motion of the brush, even as her eyes changed from hazel to gold.