13. Use Your Nose

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The rest of the day was uneventful, no cars running me down or anything else exciting. Classes were in the boring introductory phase where most teachers just handed out a syllabus and told us what they expected.

I called Randall after my classes were over and we made plans to pick up the mangled bicycle still chained to the bike rack at the science building, and then to go to his house and pick up a second bicycle. I had time to shower and refresh myself before he came to pick up me up. We drove over to the science building and got out to load up the bike.

“You sure did a number on this one,” He commented as he heaved it into the bed of his truck.

I looked down, embarrassed.

“Hey, it’s okay, the main thing is that you are safe.”

“We can be hit by semi-trucks and be safe.”

“True, but it would still be painful. And the poor truck!” He laughed. I looked up at him and smiled too. At least he wasn’t mad.

At his house, we unloaded the dented, broken bicycle and he picked out a different one to load into the truck. Then, we drove back to my dorm to drop it off and chain it to the bike rack next to my dorm.

I felt bad because Randall was doing so much work for me and I had nothing to do for him in return.

“Want to come up to my room?” I offered nervously. We could always relax in front of the TV on the couch. Stephanie and Kelsie had brought an extensive collection of movies to the dorm if Randall wanted to stay for a while.

“Sure, that sounds good.” He maneuvered his truck into an empty student parking spot and got out, locking the doors. We climbed the stairs to the third floor and I led him into our living room. “This is the main room, one of my roommates brought a television and DVD player for here,” I motioned towards the TV, “The couch and table and stuff came with the suite.”

I then led him to my bedroom, praying that I had remembered to make my bed and put away my dirty clothes despite my anger at Stephanie that morning.

The small room was neat enough, I showed him my room and my sparse personal belongings, my laptop, a picture of my mom and me that she’d insisted I keep in a frame on my night stand, and my collection of books and CD’s. I then led him back out to the living room.

Randall paused at my doorway and I bumped into him, “Sorry,” I mumbled, but he wasn’t paying attention to me. Something else held his focus.

“What do these doors lead to?” He asked, his voice cold and serious.

“Um, those two are the bathrooms,” I pointed at the two doors across from us. “That one is Stephanie’s room,” I motioned to the door on my right, then I pointed to the last two on the left, “And those two belong to Kelsie and Lilith.”

“Are any of them here right now?” He walked toward the rooms at the end of the hallway, Kelsie and Lilith’s.

“Well, Stephanie and Kelsie are never here, so I doubt today will be any different. Lilith,” I pointed at her closed door, “Is here for sure. She has an allergy to the sun, so she only leaves the room at night, just to be safe.”

He glanced up at me and laughed. Even thought he was laughing, he still looked serious. He shook his head, “A sun allergy. Does that even exist?”

“Well actually, I looked it up online after I heard about it and it does exist. It isn’t terribly common, but it exists-“

“Come here,” He said, motioning me to come closer to. I cautiously walked towards him and Lilith’s door, “I want you to tell me what you smell.”

I sniffed, “You?”

He frowned, thinking I was joking around.

“All I can smell is your cologne.” I was trying to be serious but I didn’t understand what was going on.

He backed up down the hallway, back towards the living room, so his scent wouldn’t be as strong. I was left feeling very stupid in front of Lilith’s door. I wondered if we were waking her up. The dorms weren’t built very soundproof.

“Now try again. And this time, don’t just sniff the air. Smell the air, take it in and use your wolf nose, not your human nose.”

I closed my eyes and tried to do as he said. I had never deliberately attempted to use my heightened werewolf senses while in my human form. My eyes still closed, I took in a deep breath through my nose and then released it. I took several more before I began to feel lightheaded. I was about to give up, but then I smelled it. It was a foreign odor, a musty smell like mold left to grow in a home with a leaky roof, that smell mixed with a smell like freshly turned earth. The smell was faint, but every time I breathed it in, it grew stronger. It began to turn into a smell akin to death and decay.

My instincts told me little about the smell, but somehow, I new that unpleasant odor was not human, not natural.

“What is it?” I breathed quietly. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end.

“You smell it?” He moved closer to me now.

“Yes,” His seriousness and that scent were both unnerving me. I felt a surge of adrenaline and fear. Why was that smell so unnerving?

“Let’s go, I don’t want to talk about it here. She might hear us,” He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the door. It was not until we were downstairs and in his truck again that he said anything.

“How long have you known that girl?” He asked me. He began driving, tires pealing out on the asphalt of the parking lot as he pulled out and onto the highway. I was afraid to ask where we were going.

“Lilith? Just a week, less than a week, really. I just met her during move-in.” The Texas sun was shining full and bright, and being away from that dark hallway took off some of the edge. My heart began to beat at a normal rate again. What could happen to us driving in the daytime?

“What has she told you? Have you been in that room? Has she invited you anywhere?”

“Why the twenty-questions? She is my roommate, nothing more. We don’t share girly secrets. She has been very nice to me, even though she is a bit strange. She always goes out alone and she’s pretty private. We went for a walk once, but she never did anything to me. I have never been in her room. I don’t know what else to say.”

“Fine, one more question. This is the most important. What have you told her about your condition?” He glanced over at me after he asked.

“What? You assume I told her anything!” I turned myself in the seat to square my shoulders and glare at him.

“Well, we have to assume she knows.”

“Why? A full moon hasn’t even passed. There is no reason for her to be suspicious, no matter what her problem is.”

“You still don’t know, do you?”

“I suppose I’m clueless.” I sighed. I wished he would just come out and tell me what was going on.

“What did your instincts tell you?” He asked, still looking ahead at the road. I knew now where we were going. He was taking me to his house.

I thought of what I smelled in that hallway. I had never smelled it before, but my brain threw out a word for me to grasp.

“Old death,” I started, “My instincts told me that the room behind that door held death. My instincts told me to get away from that smell, that it was not natural, not normal…not safe. I’ve never smelled anything like it.”

“So you didn’t notice it before. Damn, Selene,” He pounded the steering wheel, making a good thump. I think he wished to pound something else, but when you’re in a vehicle, there isn’t much to smash. His face was full of anger and frustration. “You need an education. You have no idea what’s out there. You’re a part of this world, but you’re awfully oblivious to what happens in it, and that’s dangerous.”

“It isn’t my fault. You have all the resources you need, living in the Pack. I didn’t have the benefit of living with two parents that have the knowledge yours have, accept what I am, and help me to learn and grow.”

He looked at me again, the rage fading from his eyes. “I’m sorry. I forget that you’re so new to the Pack. I forget your background,” He sighed, turning into the drive leading to his house.

“You could…teach me.”

“You probably know it all, you just don’t believe in it.”

I sighed, “You want me to believe in all the scary stories, is that it? Since werewolves exist, so must aliens and fairies and zombies and vampires and…and…witches and stuff?”

He parked the car and then turned to me, “You don’t have to believe everything, but there is a lot of stuff in this world besides humans and werewolves. Take your roommate for example. There are things in this world that are no longer living. They are animated, resurrected by a supernatural force. They sustain themselves through the blood of the living. They can survive in this existence for hundreds, thousands of years, never growing older, never changing. They just get stronger, more powerful, and smarter.”

“So you’re saying my roommate is a…?” I didn’t want to say the word, it seemed so silly.

“A vampire.” He said, giving me the full weight of his gaze. I swallowed hard.

If his face wasn’t so serious, if I hadn’t smelled that moldy odor in that hallway and been so creeped out, if the hairs on the back of my neck hadn’t bristled, my supernatural senses warning me that something wasn’t right, I would have laughed in his face. The thought of vampires in this world. I would have laughed and left that truck. However, the air inside that cab was so heavy with a serious heaviness; I sat there, staring into his eyes.

“What…what should I do?” I whispered, and right then, I could see that he knew I believed him. He took my hand in his, a gesture of comfort.

“Well, for starters…lock your door at night,” He smiled at me, “Vampires can’t drink from us; our blood is poisonous to them. But she still might want to kill you, or she might have something planned. It’s an awful coincidence that a vampire ends up as your roommate. Let’s go talk to my parents. They might know something that I don’t.”

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A/N: This is where the story starts picking up. Getting a little bit out of the character development phase and into some action. Only about four or five chapters until the full moon! Can't wait to hear everyone's reactions as this goes on. I really like how this story gets in a few chapters. Anyone else as excited as I am? Maybe if I get some comments, I'll post a chapter on Thursday, and you'll be even closer to the full moon. ;) That's a hint, people. GIMME COMMENTS!

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