Thanks for the feedback! I hope you like the next installment. I'm introducing characters here and attempting to expose personalities. The story also switches point of views.
SRB
-Santana-
It had been ridiculously sunny and blazing hot the day that I allowed myself to remember the single most traumatizing moment of my life and it had rained since. That's DC weather for you. I was stuck inside with my own thoughts and I hated it. I had been Googling mutations, and altered senses for days and I decided to give my MacBook and my brain a rest. "Get over it, Santana! You have enhanced senses and ethereal looks. Poor. Fucking. You!" I chastised myself as I pushed my laptop away but I knew it was much more than that.
What I had done to those men in the clearing wasn't humanly possible. The way that I had tracked them, the way that I tore into the one's throat and nearly taken the other's head off with my nails wasn't humanly possible. I stared down at my hands. I had always had healthy, strong nails but they didn't appear capable of what I had done that day. I slid two fingers into my mouth and felt every ridge and point of my teeth for perhaps the hundredth time since I had woken up. My canines had always been a little sharp but surely incapable of doing much damage.
Sometimes I would wonder if I had suffered a psychotic break that day. Could have been some variation of post-traumatic stress disorder. I would imagine that I had witnessed my father being murdered, and maybe a circuit crossed, a synapse broke. It had become my favorite daydream and I was hoping that if I thought about it enough, I would believe it was the truth. How sad when contemplating insanity was a better option than reality.
I sighed as I ran my fingers through my silky raven hair and groaned as my fingers became entangled in knots. I knew I must have looked atrocious, I hadn't brushed my hair yet and judging from the disgusting taste in my mouth, I had also forgotten to brush my teeth. "Poor hygiene and insane..." I said out loud to myself as stripped out of my clothes.
I slipped on a pair of running shorts, a sports bra, and an old t-shirt. It was raining but the temperature outside was still in the high eighties. I had only left my apartment to go to class and I had been reluctant to do even that. I was becoming stir crazy and I knew that probably wasn't the best way to deal with everything I was experiencing. I needed to run.
Since I biked regularly, I never ran for exercise related reasons. I ran because it was sometimes the only time that I found something resembling peace and peace was exactly what I needed right now. I secured my hair in a messy bun and quickly put on my tennis shoes. I always felt antsy before I ran and today was no different. I had been fighting the compulsion to run for days now and I felt like I was going to explode if I didn't feel my feet pounding against the pavement soon. I left my apartment and set off.
I didn't want to stop. I had been running for over an hour. My shirt clung to my form. My bangs were plastered to my forehead with rain but I tasted salt on my tongue as a bead of what must have been sweat slipped between my lips. Good. I'm breaking a sweat. Gotta keep going. The catchy pop songs playing on my iPod were long forgotten and all I had been concentrating on after the first half hour was the sound of my feet hitting the sidewalk and the way the wind and rain felt as it glided over my over sensitized skin. Peace.
I closed my eyes and continued on my steady pace down the sidewalk; I had no intention of stopping until my lungs gave out. I had attempted pushing myself before but only the sirens, honking horns, and cat calls of the DC nightlife were enough to cause me to return home. Tonight, I was going to ignore those things. I began counting the steps I was taking, eyes still closed.
I had reached 137 when what felt like a brick wall crashed into my body. The impact caused me to stumble back and collide with the hard pavement. I groaned slightly before opening my eyes to see if I had actually ran into a brick wall. No, not a wall... I was staring at a pair of tanned, toned, hairy legs. Fuck! I ran into an actual person. Why couldn't it have been a wall? Without looking up to see who the legs belonged to, I scrambled to my feet. My eyes remained downcast.
"I'm sorry..." I said as I dusted the back of my shorts off. Muffled words were his reply. I realized then that my iPod was still playing explaining why I hadn't heard his words. I tugged on the cord, removing one earbud. "Excuse me?"
"I said, no problem. Are you alright? It looked like you went down pretty hard." His voice had a melodic quality to it yet was still very masculine. His words caused me to blush. Despite his obvious concern, I could tell he was trying hard not to laugh. I couldn't bring myself to look past his knee caps. My natural awkwardness was never meant to be mixed with humiliation.
"I thought I ran into a brick wall" I mumbled. The sound of his laughter caused me to look up and my breath caught in my throat.
"I'll take that as a compliment, I think. I'm really sorry. I really should have been paying more attention. Let me make it up to you." Said the ridiculously attractive man that I had ran into. He was wearing a sideways grin on his face, watching me intently.
"No, it's not necessary. I was running with my eyes closed. This is obviously my fault." I admitted, blushing once more.
"Hm, you're right it is your fault then. You should make it up to me." He said with the same suave grin. "Come out with me tonight. My older siblings own a club on M street. It's pretty tight."
"Oh..I..um..I don't go out with...strangers who try to pick me up on the side of the road," I replied and immediately regretted my words. I looked down once more and stared at his obviously expensive running shoes. He was laughing.
"Oh, you're gorgeous for sure but you're not my type, honey. You're missing a certain piece of equipment that I'm quite fond of. So you see, I'm not a stranger hitting on you. I'm just a friendly stranger and that's rare around these parts, sweetie." He said with chuckle.
I looked back up and couldn't help but smile. I had to agree with him. People weren't generally the friendliest here. "I'm Santana." I said as I stuck out my hand. He shook it enthusiastically. At that moment, the wind picked up and as it blew over his body, I caught a glimpse of something that smelled like home. Not my actual home but absolution, completion and ...peace. Tingles immediately graced my skin and it was like every nerve ending came to life. Every nerve ending. I felt my heart quicken and between my legs quivered with a feeling that I wasn't used to having.
I only realized that I had zoned out when I saw his fingers snap in front of my face. I blinked and looked up into his deep brown eyes. "I'm Ash." He gave me a contemplative look. "So, what do you think of accompanying me tonight now that you know I'm not some creeper trying to take you home?" His easy smile returning.
"Well, you're assuming that I believe that you're actually batting for the other team" I said, shaking off the feelings that that brief scent had triggered. He laughed again.
"You have an awkward bluntness about you, I like it. How about you just come out tonight? Free drinks all night. Bring anyone you want. I'll put you on the guest list and just have the bouncer inform me that you're there and I can show you around..." He said with a hopeful tone.
