THE AWAKENING

Cassidy couldn’t escape the feeling she was being watched.

And it wasn’t the first time she’d felt this way.

A shiver of apprehension crawled up her spine and rattled her skull as she hurriedly walked home. The walking path was illuminated by the barest of street lamps — budget cuts within the city had eliminated bulb replacement — and it was her bad luck that she didn’t own a car and so had to walk home from the university.

Normally, she enjoyed the time to herself to walk home. But lately, she couldn’t shake the feeling that eyes were on her, watching her every move.

Of course, the dreams didn’t help either.

For the past week, she’d woken out of a deep, almost drugged sleep, sweat-soaked and achy as if eaten by a fever, and oddly, aroused.

It was disconcerting and a bit embarrassing considering the men in her dreams weren’t exactly men but more like beasts.

Thank God she lived alone. She’d hate to have to explain her behavior when she didn’t have a clue what was going on with her body or her mind.

The bite in the air signaled snow was coming and she pulled her scarf tighter around her neck to ward off the cold. Almost home, she noted with relief, when the old apartment building loomed in the darkness.

A sound, much like that of a coyote or wolf, echoed in the night and she startled at the mournful sound. What the hell?

her step, her heart thundering in her chest. Probably someone’s dog, she told herself when her imagination threatened to run away

were actual wolves running around the city.

So stop freaking out.

stern advice seemed rational, she continued to jump at the shadows from the moving foliage, until when she stepped onto the paved parking lot of her building, she broke out

slid the bolt and leaned against her door to release a shaky

No

was sufficiently recovered, she tossed her backpack to the table and went straight to the kitchen. She was starved. No, she was beyond starved. She

fridge and peered inside, her eyes lighting on the package of raw hamburger she’d purchased yesterday

ripping into the package and devouring the raw meat, slurping the

she deliberately shut the door and grabbed a box of cheese crackers.

bird flu or something, she thought as she munched on the crackers and tried to ignore how the cheesy taste was starting to make her a

wanted meat, not

box to the cupboard. Her stomach cramped from

What was wrong

This had to be

for finals, she was doubled over like she was dying. It wasn’t likely her professors were going to care about her stomach issues when she came to class