When she woke up, it was to the steady beep of a nearby machine. A hospital bed, Sofia realized almost instantly as she the light shone in through the window. It was very bright, forcing her to shield her eyes. Next thing she noticed, was the man slumped against the nearby chair. Short-cut blonde hair, unkempt facial hair, fit figure, boots and a cowboy hat. Her brother, Derek. He stirred slightly when she reached out with her hand to pat him atop his head. Her kind, older brother, trying to work his way through life.
It was only because of him and grandma that she was even here at University to begin with. She had gotten a scholarship thanks to her cheerleading, but that wouldn't cover all the expenses. So her grandma had used some of her savings, and Derek had started working to help pay the fees. It was just them three, since they had lost their parents when Sofia was very young. Sofia did not even remember them, but Derek says he remembers. He blinked and smacked his lips, before he opened his eyes properly, now looking up at his sister with his big, bright blue eyes.
"Sofia! How are you feeling, are you hurting anywhere?!" he said loudly, jolting to a sitting position.
-"I... feel rather terrible, honestly. Mostly I am just hungry.. and my neck is stiff. When did you get here?" Sofia answered, rubbing at her neck where a big bandaid covered the bite-area.
"I got here right away. I am your emergency contact after all. Been by your side all night. Shall I call in a nurse?" Derek asked, as he reached out to take Sofia's hand, giving it a squeeze.
-"Yeah... and I got an exam in a few days too... shit." Sofia muttered, clearly unhappy with this development. She couldn't afford to spend time at the hospital, she had to study!
"Sofia, don't overdo it. You've been attacked, and injured. The professors will cut you some slack. Now just relax, and rest. Orders from big brother." Derek said as he rose to stand, letting go of her hand, before walking towards the door, opening it slightly to peak outside. He seemed to talk to someone outside, before the door was opened fully, and a nurse accompanied him back inside.
"Good day Miss Maddox! I am Cathleen, nurse here at the Bryan Medical Center East Campus. Do you mind if I do a bit of a check-up?" the woman said and smiled sweetly.
-"Ye-yeah of course not, go ahead." Sofia said, nodding. Cathleen then shone a light into her eyes, checked her pulse, blood pressure, all that jab.
"Well, Miss Maddox, you seem to be in good health. There are two police officers waiting outside, wanting to ask you some question. However, since you are our patient, you have a right to refuse them if you do not feel up to the task." Cathleen then said, taking a few steps back.
-"It is okay, you can let them in. Also... is there anything to eat here? I am very hungry.." Sofia answered, a bit uncharacteristically. She was used to dieting and fasting, to keep her figure slim, but today she was unnaturally hungry. Must be because she lost a lot of blood, probably.
"Oh absolutely, I'll have someone bring you lunch, Miss Maddox." Cathleen said before leaving. Shortly thereafter, two police officers stepped inside the room.
"Sorry to disturb you, miss, but we just wanted to ask some questions, if that is alright?" one of the men said.
-"Yeah of course." Sofia answered in return. She figured they wanted to ask about the attack, which made sense. What followed was your standard questions. Do you remember what the assailant looked like? Did they say something? Do you remember calling 911?
Sofia answered what she knew, which wasn't a lot. She remembered there was a man who had followed her to her car. He had then assaulted her, groped her and bit her neck, and when she had struggled back he had bashed her against the car and thrown her to the ground. The details however were all hazy, but she recalled he had red eyes, and that his voice was strange. She did not recall calling 911 herself.
The officers took notes, and around the same time that they were leaving, Cathleen returned with a tray. On it was a sandwich, as well as a steak, mashed potatoes and boiled vegetables. The officers and Cathleen excused themselves, as Sofia started eating. Derek watched with some amazement as his sister practically ripped into the food.
"Hoo... slow down, Sof, You'll choke...." he remarked, never having seen his sister like this before.
But Sofia didn't slow down. She ate with a ravenous hunger, even though she could barely taste the food. She knew hospital food was known to be rather bland, but this was just pathetic. Only think she could taste a little bit off, was the meat. She made sure to suckle on it properly, getting all the juices out, before swallowing. Once she was finished though, she didn't really feel any relief. Rather, he stomach seemed upset, and not long after, she vomited everything back up onto the floor.
Cathleen rushed inside, did some more tests on Sofia, and then assured her that she was doing fine. She explained many who have been assaulted are often in shock, and nausea is very common. When asked if she wanted to stay one more night for observation, she vehemently protested. In the end, Derek ended up driving her back to her dorm room that same afternoon. Her phone had absolutely exploded with notifications, missed called and messages, so as her brother drover her back, she spent some time doing damage control. First, she called Alex, who she had 23 missed calls from and 53 messages. She promised to meet up with him after his practice, outside her dorm.
Next was her best friend Becca, who she sent a few texts to, explain her absence and that she had been assaulted on the way home after practice. She also sent a few texts to her Grandma, and some other friends she had like Emily and Helen.
Once they arrived outside the dormitory building, she gave her brother a tight hug, and promised him she would be fine. She wouldn't go anywhere alone, she'd always leave practice with some of the other girls, worst case Alex would walk her back home. Well, worst case for Derek, best case for her, she thought to herself, smirking. Still, she said her goodbyes, and head up into the building. As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by a hug from her roommate, Rachel. Then she was showered with concern and questions.
Was she okay? What had happened? Was there a potential murderer out on the loose? Sofia calmed her down, and assured her friend that she was doing okay now. She was, however, extremely hungry. Together, the pair of them headed to the campus cafeteria to find dinner. Normally, Sofia would have had a simple salad. Maybe with some chicken in it. Today however, she only took meat. Rachel though her roommate was joking at first, but then just shook her head. When they then sat to eat, Sofia could not help herself. Without any sense of self-control, she ate and she ate, wild almost like a beast, drawing many looks their way.
"Sofia... stop, please... people are watching! It's embarrassing..." Rachel said, shielding her face with a hand, but Sofia didn't stop, she couldn't. And despite everything, it didn't help- She ate 3 full steaks, but didn't feel less hungry at all! Then came the nausea. Thankfully she made it to the bathroom in time, before she threw everything back up into the toilet. Rachel held her hair, snickering gently.
"Girl... you're a mess..." she remarked, and Sofia could only nod. What was going on with her?
Once they were back in their dorm room, Rachel excused herself, said she had to study, and so she retreated into her own bedroom. The dorm was essentially just a living room, with 2 small sleeping rooms, one for each girl. There was no kitchen, but there was a refrigerator, and a microwave. Sofia should study too, but she couldn't focus at all. So she sat in the living room sofa, staring into the wall, as the hunger just kept growing and growing. She didn't know what it was she wanted exactly, but it wasn't necessarily food. But whatever it was, she wanted it, desperately. Then, there was a knock on the door. Alex!
She opened the door and threw herself into his arms, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. He was strong, tall, and made her feel so very safe. 6 foot 4 inches, a receiver for the Cornhuskers Football Team. Fair complexion, blonde hair similar to hers, green eyes, clean shaven. She remained in his arms for a long while, listening to the sound of his heart beat.
"Oh Sofia... are you okay?" he said, kissing the top of her head.
-"I am now... God, I was so scared Alex!" Sofia whispered back, holding her boyfriend as if her life depended on it. He was so warm, so firm to hold, smelled so good. In fact, was he wearing a new cologne?
"You have no idea how worried I've been... come, let me take you out, walk in the park." he said, and she nodded. She unwrapped herself from him, then quickly headed inside her room to change into some new clothes. Her old ones she stuffed under the blanket in her bed, just in case she might spend the night at Alex's place. You weren't allowed to stay over with student's of the opposite gender, according to University rules, but Sofia had spent a few nights over at Alex's. She stuffed her bed so that, should Rachel look inside, it would look as if she was at home sleeping.
Tonight, Sofia knew she didn't want to be alone. The memory of that man was still fresh in her mind, haunting her. So together, the pair of them left the dorm room, walking hand in hand... all while her hunger just grew and grew...