Lily returned to the bed and though the house was relatively quiet, she was being slammed with a variety of sounds. She could hear mummers of people talking throughout the house though she didn't know what they were saying. She heard their heartbeats clearly, like rhythmic beating drums that never stopped. She heard water dripping in the bathroom and running through the pipes. She heard a radio in the kitchen a television in the living room.
Then there were the smells that flooded her nose and brain. She smelled the paint from her walls. The room was painted long before she started living there but the smell stank as if it had just been painted. She smelled the laundry soap and fabric softener that Sandy used to wash her sheets. She could smell Lacy's fading scent. She could smell the dusty smell of her aged old books and the posters that clung to the wall. She could smell everything!
During the rest of the day, one by one of the Roberts's family came to see how she was doing. Sandy brought her some food and Lily nibbled on it a little, but she simply couldn't eat too much before she started to feel odd. As much as she loved to see every single one of them but every new person brought with them new smells and sounds. Although she hated to admit it, she wished James would come to see her.
He was the only one who could possibly relate to what she was going through and maybe knew a way to help her, but he never came. The idea of leaving her room terrified her. What scents would be waiting for her out there? She was already feeling overwhelmed with the smells of just her room, what would happen if she left and went into the house? Lily spent the rest of the day and all of the night, trying to assimilate her powerful senses.
The next morning Lily started to feel claustrophobic and a bit lonesome. She really felt like she was about to climb the walls when a knock came to the door. She got up and opened the door to see James standing there. Lily felt something literally stir inside her and she was aware of emotions inside her, but they weren't hers. She didn't have time to really analyze what was going on when she was hit with the multitudes of scents.
James said something, but it was lost to her ears. Lily took a few steps back, feeling dizzy with the information overload her nose was giving her. "Close the door," she demanded then pinched her nose, trying to stop more the flow of smells.
"Are you alright?" He asked and Lily sighed with relief as he closed the door. "Lily what's wrong?" He asked again with a look of concern on his face. She didn't know why but suddenly laughter bubbled up out of her and James gave her an odd, confused look. She felt like she was going insane as she couldn't stop laughing. James crossed his arms over his chest with a look of irritation.
"I'm sorry James," she panted when she'd managed to stop laughing. "I don't know why was laughing, none of this funny. How do you do it James?" she asked him and he looked at her confused. "The smells and the sounds, it's so much... too much. I'm on the verge of going crazy," she admitted. James got an apologetic expression on his face.
"I just got used to them," he replied with a shrug and she frowned with a sigh.
"I realize this must be incredibly overwhelming for you, especially since you're new to being even a normal werewolf," he told her and she knew he was trying to be sympathetic, but her patience was spent.
"Tell me something I don't know Sherlock," she snapped then sighed, it wasn't a good idea being rude to possibly the only person who could help her. She groaned and plopped down on her bed. "I'm sorry James, I didn't mean to snap like that," she told him honestly.
He smiled at her and sat down on the bed next to her. "It's okay, after all you've been through you've earned the right to snap and be a little bitchy. With time, your body will adjust to the new amount of information your senses are giving it and you won't even notice them anymore," he told her.
"It seems really impossible for me to get used to all of this," she admitted and he smiled at her again.
"You'd be surprised what you can get used to," he placing a hand on her knee. She gasped as her body seemed to suddenly go crazy. It tingled all over with little electric shocks, her breath quickened but her heart slowed and she felt extremely light headed. "Lily, what's wrong? You look a little pale?" James asked, worry filling his voice. A silent growl rumbled in her chest and she moved closer to him but not at her own accord.
"Lily, what's wrong? Talk to me," he told her but all she could think of was how hungry she was all of the sudden and that smell coming off from James smelled so appetizing. All she had to do was sink her teeth into the soft flesh of his neck. She could feel her teeth change and she slowly started to lean closer to him.
"No, stop!" She demanded to whatever was controlling her and she threw herself away from him, feeling repulsed by what she almost had done. Lily buried her face in her pillow to hide her tears. Why the hell did she want to bite him?
"Lily, are okay? What happened?" He asked and she felt the bed shift then a warm hand placed on her back. At his touch, she felt the strange tingling and so on spike again.
"Please James, go away... now," she pleaded with him, afraid of what was happening her and horrified when she remembered that she wasn't really like him but something else entirely.
"Lily what's wr-" he started, sounding really worried, but she inched farther away from him.
"Just go! Please James, now!" she shouted at him, not sure if she could hold back whatever it was inside her. When he got up from the bed and she heard the door shut Lily sighed with relief as whatever was happening to her, calmed down. She turned on her back and stared at the ceiling. God what just happened? She asked silently, disgusted with herself and couldn't stop from wishing once more that she had died instead of lived.
The next day, Andrew insisted she come down to his office. Lily stood in front of her door nervously. I can do this; she told herself and slowly opened the door. The smells and sounds washed over her like a thunderous tidal wave. She heard Sandy cooking dinner in the kitchen, the faucet dripping in the bathroom, the water flowing through the pipes in and around the house, and Andrew and others talking in his office.
The same went for the smells; the house, Sandy's cooking, the water, dust, and basically everything else around her wafted up to her and threatened her sanity. At first Lily wanted to panic but she forced herself to remain calm. James said there was no way to shut them out, so with a deep calming breath Lily simply let them all in. She was surprised that when she stood in front of the office door, the intensity of the smells and sounds seemed to dim in force. Well at least that's a little bit of good news, she thought as she entered Andrew's office.
Tony was leaning in a corner with his arms crossed and James mimicked him but on the opposite side of the room. Another man, she didn't recognize sat down in one of the chairs in front of Andrew's large wooden desk. Lily felt uncomfortable as whatever monstrosity was inside her flittered around when James's scent hit her. Oh hell no, we are not going through that again and most certainly not with him! She demanded silently and was shocked when it settled.
Lily took the last chair and Chris stood by Tony with his hands in his pockets. "Glad to see you finally out of your room Lily, how are you feeling?" Andrew asked her with a small smile.
"I'm still alive," she replied flatly, shielding her eyes from the evening sun that spilled into the room from the large windows behind Andrew.
"It'll get better Lily, you can overcome this. James could do it and so can you," Andrew told her and if it wasn't for the fact she was starting to get a major headache, she'd roll her eyes. "How about I introduce you to the real Greg," Andrew started and Lily turned to the man sitting next to her. He appeared to be smaller in height than her, his light brown hair was cut in a short buzz cut with brown eyes. He gave her a shy little smile and a quick wave gesture with his hand.
She returned the gesture, wondering when he'd been found. "I really need to know if Xavier told you anything. Why he is doing this, where he went, and so on," Andrew told her and she turned her attention back to her father. She nodded feeling a little hesitant to discuss what had happened.