8 The Change (I)

If I told you what I was, would you turn your back on me?

And if I seem dangerous would you be scared? – Monster, Imagine Dragon.

***

Three days passed since Amaris told Alma to eat many portions of meats, Alma has to admit that whatever Amaris fed her make her feel better. She can feel her body slowly improving, from the initial wrecking pain to slight discomfort. Another thing that Alma realizes is the change in her body. She feels like her body is re-structured from inside, she never feels this strong before.

"How do you feel?" Amaris asked. She and Alma are the only ones in the room.

"I feel more powerful than before."

"That means you already passed the critical condition. I think in two more days your body will assimilate with our blood completely."

"Assimilate…you mean I'm no longer human?" Alma muttered.

"Of course, what else do you expect? I told you to pick between life and death. You won't be alive if you keep being a human."

"Then.. am I an Aeternum now?"

"You're a Noctacian, don't use the word Aeternum in here. We don't like that word. But you're like a mutant human, so you're different from us the pure Noctacian. You won't live as long as the rest of Noctacian," Amaris explained casually.

"That.. how about my food? Can I eat human food?"

"No, you can only eat our food if you want to survive. Oh, drinking coffee is fine though," Amaris answered cheerfully.

"What?! So.. the meat you gave me these three days are…" Alma trembled.

"It's human of course, yaaaay!"Amaris cheered.

Alma run to the bathroom and tried to vomit the food in her stomach, but nothing come out except some water. Finally, after thirty minutes of failing, she crumbled on the floor. She covers her face with her trembling hands, gradually small sobs can be heard from her. Alma can't believe what happened, she feels disgusted for herself because she ate humans flesh and she thought it was delicious on top of that!

'What have I become now?' she thinks

"You become what you chose," Amaris said suddenly. The girl stands in the door, looking at Alma. Her eyes are calm like she already predicted this.

"Whether you become what your family called 'monster' or you become what we called 'normal' it's your choice. We never asked to be born as Noctacian, we're born this way. We never chose to eat humans. If only we can survive without eating humans, we will do that. But the truth we can't, this is how we are. Just like the humans eat animal and plant to survive, we eat humans."

"Leave me alone please" Alma whispered.

"Okay, but you better make it quick. We need to meet the leader, the family has known about your existence," she said before leaving Alma alone.

Alma tried to stop her sobbing, she doesn't have time to be sad right now. She needs to pull herself and focus on what in front of her. With a trembling hand, she splashed her face with water. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and was shocked by what she sees. She has a different eye color! Her left eye is light green and her right eye is red. She reaches her hand to her eyes and rubbed it, but when she opens her eyes again the color is still the same.

She hurriedly left the bathroom and run to Amaris. "Amaris!" she yelled.

"What is it, Alma? No need to yell, I can hear you perfectly," Amaris grumbled.

"Something happens with my eyes!"

Amaris looked at Alma's eyes impassively."That's something normal. You said you feel more powerful, it's the effect of blood assimilation. Your eyes changed color because of that. Hmm, your normal eyes should be green now. The red-eye is when your eye is active, don't worry it will become green soon."

"What do you mean by active?"

"It's a condition where we're ready to attack or defend ourselves, I think you accidentally make it active when you feel upset before."

"Then how do I make it back to normal?"

"Just wait, it will be back to normal soon. You still lack the control to change your own body. Now, you better prepare the leader already waiting," Amaris urged her.

"What do you mean by the leader?" Alma questioned.

Amaris rolled her eyes, "Of course the leader of Noctacian. The family already heard about your existence. Now go change, the council doesn't have much patience."

Alma just changes quietly, wondering why she never heard anything about Aeternum or Noctacian leader before.

***

"You already come?" a beautiful woman with black hair asked.

"Yeah, where is everyone else?" answered another woman with bright red hair.

"Is the news true?" the black-haired woman asked again

"Yes, it is."

"How come they did that? What they think they're doing by saving someone from Visa family?! Don't they understand they're our enemy?!" the black-haired woman fumed.

"Calm yourself, Deen, let's hear their explanation."

"They better have a good reason Raven, or I will punish them myself," Deen grumbled.

Soon, another two figures joined Deen and Raven in the meeting room. All of them are women with a beautiful faces. "So, only Adie, and Amy come?" Raven asked.

"Where's the one in question?" a woman with brown hair asked.

"They're on the way Adie," Raven replied.

"What do you think about this?" Deen asked.

"I think we should hear their explanation," Adie answered.

"I think the same way too," the woman with indigo hair added.

"Not you too Amy, you know what they did is a violation," Deen ranted.

"I believe they have their reason. Just calm down and wait," Amy concluded.

"Fine then," Deen grumbled.

***

"Amaris, what will happen after this?" Alma asked worriedly. After all, she's someone from the Visa family, maybe they will immediately kill her?

"Don't worry, they just going to interrogate you and maybe punish me for helping you," Amaris said nonchalantly.

"You will be punished?"

"Probably yes, because I helped someone from Visa family."

"Aren't you worried?" Alma asked. She feels confused because Amaris doesn't look like she is worried at all.

"Nope," she replied curtly.

"How come?"

Amaris looked towards Alma with a small smile on her lips, "That's because I can't feel emotion."

"What? What do you mean.."

"Come on, we've arrived," Amaris interrupted Alma's question.

"Let's get in," she invited Alma.