Teaser … Thursday (Teaser Tuesday #2)

Hello lovely followers! I realized I completely forgot to post a new teaser on Tuesday. I just got back to my college campus on Monday and my classes started yesterday, so everything has been pretty crazy. But, here is another little excerpt from I Chose the Monster (even though it’s two days late). Enjoy!

“So … Nina.” He kind of squints at me as he says it, like maybe he’s not entirely sure if that’s my name. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Oh,” is all I can manage to say. I didn’t expect this command to come out of nowhere, and now I don’t know how to answer. Tell him about myself? “Well uh … I’m not sure where to begin. What do you want to know?”

He shrugs, taking a few paces until he reaches the lamp post. He puts a hand against it. “I don’t know. Anything.”

“Anything?” I let out another awkward laugh, wrapping my arms around myself. “Um, okay. Well. I’m sixteen. I … am an only child. Both my parents are alive––as far as I know, anyway. They’re in a safe area.”

I stop, because I know if I continue talking I’m just going to get to the painful stuff.

Gavin has his hand wrapped around the lamp post, and is circling around it slowly. “Is that it?”
“I don’t know.” I rub a hand against my arm, bite my lip. I find that I actually do want to keep talking. It’s been hard to keep it all inside, and just to have someone to spill it all out to––even if it’s someone I don’t know very well––feels like a big relief. Besides, what is there to lose? I’m sure I’m not the only one with a painful story.

“I mean, no. That’s not it. I …” I hold back for a second, not sure how to explain it, how to put it all into words. “I was supposed to go with them,” I say, at last. “I didn’t find out I was infected until I was already there. We had to do blood tests, and … I didn’t pass.”

Gavin stops circling around the lamp post, and faces me. “And then they sent you out here?”

“Yeah.”

“Damn.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. That’s awful.”

I just nod, because I don’t trust myself to speak. I’d probably just end up crying. Even now, a lump is swelling in my throat and I can feel the threat of tears stinging at my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Gavin says again. “I didn’t mean to, you know, bring up anything too painful.”

“It’s okay.” I hastily wipe the back of my hand across my eyes. “It’s kind of hard to avoid, for all of us. Remembering the painful stuff, I mean.”