Cecilia ran around the track, breathing steadily as she finished her fifth lap. She was soaked in sweat. The sun was hot on her neck and shoulders, which were exposed to its rays due to the cross country team's uniform being a tank top and running shorts. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail.
"On your right," a male voice said as one of the team's best runners, Tanner, passed her. He didn't look the type to be a cross country runner. Most runners had a lean, streamlined physique; Tanner's musculature seemed more like an american football player's.
That didn't stop Cecilia from zoning out looking at him, though. She'd always admired the way his muscles rippled as he ran.
Today… something just felt different about it. She couldn't look away. Even though he was much faster than her and they barely interacted since the school's team was so large, Cecilia found herself trying to catch glances of him every chance she got. She traced his progress around the track, his tall, buff form standing out like a horse amidst a herd of ponies as he entered a dense section of cross country team members.
They were in the middle of a lighter day of practice. Instead of running around the city or traveling to a local trail to train, the team was simply doing laps around the track. Varsity team, the elites (of which Tanner was a member), were doing 20 laps, Junior Varsity was doing 16, and C-team was doing 12. After that, they'd all do upper body strength training. With muscles like those, Tanner could probably lift quite a bit, right?
Cecilia kept running. After the conversation with Guinevere, she'd gone to 6th period, then 7th. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened besides her increased appetite and the interrogation of the parasite, which had remained quiet since.
As she reflected on her earlier hunger, Cecilia realized that she was getting hungry again. Already? She'd made sure to get some chips from a vending machine before practice started, so why?
[Your nutritional needs are greater because of me,] the parasite answered in her mind. [I need them in order to recover.]
Great, now it could read her thoughts? Just wonderful.
Cecilia snarled and accelerated, going from a steady run to a mild sprint. She didn't want to deal with this stupid parasite right now. It was bad enough that it existed, but did it really have to talk to her?? She had been enjoying today's exercise; was it really necessary for it to interrupt?
[Suit yourself,] the parasite remarked snidely.
About ten minutes later, Cecilia wiped sweat off her brow with her forearm. It really was quite hot today; she wished she'd checked the forecast. Luckily, the team's uniform was rather light.
She'd been oh-so-sneakily eyeing Tanner throughout the run, so she knew Tanner was coming up on his final lap. Why was she keeping track of his laps in addition to hers? She didn't know. All she knew was that she wanted to.
Man, he really looked tasty today. Maybe she should say hello later? Ask him out or something?
[Interesting,] the parasite said, interrupting her happy thoughts.
"Shut up!" Cecilia snarled. "Just leave me alone!"
[Hm, well I thought you'd want to know, but I guess not~] the parasite finished in a sing-song voice in her mind.
"Dammit, now I'm curious," she muttered.
[If you ask me I just might teeeeell youuuu!]
"Is this how you really are? Seriously, you're just damn annoying!"
As she passed by a few struggling team members, who were barely maintaining a jog so slow it was more like a slightly bouncy walk, one of them gave her a strange look. Cecilia noticed, made a face at them and they hurriedly looked away.
"Just shut up and be quiet alright? I'll feed you for the week, then we'll never see each other again. Kapeesh?"
[Suit yourself,] the parasite responded.
Though she was panting heavily from running too quickly for an extended period already, Cecilia pushed her pace into a full-on sprint due to her anger. She was not at all happy about having to share her mind with such an annoying alien as this.
It didn't really occur to wonder how it could communicate with her, when the parasite was lodged besides her heart rather than her brain.
If she'd been smart enough to question this, then perhaps things wouldn't have gone down the way they did later. Perhaps a certain someone would have been spared their grisly fate.