Chapter 10

   I stared into the mirror with disgust. My hair was greasy and matted to my head, my face was oily and my mascara smeared from crying. I began to peel the clothes off of my body, cringing away from the mirror. When I was finished, I turned on the shower head and stepped in, my body immediately relaxing at the warm rush of water. I washed my hair through a couple of times with the shampoo bottles they had and then tried as hard as I could to scrub the feeling of filth off of my body.

   I ran my hands through my hair, grateful that the warm water hadn’t disappeared yet. I braced myself against the tiled wall, tilting back my head and closing my eyes. The water rushed down my face as I tried to remember what it was like before any of this had happened. I remembered Eric’s stupid lines, Josh’s playful no-two-front-teeth smile, and my family back at the orphanage. I smiled to myself. Then someone knocked on the door. My eyes flew open and I groped for the handles, turning off the water. I quickly grabbed a towel and threw it around my body, covering my arms.

   “Yeah?” I called.

   The door opened and Rayne stepped inside. He cleared his throat when he saw me and placed a stack of clothes on the counter.

   “There’s your uh…clothes.” Then he walked back out, closing the door.

   I took a deep breath and walked over to the mirror, using my hand to wipe away some of the condensation. My face looked cleaner and not as pale, and I felt better. I turned towards the door. Rayne had handsome features, but so did every other demon. He was a lot nicer though. He didn’t stare at me like I was different, even though I wasn’t. He helped me in so many ways. I turned back to the mirror. But he had said he was only doing that to prove to himself that he could do one good thing in his life. Was I a charity case? His redemption? I gripped the edge of the counter, closing my eyes, and then reopening them slowly. Sure, that could be possible. But I was done trying to figure out an answer for everything.

   I took the towel and wrapped it around my hair, drying it off, and then throwing it to the side. I grabbed the clothes, finding undergarments in there as well. I was surprised to find the bra fit. I slipped on the jeans and the bit oversized t-shirt, and then put my sweater back on. I grabbed my shoes and brushed through my hair with my fingers for a few seconds before going back into the room.

   When I opened the door Rayne was lying on the bed, his drawing notebook in hand. He was staring at the ceiling, momentarily pausing to sketch a few lines on the paper. I shut the door behind me and he looked over at me. I tightened my sweatshirt around my waist and made my way to the bed. He scooted over to make room for me, sitting up in the process. I sat down next to him.

  “What are you drawing?” I asked.

   He shrugged. “The room I guess. I’m running out of things to draw.”

   “Why don’t you continue on the free drawing face?”

   He licked his lips. “I’m actually not in the mood to draw right now.” He shut the notebook and tossed it onto the bedside table.

   I sighed and leaned back against the headboard. “If you don’t mind me asking, do you have a father?”

   He turned to look at me. “Why are you interested in my family?”

   “I’m curious about a lot of things Rayne, and besides there’s nothing else to talk about.”

   Rayne sighed. “I did. My dad was the main guard for the last king we had. He met my mom after getting injured in a past battle.”

   I turned to look at him. “What happened to him?”

   He locked his jaw. “The king murdered him.”

   My eyes grew wide. “What?”

   “Gosh I really shouldn’t be telling you this,” he murmured under his breath. “Just swear you won’t repeat any of these stories, especially to Christian.”

   I was confused, but nodded anyways.

   “The last king was one of the best we’ve ever had, or so I’ve heard from my mom. He never married. One day my father, the king’s guard, caught him sneaking into the village. The king had been having an affair with one of the peasants, who had given birth to a boy. My father was angry. The king and him were good friends, but the king had been lying to him, and deceiving his kind.”

   “Deceiving his kind?” I asked.

   He nodded. “It’s against our laws for a royalty to be having sex, or any physical relationship with a person bellow them. And the fact that the king had impregnated her was even more out of the line. My father told the council. The king was outraged at my father’s betrayal, and murdered him the night he was to be held at court for his actions. Normally they would have killed both the woman and the king, but the woman got away with the baby, so they only killed the king. That’s when Lihendria became queen. Technically, she was the next heir to the throne. She was the king’s niece.”

   “Shouldn’t the king’s son have been the next heir?”

   He looked down at the floor. “Uh yeah, but him and his mother had disappeared.”

   “Oh right.” I sighed. “Goodness. Royalty must be a giant pool of panic and drama huh?”

   He laughed. “When you’re dealing with Lihendria? Oh yeah.” Rayne looked over at me. “What about you?”

   “What do you mean?”

   “Your family?”

   I laughed softly. “Well never knew my parents, because obviously my parents weren’t human. I grew up in a human orphanage until I was 15. Then they let me get my own place.”

   He moved his hands in a circular motion as if to say, go on.

   I wet my lips. “Life wasn’t exactly something easy, especially going on it alone. I had to work and baby-sit for money, and still get to school and do all of my homework.” I looked over at him but he didn’t seem confused.

   “I’ve been in the human world,” he explained. “I know a lot about it.”

   I nodded. “Growing up in a town where I looked different from everyone else. A lot of people thought that my eyes were attractive, but I knew I was a freak compared to them. I tried hard to just stick by myself. I had a couple of friends, but the kinds that you hang with during lunch and talk to in the classes so that you don’t look alone or un-cool. And in some weird way, I miss it. Being here I miss it.” I laughed. “I even miss Eric somewhat.”

   “Eric?” He prodded.

   “Eric was my science partner in school. He followed me like a dog.”

   “Infatuation?”

   “That’s what I said. He kept telling me different but I’m sure he’s already moved on from my disappearance.”

   “I’m sorry Constance.”

   I looked over at him with furrowed eyebrows. “What?”

   “I’m sorry,” Rayne repeated. “I guess we don’t really see it as somebody having a life. You had a life back where you were.”

   “It wasn’t much of a life,” I replied. “Sure it was good, but I had no plans, no idea of what I wanted to do. I wasn’t good at relationships or at anything really. I was just lost.”

   “You seemed eager to go back after we captured you.”

   I looked down at my hands. “I was just scared. I was scared because I felt like I was in one of those horror movies, and because you guys all looked like me. That’s when I knew I was different. I had known it all along, but you guys were the proof.”

   I felt Rayne’s hand on my arm. “Are you sad you found out what you really were?”

   “Sad? No. I don’t really know how to explain any emotions I’m feeling at the moment. I guess I’m just going with the flow. I used to fight against it, now I guess I’m just dealing with everything that’s coming.”

   “You’re strong,” he said softly, taking his arm off of mine. “I’ve been fighting my whole life.”

   “Maybe that’s why you’re so pissed at everything,” I muttered.

   “I am not pissed at everything,” he growled.

   I raised an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes. “It’s your fault. You provoke me on purpose.”

   “Only because it’s fun,” I smiled.

   “I’m glad that you think playing with my emotions is fun.”

   “Good.”

   He chuckled and laid back, letting his head hang off the edge of the bed. I copied him. All of the blood rushed to my head, making my neck hot.

   “So how come you deal with the queen?” I asked.

   Rayne laughed. “Uh, I don’t know. Maybe because I don’t want to get killed?”

   I rolled my eyes. “You’re already pretty far with your snide remarks. It’s a wonder she hasn’t killed you already.”

   “Thanks,” he said, rolling his eyes. “She only puts up with me because she can’t afford to kill me. I do know that if I push too hard she will. It’s not hard to find another kind like me. After that incident with the door she’ll probably have a hard time trusting me, but then again, if she gets rid of me it’ll be hard to find another to be able to trust as well.”

   “She’s a b***h,” I shrugged.

   He hesitated. “You’re right.”

   I stared at the side of his face for a little bit, watching as his eyes deciphered the lines in the ceiling.

   “Do you miss him? Your father?”

   “I didn’t really know my father. He was killed when I was only a couple years old. I remember what he looked like, and little glimpses of memories, but my mom won’t tell me anything, and the pictures hardly do either.”

   “Your mother must miss him.”

   “She does. She really does. But she doesn’t-” He stopped himself. “Never mind.”

   I didn’t want to push anything out of him. He looked over at me and I looked back.

   “Thanks Constance.”

   I smiled. “No problem.”

Reviews

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This is sooo AWESOME!!! Oh my GOD i just LOVE it!! And I ADORE Rayne!! He is EPIC!!! But i'm just waiting for him to do something evil, be all GRRR!!