Chapter Eight
Axel's Point of View
What a night.
I sigh, roll onto my back and put my hands behind my head, unable to sleep. Iris fell asleep a while ago, her breathing even and deep. I glance at my clock. 2:30 a.m. It's been an hour since we settled into bed. Typically I fall asleep immediately, but not tonight. There are too many thoughts bouncing around in my head.
Am I really that bad? Does being here really suck that much? I shake my head. No, that can't be it. Asides the first servant I had, all the others warmed up to me rather quickly. Then why have the past two ran off? I groan quietly, pushing the thought away. Think of who she is, Axel. Of course she wants to get out of here. It's not like she'd have anything to go back to, though. Everything she knew would be gone. Hell, everything any of us knew as normal is gone; he made sure of that. But…but maybe she doesn't know that. That filthy shopkeep probably never told her anything going on. Maybe I should…No, no, no, I shouldn't. That would be stupid. She already hates me, so why dig my grave deeper?
Iris shifts in her sleep and a quiet moan comes from her. It's not a good sounding moan, though. It sounds like a moan of pain. Suddenly, she flips over and is facing me. I look over and observe her face. Her lips are pursed and her brow furrows. There's a slight twitch under her right eye. Suddenly, her lips slacken and fall slightly open as a noise that can only be described as a whine escapes her. I raise my eyebrows, a bit concerned. She quiets down and her face goes smooth. I turn my face back up to the ceiling and close my eyes, deciding to try sleeping again.
I'm almost asleep when Iris forces me out of it. She's suddenly thrashing around, screaming. Her hands are raking down her face repeatedly. I sit up quickly and grab her wrists.
"Iris, Iris, wake up! Hey, wake up," I say loudly as I pull her hands away from her face. She suddenly stops screaming and sits up violently, nearly knocking her head into mine. Her eyes are wide, panicked, and brimming with tears. She's breathing way too quickly, and I'm scared she's going to pass out. She looks fervently around the room before locking onto me. I know I must have the same expression as her. She stares into my eyes for a few seconds before her face crumples and the tears start falling. She moves and is soon straddling my lap, her arms around my neck and her face buried in my shoulder. I'm too shocked to move for a moment, but soon come to my senses and wrap my arms around her. I run my hand up and down her back in what I hope is a comforting gesture while making shushing noises.
Slowly, her sobs start quieting and turn into hiccups shortly after. Once she's stopped crying completely, she pulls her face away from my shoulder and looks into my face. Her eyes look glassy and her face is red from crying and the clawing. The expression on her face is blank, and I'd almost believe she's still sleeping. Almost.
"I'm tired," she whispers. I nod.
"L-Let's get some sleep, then," I whisper back, still very confused. She nods back and moves off of me. When I lay back down, she scoots very close to me and puts her head on my chest. Her arm wraps around my stomach. About ten minutes later, her breathing on my chest becomes even and soft. It feels content. I reach down and run my fingers through her hair.
What the hell just happened?
I want to dwell on it and overanalyze it, but I choose not to. Instead, I just close my eyes and enjoy this moment, however fleeting it is.
I finally manage to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
