Preface
Delicate steel.
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at /works/29331090.
by Reiven2017
Summary
Rachel wanted to go home. She just wanted to get home. The only thing that held her back were the two huge wolves outside the door, the iron lock, and the fucking fate that had clearly decided to laugh at her. As it was, everything was fine...Oh, right! She's also getting married soon. But I have no idea for whom yet.Notes
In general...I decided to finally finish this chapter, because what I published earlier was just a draft and it happened that I deleted the work. Ahem, ahem.1
"I don't know, damn it," Damian snarled back, his lips pinched into a thin line. His patience was running dangerously red, and his annoying family never stopped asking him questions, and Damian didn't know how close he was to killing each of them.
"What do you mean, you don't know, Damian?" Your eighteenth birthday is coming soon!
"I'm aware of that. Damian said dryly, turning to the window and trying to ignore the circle of people gathered around him. Sometimes, in his head, he would quietly start hating them all. The boy heard his sister snort at his answer, and before she could open her mouth to say something even more irritating and irritate him, his father intervened.
"Damian." Bruce called coldly — " Stephanie's right. The day of the Blood Moon is approaching, and whether you want it or not, you must find a mate. It's a tradition." — Steph smirked like the Cheshire cat.
"Come on, Dad. Maybe our little Alpha likes to go to "girls". " - Damian gritted his teeth and said nothing at Jason's snide remark, hoping that if he continues to ignore them, then maybe everything will be fine?
The alpha genes were already boiling in him, the wolf was growling in frustration, and Damian was ready to howl in helplessness. He hated family advice, but when it came to his marriage and finding a true mate, it didn't seem so bad to hang himself and rot in a barn somewhere. Maybe now from the outside he looked like a "little capricious Alpha" with his behavior and an offended frown, but if such a strategy would bring him the desired silence, Damian was ready to play along. Despite the fact that he was the future Alpha of the pack, the new leader, and should have been able to solve problems diplomatically, or be able to kick ass, now he would have been happy to be somewhere in the mountains. Or on another planet. He could have left at any moment, ignoring the drama of Stef and the grinning Jason, if not for the glaring eyes of his father and mother. Damian knew he was being stupid. But he did not know the answer to the question that had been nagging at him for about a year. And every day it annoyed him more and more.
From the very first day of his birth, Damian was different from the other wolves. Even in the cradle, he was different. The guy turned early to become a wolf, too early for any measurements, and after the Alpha blood in him awoke with extraordinary speed and as it turned out, he is the new Alpha, which further complicated the situation since he was the youngest son and theoretically could not inherit the Alpha genes. But no, it did happen. Everyone expected that his older brother Richard, kind, cheerful and resourceful, able to talk or at least tolerate people, and most importantly already having a couple, would take the place of the leader and everyone would be happy to the point of screeching bones. How wrong they all were, and how no one expected the Alpha genes to wake up in their youngest son, the rude, silent, and insufferable Damian, known as the walking mess and without a true mate at 17. Many people only laughed when they heard that the Alpha Force appeared in the younger heirs, but when they met with Damian, not a single question remained. He was young, but the Alpha genes had awakened in him with the strength and power of a mature wolf, which gave him even more advantages in the piggy bank of oddities. His relatives got married almost from the first day of birth, his sister was already engaged, his friends were already engaged and even some children in the sandbox already wore special marks saying that they have a couple! And Damian... Damian was broken. Broken almost from the very first day of life. The day of his coming of age was approaching, and the council and the entire pack were now on edge, watching his every move and not losing the chance to slip him a wolf at every opportunity in the hope of finding the one that made him even more exasperated. During this week, he had seen so many women's faces that they were all mixed up in one mess, and he didn't even remember their names. His position in the pack is already pretty shaky, and if he doesn't find a mate before his birthday, Damian may not be the leader. iWorst of all, he won't last long without a pair.
"Well, look at him! He's not even listening to us!" — Stephanie fell silent again, seeking support from her father. Of course, her position doesn't weigh in the balance, and the whole pack doesn't sit on her neck and fall asleep with eternal questions that he doesn't know the answers to.
Bruce sighed heavily, casting a pleading glance at his wife. He knew that it wasn't easy for his son to come to terms with his new Alpha status and his new status in the pack. Despite all the responsibilities Damian had to deal with, he was pretty good at it, but the question of his true mate was always going to be a hell of a lot harder. Talia gave him a quiet smile, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"But if brother can't find a mate on his own, then we have to help him! Damian chuckled softly. If only it were that simple, but only the Gods themselves could help him.
- "Dad! I know who is perfect for the role of the Moon! Christy! She is younger than my brother, but she is a beautiful and strong wolf. Christy will fit perfectly into our family! " - Steph screamed again to her father. But then Damian's patience reached the end, driving the Alpha genes in his blood, and his wolf growled inwardly at his sister. Damian didn't like that part of himself, but he was grateful for the Alpha Force now, as Stephanie immediately fell silent.
"That's enough," he said, as his sister jerked behind her father, hiding her eyes in shame. "Just because she's your friend doesn't mean she's my mate, Steph. His voice, menacing and guttural, turning into a growl, echoed off the walls of the mansion, causing Steph to shudder slightly and hunch over, hiding behind her father. His emerald eyes, a little silvery, swept around the room, and when they met his mother's distressed gaze and his father's frown, he frowned sternly. Maybe tomorrow he will regret his lack of restraint, but right now the only thing he wants is to get as far away from them as possible, so as not to see himself as a leper.
Perhaps if the town of Date, in northern Switzerland, could be described in three sentences Raven would have said " Forest. A large forest. The devils of the big forest. " and it would be clear to everyone what kind of place this is. It wasn't that she was against nature, but she had lived most of her life in gray and gloomy New York, so the forest was her first shock when she moved. Her mother recently remarried after a failed marriage with Raven's father and an accident with her sister, and now they are all together, the whole friendly family decided to change their place of residence. As if they don't have enough problems. Rachel didn't listen much to her mother's speech in the front seat, plugging her ears with headphones, knowing that she was talking more for her stepfather. Ben wasn't a bad person. He joked stupidly, smiled affably and believed in a happy life, dreaming, according to him, of a large family. He didn't touch Rachel, and he didn't bother her with father-daughter chatter, so he was the best option for her and her mother, Angela. To be honest, he never bothered Rachel at all.
When Ben expressed a desire to move, to give in to a quiet life, Rae was not so against it. She didn't have any friends in New York, or anywhere else, so she was neutral about the idea of moving. So she ended up in Switzerland, in the back of an elderly pickup truck, in the middle of the woods and 7 miles from the city of Data.
"Rachel!" — through the wall of music, the girl heard her mother's displeased voice and quietly rolled her eyes.
- "Yes? Rachel replied tonelessly, still wearing her headphones, and turned to the window. She stiffened quietly. Maybe this way they'll know she's not in the mood to talk.
"Could you please put the music down, young lady? I want to talk to you. "- "Well, of course to talk, and I thought we were going to drive the ball." barely restraining the sarcastic remark that was about to fly off her tongue, Rachel still put the headphones in her bag and raised an eyebrow at Angela questioningly.
"So? — "
"There's a new school waiting for you, Rachel. New acquaintances". Angela's words flowed smoothly, and her sweet smile suggested doubts, and Rachel inwardly guessed that this conversation had been planned in advance. The girl chuckled to herself. "Ben and I are well aware of your difficulties in communication and all that concerns friendship, and we are immensely grateful to you for so easily agreeing to move, but if you have a problem again, like last time..." Rachel's eyes dimmed. Her heart stopped for a moment, silent for a second, and her nails dug painfully into the soft skin of her palm. The world seemed to stop, and my lungs were on fire. So that's what it was all about. Her lips parted in a venomous grin, and Rachel gritted her teeth.
Rey saw a small flicker of pain cross Angela's face, her lips pressed into a thin line, and her face lost any hint of a smile, and with a curt nod to Rachel, the woman turned away.
Rey exhaled heavily, holding her breath. She leaned back in her seat, pressing herself as close to the window as she could and crouching in a corner of the darkness, only now feeling the pain in her arms. She slowly opened her hand, coldly watching the tiny drops of blood gather on the skin that had been severely pierced by her own hand, and immediately closed her hands. She didn't have the energy to look at it again, and the only thing that distracted her was the huge sign with the big black letters "Date. A place where people become one with nature.»
Raven had wondered for a long time when this had happened.
Her morning had started quite early, but all she could remember was that she had discovered an opportunity, slipped out of the house, and was about to go for a walk when, at the most inopportune moment, she had a panic attack.
iAs if there is a good time for this.
All she remembered was that at one point her eyes went dark and her lungs stopped getting oxygen. It was happening so fast and fast that Raven thought she was dying. Fear slowly settled in the very center of her chest and that was it. One great fear filled her whole body. She remembered how she sank down on the wet asphalt, her body, legs, arms, head ceased to obey her and she was unable to stand on her feet. The choking fit continued and didn't seem to stop, and Rachel lost hope for a split second. She didn't remember how much time had passed and how long she had been on the side of the road when she caught movement next to her, and then she was gently put on the curb. Raven was still tossing between panic and reality, but chotko felt like someone was gently giving her water all the while. This was not the first time the stranger had seen such a development, and his actions were precise and careful, just what Raven needed. And then, when she came to her senses and the stranger was still trying to offer her help and take her to the hospital, the girl thanked him dryly, but the whole chesky departed from the persuasions. All Raven could remember was the man's pale blue eyes before he disappeared around the corner.
Rachel grimaced, half-heartedly recalling another attack. This shit was repeated with her without any schedule or even warning, and Rey sometimes felt like her body was demanding her death. She could not control the work of her brain at such moments and it was quite irritable and problematic. It made her ... vulnerable. And that's exactly what Raven hated the most.
She had a pretty bad habit of passing out and thinking too long, so it didn't bother her when a floating hand appeared in front of her eyes.
"Hey, if you're not going to stay here forever, I suggest you go home." Raven waved away her classmate's comment, and he chuckled in response and left the classroom.
She blinked a couple of times, coming back to reality, and then her face took on its usual sullen expression and Rachel glanced at her watch. 8:30. The last lesson ended 40 minutes ago, which means that she had been passed out all this time and Rachel moaned piteously, dropping her head in her hands. She is sure that her mother is going to arrange an execution at home for another violation of the curfew.
iExcellent.
She took the phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and turned it on and off. A couple of missed calls and threatening text messages from her mother flashed on the screen of her cell phone and Rachel decided that she would somehow deal with these later and took her bag with her out of the empty classroom. In the school corridor, she met only a couple of cleaners and two students, but they immediately disappeared into one of the school toilets and Raven was not interested in what they were going to do there. Huge doors appeared in front of her, and Rey wrapped her kurta tightly around her, her hands in her pockets, and shivered in the cold autumn wind. It was late autumn outside, and in Data, a fairly northern city, it felt a few degrees colder. Rachel exhaled, wondering if this time of year was as cold in New York, and a warm cloud of steam rose from her lips. She followed this brief journey of warm air and found herself smiling softly, the outline of a smile forming on her lips. It was strangely calm. Even though she still had a problem with her mom, Rachel continued to stand on the school porch, breathing in and out. It was strangely quiet and peaceful in this city, but Rachel didn't mind that much. She'd been here for about two weeks now and was happy with everything, and deep down, Raven was willing to admit that she even liked Data. It was a small town abandoned in the heart of the forest with its legends of Yoichi and the brave explorers. It wasn't as famous as Las Vegas or as densely populated as New York, but that was its sweet charm.
Raven rubbed her hands together, trying to rid her body of the growing cold. She frowned, increasing the friction between her palms, but she was still cold and Raven wasn't sure if it was the weather. There was a short whistle and Rachel reflexively noticed it, raising her head and fixing her gaze on the forest in front of her. Dusk had already fallen on the street, so the huge tundra and the trees in front of it were several shades darker, but it didn't look scary, you could tell that Raven liked this forest more. Dark, but quiet and peaceful. Maybe it was her Gothic nature playing out, but Raven had a fleeting desire to walk there, but...she was sure that the sound came from there. Rachel shivered and spun around, looking around.
It was several minutes before Raven's phone rang again, and she frowned in resignation. If she continues to be here instead of at home, Raven isn't entirely sure she'll have a home at all. She took one last look at the night forest, saying goodbye to it for the day, and ... froze in indecision. If this was a stupid game of her sick mind, then she was giving her brain minus 10 points for a bad joke and asked to be baked in the hospital. In the very center of the forest, where a huge black hole gaped and it seemed that all objects in it disappeared, there were two glowing lights. They didn't move, didn't move, even when a gust of strong wind blew and Raven's grip tightened on the sliding bag on her shoulder, they didn't flinch, still looming in the center. Rachel frowned, a thin line forming on her forehead, but in her mind she felt a small lump of fear slowly creep up her throat. As if even the air was frozen in tension, afraid to move in front of this devilry, and there was a deathly silence, Raven literally felt as if life had stopped, and her heart was pounding anxiously. Part of her analytical and rational brain was telling her that this was some kind of misunderstanding, but there was something wrong with those lights. They glowed with a bright, yellow light and seemed to be conscious, as if someone, or something / iwas looking at her from there. Rachel narrowed her eyes, swallowing nervously and mentally telling herself to calm down.
Of course, we didn't want to be friends with Rachel Roth's Martians.
It was the first thing that flashed through her mind before Raven's eyes involuntarily widened in horror and an instant wave of fear enveloped her. The blood in her veins stood up in a lump and Rachel was sure that she could no longer feel the pounding of her heart. The lights moved, and a split second later, a huge, black spot appeared, vaguely resembling a snout, half-hidden in shadow with eyes glowing bright yellow and looking directly at her.
iDamn it...
Rachel blinked, unable to accept the reality in front of her, and when she opened them, neither the eerily glowing lights nor the unknown creature were there. In the blink of an eye, the air was alive again, sounds returned, the sound of passing cars was heard in the distance, and the dead silence evaporated.
Raven swallowed hard, glanced around at the darkening forest, and turned abruptly, walking as far away from the place as she could. She didn't turn around, but with every step she took, she increased her speed, remaining with the only thought in her head — to get out.
iWhen some ass is going on, it's never too late to dump Rachel's Mouth.
Damian leaned back wearily in his desk chair, massaging his face with his hands, hoping to get the paperwork over with as quickly as possible. Questions from the pack, unfortunately, were not resolved by themselves and had long hung over the younger Wayne with a heavy pendulum of danger and the guy wasted the whole evening on it. Sometimes Damian began to regret that he lived in the modern age, and not in the Middle Ages, where all questions and reflections were solved only by the menacing growl of the alpha.
He was frowning again at another piece of paper with numbers on it, when his ears caught his mother's cheers on the ground floor, and Damian whined inwardly, knowing full well who could have deserved such a warm welcome. Grayson. The happiest ass in the world and also his big brother. He was aware of his arrival...well, of course, his entire family and some members of the pack kept buzzing about it for a week, causing Damian to become increasingly irritated. Not that he hated Richard, he was just as insufferable as his brothers...well, he had some advantages over Jason, but a few rather stupid individuals once said that they were not happy to see the sullen cloud of the younger Wayne at the head of their pack, and would gladly replace him with the sunny boy Richard Grayson. After that, Damian went completely berserk. He didn't know how his older brother managed to get people to like him so much, but he was even a little envious of Grayson...although he wouldn't have dared admit it to himself on his deathbed. So, right now, he wanted to feel like a 17-year-old teenager and lock himself in his office, sullenly ignoring what was happening. So he did, and even when he heard his whole family spilling out on the first floor and Thalia grumbling about where Damian had gone, the guy stayed where he was.
It wasn't long before his secret hiding place was opened and there were loud footsteps approaching, and the next minute Grayson's pretty face appeared in the doorway.
Ugh.
Damian wasn't entirely sure he hadn't said it out loud.
"Good to see you, too, brother. Richard opened his bear hug and a smug grin spread across his face.
"Don't become like Jason, Grayson, degradation doesn't suit you. Dick ignored Damian's grumble, waved it away, and walked over to the table.
— And you're starting to look like Dami's grumpy old wolf."
"I'm sorry to upset your hopes. Wayne was about to continue ignoring Dick, but as the man approached his desk, Damian stiffened unconsciously. Either Grayson had successfully changed his perfume, or there was a strange but rather exciting smell in the room. Wayne looked up from the pile of papers and sucked in a deep breath through his nose. The pupils of his eyes widened as if after a strong surge of adrenaline in his blood, and his brain slowly swam. Smell. A subtle, almost imperceptible smell made Damian's blood run hot as a flame, and his wolf inside whined piteously.
Dick watched the change in his brother's face with a mixed expression and reflexively stepped back as Damian abruptly rose from his seat, still sniffing. He was a young alpha after all...what he might think Richard had no purpose in knowing. But when Damian, seemingly unable to find anything within a meter, approached Dick and began sniffing with the same eagerness, the man couldn't help but laugh.
- Whoa, take it easy, I know you missed me, but can we just go for a hug? but Damian clearly wasn't listening or listening. He was walking around in Grayson's circle, sucking in his breath, and he didn't seem to notice what was happening in his own world. He seized his brother's hands with fervor, sniffed at them, and stood there for a moment. A few seconds passed before he returned to his original position and without opening his eyes, clenching and unclenching his fists, he asked firmly and was surprised at how unfamiliar his voice sounded. His question was more of a command and a rough, guttural growl, on the fine line of little politeness.
"Now, Grayson, you're going to tell me all about your day. there was a silent question in the air between them, as Dick arched an eyebrow in question, confused by his brother's rudeness and oddity, and was about to joke about the young alpha's change of mood, but then stopped... Damian finally looked up at Richard…bright and burning green eyes. Grayson swallowed involuntarily and tensed, mentally preparing for something bad.
Lately, she felt worse than usual and listening to the words of the teachers, Rachel knew that she should listen, or at least not be distracted, but all she had the strength to do was just slowly watch from the side as her brain turns off and her soul leaves her mind. It was a strange state of emptiness. If only old death would mock her, taking away, then returning life and watching it as if it were a scene from a TV series. Rachel just snorted at the flow of bad thoughts. But no matter how much Roth tried to deny reality, reality did not want to leave her and Raven had to admit to herself that after unsuccessful attempts...she's getting worse.
Rachel barely flinched when the disgusting ringing of the school bell reached her ears and shivered again, shifting in her chair. It was chemistry, this subject had never caused Raven any problems or not ligaments, but now she frowned at the barely completed test and in one quick movement shoved it into the pile of others, wondering what would happen after. The figure should not worry Rachel much, but for some reason she felt like a fool.
Raven clucked disapprovingly at her behavior, attracting the attention of some people. If she's going to keep whining, she should at least wait until she gets home.
She looked around the audience, stumbled upon the fact that half of the class had safely left the lesson, and the other was intensely discussing the test and finding nothing interesting for herself, pushing her chair back with a creak, began to collect things.
For some reason, this action aroused the silent interest of her classmates. They gave her a close look and Rachel was sure that she heard the word "Mouth and strange" several times in their sentences, but decided to keep it to herself, only smiling with one corner of her lips at this. She was quite calm in such situations. Rachel never tried to have communication with someone and this was the norm in her behavior, even when it caused disapproval from society, she simply allowed people to call herself a country. The only mistake in the conversations at the last school made much to be desired and left some scars on her, so Raven with firm confidence did not want to repeat this. Rachel winced wearily, feeling a subtle tingle in her temples and she stopped in the doorway of the classroom.
Of course, we didn't need Rachel Roth's migraine for a full ass.
The road to the house took no more than half an hour and Raven breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a white fence in front of her and a strange garden gnome who reminded her of a homeless man. She slipped through the fence, hoping that she did not fall under the attention of her very sensitive neighbor, Mrs. Rogers, who considered it her civic and even heroic duty to monitor every plot standing on the street. Rachel glanced at the windows in the neighbor's house, noticing that the lights were not on anywhere and mentally thanked God for such luck.
Mrs. Rogers was a plump lady, in the very, as she herself said, the dawn of strength and energy, with a rather fancy nachos on her head resembling a poodle. She had narrow blue eyes, but she always looked at everyone with a squint that seemed from a distance it was only two blue stripes. She had a button-up nose, like the most aristocratic lady, and she always kept white gloves on the belt of her floral dresses. In general, she was such a not very kind, but very curious woman with an overestimated sense of elegance and royal chic. So when Mrs. Rogers saw Rachel on the eve of the party in shabby jeans and a stretched T-shirt and iOh my God!without a bra, it seemed to the girl that she was declared war without any warning.
For this reason, now the Mouth was trying very hard not to catch her eye. She didn't care much about this woman's opinion, she always felt like talking to her during an interrogation and wondered if other people had the same thing, but it was easier to get around the problem than listening to an hour-long monologue about how Lady should behave.
Rachel darted across the yard just as quickly, almost hitting a flower pot and killing lilies, when the front door finally closed behind her. She cast a frown at her sneakers, with the remaining pieces of earth from the battle with the lilies, and was reaching to take them off when she heard her mother's voice coming from the kitchen.
- Ria, is that you?
She heard her mother talking to Ben in the kitchen, too quietly for Rachel to hear, but enough to arouse suspicion and the girl mentally tensed. From the kitchen there was a variety of different smells of food and it was quite strange for an ordinary Friday.
Rachel finished with her shoes and was about to dive to the second floor, annoying herself on the topic of why her mother was so prepared, when the doorbell rang behind her, and voices were heard on the street. She could recognize this voice from a thousand others.
Oh, no.
Mrs. Rogers.
Raven was ready to literally howl with despair.
Angela came around the corner in time, dressed in a blue dress and with perfectly smoothed brown hair, which was a rarity, and clicked disapprovingly at her daughter's martyred expression.
- Don't make such a plaintive look, honey, yesterday I told you that I invited our neighbors to our house for dinner. - Rachel stupidly patted her eyes looking at her mother. Mrs. Roth's eyes narrowed menacingly. - Just don't you dare say that you forgot. Raven batted her lashes again, but her mind was still racing.
iOh, yes, that day you decided to listen to Rachel Roth.
- We will talk about this topic again, young lady. - her mother finished sternly, and Raven realized that her death was close and was willing to at least die at the hands of her own mother than from the chatter of Mrs. Rogers. Angela pulled a smile to her ears, rushed to open the door to the guests. Rachel wearily lowered her gaze to the floor and her eyes involuntarily widened. Hands.
Fuck.
Rachel continued to pick at the vegetable stew with her fork, remotely listening to the conversations of adults. It had been an hour since their friendly neighborly gatherings and Raven was ready to personally dig a secret passage with a spoon to escape. At first, she received a contemptuous look from Mrs. Rogers, then she found out that Mr. Rogers was quite silent and neutral in his behavior, which Raven immediately liked, the next shock was that this woman has a child and even more, the same age as Rachel, and this gave way to a conversation on the topic " They will become friends!".
Raven lifted a despondent gaze from her plate and looked at the opposite side. Amelia Rogers. Yes, if Rachel imagined her neighbor's child, then everything was not so sad in her thoughts. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun and tied with a pink bow, a white cardigan, a mint knee-length skirt from probably Grandma Raven's time, and shoes. A set like from the TV series Poirot for some flower seller whose husband died on the same flowers. Not that Raven was the one who judged people by their clothes, but she judged by Mrs. Rogers. She carefully watched how Amelia sits, sometimes says something quietly, and then buries herself in her plate. Rachel couldn't stand it. Mrs. Rogers didn't even stop watching the girl as she ate.
iProbably in my mind calculating whether she holds her elbow at the right angle.
The thought made Rachel chuckle softly, and she immediately regretted it when Mrs. Rogers ' narrowed gaze fell on her. Raven swallowed hard. She was ready to sink through the ground even if only to avoid the beginning tragedies from this look.
- Mrs. Roth, I heard from Amelia that your daughter has become one of the best students in the school in such a short time. - Rachel appeared, or she heard the teeth of this stone woman grinding. She cast a quick glance at Angela, who was smiling broadly like any mother, pleased with the praise of her child, looked at Amelia sitting in front of her, holding her breath, and mentally groaned. This was the beginning of a great tragedy.
- Yes, Rachel can be proud in this regard. Studying has always been quite easy for her. Raven smiled tightly at her mother, hoping that everyone present would believe this, but she continued to watch Mrs. Rogers carefully from under her brows. She looked sternly at her daughter, pursing her lips, seeming to accuse her of something that was clear only to them, and Rachel frowned. And what was that just now?
- It's wonderful, it's great when children spend time studying. Angela would have liked to put in a word, but Mrs. Rogers continued sweetly without paying attention to her. - Although, when I first saw iRachel, I did not think that Amelia meant her. - The woman smiled sweetly, covering her rather unpleasant words and sipped her tea as if nothing had happened. - Jeans, a split T-shirt and hair...I will always be categorical against an unnatural hair color and I could not even imagine that this girl would overtake my daughter over the past few weeks. Raven was sorry she hadn't put laxatives in her tea. She looked at her mother, who was taken aback for a moment, not knowing how to react to these words, but then she caught herself and tried to put a friendly tone in her voice.
"Rachel, honey, would you be so kind as to show Amelia your room?" At the sound of her name, Amelia jerked her head up and looked at Rachel for the first time. Roth thought she saw a flicker of interest in her eyes. Rei nodded dryly to her mother and did not even look at the guests as she left the table. Raven waited for Amelia to follow her before leading her to her room on the second floor.
As soon as the door to her room closed, Rachel wasn't the only one who breathed a sigh of relief.
-" Fuck."
Fuck.
Raven did not immediately realize that these words came from the mouth of that sunny girl Amelia. Who had not uttered a word at the table under the gaze of her mother and who was now sitting impressively cross-legged on her bed.
- Don't take offense at my maman, she can be such a whore sometimes. Amelia continued in a tone that didn't match her outfit at all.
"Sometimes?" Raven arched a questioning eyebrow at her, receiving a short laugh from the girl in response. She shook her head thoughtfully, and then smiled wryly.
- Okay, always.
- Amelia..
- Amy. Call me Amy. I can't stand being called Amelia. after a pause, she added cheerfully. - I feel like a flower in a flower bed.
Raven smiled with one corner of her lips. She liked Amy better than Amelia.
Amy stood up, her eyes caught on the poster on the wall and smiled.
- I'm glad to find someone in this hole who appreciates the Rolling Stones band. Amy Rogers is always at your service. she held out her hand to Rachel in a friendly gesture, and Roth returned the gesture. She smiled wryly, looking at this handshake, but inwardly shuddered with panic and mental pleading. Her heart began to beat faster, and Raven swallowed hard, unlike Amy, her palm was not so perfect. Raven hoped that this would go unnoticed by her new friend.
- Rachel Ariella Roth. But you can call me Raven. - she saw a playful smile flash across the face of her new friend.
- Wow. I thought they called me shit. Rachel rolled her eyes at this comment, her palm remained in Amy's grip and she still felt the tension in the muscle from this contact. She noticed how Amy was carefully examining her from head to toe, lingering on Raven's hair, which was scattered around her shoulders in disarray, and was already ready for another portion of ridicule.
- And to be honest, the hair fell off the heads. Is it pink? Or purple? My conservative maman will probably allow me to paint mine only in the next life. Amelia continued cheekily, releasing her hand from her mouth and from her grip and sitting down on the bed again, tucking her legs under her. Raven hoped that Amy didn't hear her soft sigh and glanced at her palm, crossed her arms over her chest. She swallowed convulsively, thanking God that everything was fine.
- It's not paint. Raven cleared her throat, and Amy stared at her questioningly, eager for an answer.
Rachel already mentally regretted that she continued this topic, and did not say her usual "oh,yes". But to some extent, she really liked Amy, which is already difficult to do, especially considering that they have only known each other for a couple of hours and it will not be possible to return their words. - I was born with this hair color.
- Cool. Amy said in surprise, but immediately grabbed the phone when the melodious symphony of the bell rang. Raven smiled to herself. She was sure that Mrs. Rogers had chosen the bell. Roth saw a flash of displeasure on Amy's face and she made a displeased grimace at Raven.
- Yes, Mom...I got it, okay, I'm already going down. - Amy dropped the call, muttering something else into the phone with displeasure, and Rachel could almost feel how she swore so dirty. Amy jumped to her feet deftly, straightening her skirt and straightening up, smoothly walked past Rachel.
- Well, what? Do I look like my maman? Amy asked, twirling her eyebrows merrily.
- no...and this is good. Amelia laughed.
"I like you, Raven. she said honestly, and Raven stared at her stupidly, having no idea how to react. - It was nice to meet you, I hope I'll see you at school tomorrow? Rachel smiled softly at this and nodded curtly. Amy seemed satisfied with this answer, and with a parting wink at Raven, she headed for the exit. Just as she was leaving the threshold and closing the door, Amelia suddenly stopped and nodded at the box in the corner of the room.
- And what happened to the mirror?
Rachel swallowed dryly and suddenly felt like she was running out of air.
- An accident. - I squeezed my mouth out of myself, and bit the inside of my cheek, trying to show something like a smile.
Last night, she found herself really looking at her figure in front of the mirror. Her skin became several shades lighter, even having a natural dead pallor and convinced that there was nowhere else to go on white, Rachel looked at herself in the mirror with mute surprise, noting how ghostly and angular her body had become.
Not that she considered herself an ideal of beauty before, no, Raven was inormal , and her hair was quite iabnormal, it was a riot of colors from the roots to the tips, but now it was strangely frightening to look at her body and not recognize it in the reflection of the mirror. Her numerous tattoos contrasted so vividly with her skin that they seemed to glow with black funnels and Rachel was unable to understand and determine the time when her body became alien to her.
The girl gently ran her fingertips along the curves of her body, circled the roughly protruding collarbones, followed the bone on her wrist with her eyes, and with a contemptuous grimace, pulled her hand away as if from fire. It was painful, scary, and completely unexpected to look at myself.
It's disgusting.
The sarcastic voice of reason sweetly reminded her that this was her handiwork, it was only her own fault, bothering and bothering her every day, it seemed with the sole purpose of driving her crazy and Rachel got angry. Her fists clenched involuntarily, and her knuckles turned white from such pressure, and in the dry silence of the night room, the wet sound of blood drops hitting the tile was cut through. Raven looked down at the floor and bit her lip, feeling the salty taste of tears and tried her best to restrain the plaintive moan that was ready to break from her lips as emotions one by one flooded over her. She frowned, opened and closed her eyes, squinted and threw her head to the ceiling, as if trying to bring back tears from shame, from guilt and excitement, from a caustic feeling of euphoria, but she continued to feel stupid. Oh, Gods, she was so bstupid.
What happened in the past should not matter in the future. She kept
repeating it to herself throughout the whole evening, like a memorized mantra.
And she ialmost /i believed it, picking up the fragments of the bloody mirror from the floor.
Afterword
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