11

Normal Pov

Luda Mae was cleaning up some more dishes when she heard light laughter from outside, and she looked up and saw Thomas twirling Tatianna around. She gave a happy sigh as she watched them. Charlie entered the kitchen, wiping his face with a cloth.

"Boy that girl is special." he said and Luda Mae shushed him.

"Hush that noise, Charlie. Look." she said pointing out the window and Charlie squinted his eyes out the window before snorting.

"Well would you look at that." he said. "The boy's starting to actually look happy." Luda Mae nodded.

"They're in love." she said and Charlie glanced at his mother, with disbelief.

"You think so, huh?" he asked looking out the window as the two disappeared into the barn. Luda Mae nodded.

"O'course. Soon they're going to be going at it like bunnies." she said. "Oh Charlie, I'll be a grandma." Charlie snorted.

"Yeah and I bet they're going to be ugly retards too." he said in a matter of fact tone. Luda Mae glared at him and hit in the back of the head. He jumped and recoiled.

"Ow, come on Momma!" he said and she glared.

"Don't you talk like that." she said as the two began to look back out the window. "Those are our kids out there." Charlie sucked his teeth.

"Yeah… and soon big brother's going to be looking for his little sister." he said. Luda Mae tensed.

"And he will stay just like his sister." she said and Charlie looked at his mother.

"Don't be… naïve, Momma," he said choosing his words wisely, "That boy ain't gonna want to stay here. He's going to want to take Tati and leave." he said. There was a five second silence between the two as they thought of the possibility before Luda Mae shook her head slowly.

"Thomas wouldn't let that happen." she said dryly and almost darkly.

Tati's Pov

Once we were in the barn, Thomas sat me down on a tall stool that had small wooden planks in between the legs, so I could put my feet on. Now he just moved over to the headless body, and it took all of my will power to hold down my breakfast. The smell was gut wrenching and my stomach tightened at the sight, but I said nothing and I just watched Thomas take a knife and slowly rip open the body's chest cavity that was hanging upside down.

"I remember when we were young… you never want to do anything in front of me. You were so shy." I said lightly, and he glanced back at me before turning and looking back at the body and I watched him remove some of the organs and he placed them in a black bucket. I watched for a few more minutes now hating the silence."And of course, you never spoke, you just followed me everywhere." I watched the blood stain his hands and I slowly stepped off the stool and moved over to him, placing my hands over his arms stopping his movements and he paused and slowly looked down at me.

"Would you follow me now?" I asked and he just stared down at me for a moment before slowly leaning his head down to me, and placing his forehead to mine.

"Always." he muttered and I just smiled and leaned up a bit and gently pressed my lips to his. His head jerked back in utter shock and his eyes widened for a moment. I gave a mild sympathetic look. I remember trying to kiss him as a child and he would always pull away. He wasn't ready. Or at least I thought he wasn't. He turned and faced me now and towered over me and slowly he raised his hands and slowly pressed them to my cheeks, his thumb massaging my cheek bones and his eyes looked soft and gentle. He was Hades, dark and feared. Those who entered his hell never left, and I, his Persephone who was kidnapped and dragged into his world only so I could love him… unconditionally.

I gently placed my hands on his wrists, and he just watched as I gently raised my hands further up his arms and he began to tense, I could feel it as my hands grazed his shoulders. I shook my head up at him.

"I never laughed." I whispered as my fingers gently moved up his neck, curling them into his hair. "I never recoiled in disgust." Now my fingers were nearing his chin, and he pulled back just a bit, as if on instinct. His eyes were locked on me, and he didn't seem to want me to stop, for he knew he could stop me if he wanted to, truly. I slowly curled my fingers in the cloth, and he just let me, his hands mildly tensing around my face, and I knew he could hurt me, shatter my skull in his giant hands, but he kept control. I slowly pulled the mask down, and revealed his face. My eyes never left his own brown orbs, and I looked down at his healed cleft lip. It had been stitched up and I could not tell if it was done correctly or not. His face was mildly sweaty from the hot air outside. I also saw other scars over his mouth and cheeks.

Did he hurt himself? Did someone else hurt him? I can imagine they didn't do it again. But he never let anyone get too close to touch him, let alone to hurt him. He did this to himself, but I looked up at him and gently caressed his cheeks like he was doing mine.

"See… still beautiful." I said, and he looked away and made what sounded like a scoff in disbelief, before I firmly directed his face back to mine, and continued to caress his face. "And beautiful enough to kiss." I leaned up on the tips of my toes and gently leaned in to Thomas who just stood there watching and letting my lips press against his. They were dry, yet firm and welcoming. My first attempt was a light peck, nothing too deep that would catch him off guard. He was inexperienced and I could tell he had never kissed anyone before, but that did not stop him from leaning forward and mashing his lips with my own. I was stunned by his new-found confidence, and he wrapped his arms around me in order to pull me in and I held him against me, as I felt his tongue start to slip into my mouth and I felt his hot breath collide with my own as our tongue met each other.

But this moment couldn't last. A loud gunshot caused us both to jump and look up toward the open door.

"TOMMY GET OUT HERE!" Charlie yelled. The petite blonde was running from the house. She immediately fell in the large puddle of mud and Thomas moved from me placing his mask back on and moving over to the wall with numerous knives and machetes of different sizes. He grabbed a rusty long machete and charged out the door, and my eyes widened as I moved to the door way of the barn, and I watched as he ran after the girl. For such a large man, he could pick up speed quickly. I knew he was not going to let the girl escape. The girl screamed at the top of her lungs running toward the dirt road that would lead her into the forest.

Thomas took one large step and with what looked like all his strength, he threw the machete hard and fast, and I watched as it spun through the air and caught the girl right in the back of the neck. My eyes widened as she fell to the ground immediately.

"Whoo good boy, Tommy. You get her read for supper too. While I go deal with her friend." Charlie said darkling moving back into the house. I watched as Tommy moved over the girl and removed the machete from the back of her neck. Her legs twitched as he did this, and I just blinked at how fast it happened. Tommy grabbed the girl by her ankle and hoisted her over his shoulder, blood began to pour down his shoulder and I just swallowed some and watched as he moved closer to the barn. I moved out of his way and stared at the girl whose eyes were wide open. He moved near a meat hook, and I closed my eyes as I could hear flesh ripping, and when I peeked my eyes opened, I saw he had just hung her onto the sharp hook as if she were an animal. I looked down avoiding the sight, and I saw Thomas walking past me, and I watched as he merely moved over to the doors, and he glanced at me with a dark look before suddenly closing the doors keeping us both inside. Now where were we?