Chapter 13: The Last Straw
*Hey everyone! Some cursing in here!*
(His PoV)
"What do you mean she got away?!" I hiss, smacking the body to the rust stained floor. It hits with a sickening crack to the first two ribs and a fracture within the skull. How on a normal day that would be a pleasing sound, but with the bad news rousing through my head, no amount of death could cure the anger burning inside. The measly little pest whimpers in pain; his bloody head of blonde remains facing towards the ground where his injury joins the rest of the stains.
"L..Lord Centaur r…repor…rted s…she got a…away…" The sound of wood splintering shakes a shimmer of fear through the hyena skin body I have provided him with; his tail twitching anxiously back and forth. A few of the guards in the surrounding area flinch slightly as if I would not notice, but otherwise pay no mind. A pin drop could sound as loud as the roaring flames within my ears. The sound of my heavy steel combat boots click angrily yet at a slow predator pace across the floor to the crumple body refusing to look up. My hand shoots out to his hair, gripping it with brute force, pulling him up to eye level where he still refuses to meet eye contact. Good. He knows his place around this manor.
"Bring me Centaur now," I growl out, slamming his body into the ground. He wails out a shrill, high pitch scream echoing off the cobblestone walls. A noise that is least displeasing to my ears. My boot holds his neck in place as he screams to spare him; he will never make such a degrading sound again. I can feel the sickening smile form on my face as I respond back.
"No. It will certainly not happen again." His screams are gurgled for a brief second as the cracking of the spinal cord breaks into his windpipe and through the skin of his neck. Blood squirts out at a fast pace, pooling around the teen with fear expression plastered forever under his dead eyes. I spin to one guard, pointing to the dead body on the floor.
"You will clean this up. And you," I spin to another guard stationed to my left. "You will bring Centaur to me this instant." He bows, bolting for the door as if his life depends on it. It does. I sit back within my throne, watching as the guard cleans the mess as if it was a cup of spilt milk. Those who disobey me die. Those who let out a shriek of pain end in a painful death. And those, the worst of them all, who dare to rebel against me will be damned to the deepest pit of Dante's hell.
"You rang your highness?" A familiar voice chimes in; an all familiar smugness lining the air. I smirk.
"Yes you lowly peasant I did ring for you."
"I am hurt. Truly. I am your right hand man not a mere peasant!" We both laugh, a familiar face taking his seat next to mine. Centaur, a childhood friend who, like my ambitions wishes for more power and I, the scientist I am, gave it to him. We were next door neighbors, constantly playing and harassing the local children of our area. That is, until a young brunette came into our lives. She is beautiful, slowly going through the stages of aging with grace of a goddess, never once a flaw to ruin her complexion.
"So you called me in here for the status report right?" Centaur's voice brings me back from my thoughts. I nod, waiting to hear it from his lips.
"I have found her just like you said on a small island called Flower Bud Village. She seems to distance herself with most of the townspeople but I think she is catching on to knowing we are watching her." I nod again, knowing this much information. She is not a dumb creature but in fact an intelligent butterfly. Oh how I wish my beautiful little creature would remain by my side instead of fleeing like that.
"I…I almost had her. But then, something happened. She began to glow."
"Glow?" He nods gravely, unsure but has an idea who did it: her rotten sister Athena. Athena is the bane of all evil, attempts to keep my love from truly loving me. My poor dear was devastated when I had to break the news of her sister not surviving the infusions.
"Her sister gave her the power to fend me off. Most likely the infusion Athena received became active when she died rather than letting her live."
"Fascinating," I breathe, taking a mental note to check the files again. A frown seeps its way to my face.
"But that also means my girl is much stronger than when she was first here." Centaur nods thoughtfully, but refuses to speak what is on his mind.
"Is there any way to capture her without more critical damage?" Centaur thinks for a moment, realization lighting up his eyes.
"There is rumor she is smitten with a guy on the island. Some ranch worker by the name of Blue. Not much about him but a mere peasant working with his family. Roughly twenty years old with a younger sister roughly eighteen years old and a forty year old father. Dirty blonde hair, slightly tanned, and has a bit of a temper on him especially when it comes to the girl." He smirks from his metal notes.
"Bottom line: an easy catch to draw her out." I smirk, feeling the wheels turn slowly in my mind. A weak catch and her weak heart to draw my love out without any further harm. Her body shall heal naturally from Centaur's attacks, but who is to say a porcelain doll should have any more damage if it can be avoided?
"Shall we begin the capture now?"
"No." I pause. "Strike out at a time no one will notice. A large gathering perhaps, where one person's disappearance will go unnoticed." He bows, a sadistic smile matching my own as he walks out of the throne room. A picture of a beautiful sleeping angel sits next to the throne in an elegant black wire frame. The familiar face of a small, vibrant girl smiles up in the family photo. Her eyes shine vividly with a swirl of caramel and chocolate.
'Soon my darling we shall be reunited.'
(Jinx's PoV)
A chill runs up my spine, a foreboding feeling seeping into the air.
"Are you okay?"Basil asks from his position at the cutting board. His hair is neatly combed to the left side and out of his face. A hand is slightly raised with a chef knife in mid chop of the tomato beneath it. The typical baby blue 'Kiss the Cook' apron hangs around his neck with splotches of tomato juice and flour.
"Just a…chill." I continue to cut the green pepper on my board, feeling a presence leering down from an unknown location.
"Are you feeling okay? Was it enough?" The feeling of warmth ran over my tongue at the familiar taste, creating a burning need to have it once again.
"Yeah," I pant, forcing the cravings back into the dark pits of my mind. Basil sits a comforting hand on my shoulder sympathetically.
"You are better than him Jinx. It is just the things he infused you with that is all."
"…Yeah…" The afternoon proceeds on with silence other than the occasional barking from Avery or violent outburst from Ray on the lake. After the incident at the hospital, Basil demanded that I should live with them. Of course I openly rejected the idea, but once Ray got into the fray of the battle and insists, well…it is two against one.
A silent, almost inaudible rap hits the door causing a fit of barking from Avery.
"Oh shush Avery," I scold the puppy playfully. Basil chuckles from the corner of the kitchen.
"Sounds like our guests are here for lunch."
"Jinx honey!" Gina throws herself through the door right into me, casing not only an ambush from her but from Avery as well.
"Avery! You betrayed me!" I laugh as the pup slimes both faces. Our laughter fills the air with a happy note, until another voice breaks in the merriment.
"Um…is Jinx here?" My body stiffens at the voice and Gina's grip instantly tightens in an attempt to hide my body.
"Nope you must have just missed her," Gina sings, remaining in her position on the floor. A pair of footsteps from across the room echo towards the door, stopping within a few feet of my head.
"What do you want Blue?" I can hear the harsh snip in his voice, but to the untrained ear, it sounds like a casual question. Blue fidgets in his spot, remaining in place with most likely a determine look plastered on his face.
"Just…to talk to her…" He sighs. "Gina I know you are hiding her under there. Please I would just like a moment." Gina moves uncomfortably on top of me, finally allowing the light to blind my eyes. I sit up, glancing around as the dark shadow people become the familiar faces I know. Even the one face I wish not to see. He extends his hand out to help me stand up, but I brush it away and stand. Basil gives a wary glance, Alex practically glaring from his spot in the doorway, and Gina looking like Blue should be squished like a bug. Even Avery, much to my surprise, sat close by with a glare.
"Fine," I grumble, walking out the open door. Alex grasps my hand lightly, giving a look to say he would be listening. I nod, heading up to the peak of the mountain with Blue slowly scurrying behind, tail between his legs. The sun is high in the sky, burning bright rays into the perfect clear sea blue day. Birds chirp from nearby pine trees, both a mating and singing calls. There is a gentle breeze brushing the summer grass by, allowing some relief to the heat.
"Jinx I…" I hold my hand up, slowly turning to face the man who has broken my heart on multiple occasions. The man who has caused multiple problems and now wants to apologize for it.
"Before you continue that phrase I need to know. Why?" I can see in his eyes the sudden shock of the calmness of my voice. There is calculation, a constant changing of answers before settling on the right one. His lips part slightly as if to speak, but no sound utters out. A pink tongue licks each lip nervously.
"Look," he finally grits his teeth together in aggravation. His head is poised towards the ground with a hard look on his face.
"I like you. Hell I might even love you! But…Ann is someone special to me as well. She is my childhood friend sine we were in diapers. It is only natural for me to have feelings for her as well and well…she returns the feelings." Blue turns toward me with a look of battle within his turquoise eyes, the eyes I have seen in so many different shades of emotions. He walks forward, his eyes never leaving my gaze. I can feel his hands slipping through mine gently and loosely as if I was a china doll.
"I do not know how you feel about me Jinx. Please…tell me how you feel." I stare dumbstruck at his face for the first time in a long time. If he had asked when the blossoming spring air struck hard with the petals of love, I might have told him I liked him back. After the chain of events, it leaves my heart to wonder if I truly like him or not.
"Blue…I…"
"Jinx! Lunch is ready! Come down before your food gets cold!" Basil calls up from the base of the hill. I can see him giving Blue a slight glare, then a smile before walking away. In the distance you can hear Basil telling the well earned news to Ray who exclaims loudly how happy he is.
"Let us go to lunch. We can talk about this later." Blue drops my hands abruptly, making his way down the hill to Basil's cabin. I let out a breath I did not know I was holding, finally allowing the awkward moment to dissipate.
'Do I like Blue? Let alone love him?' I thought about how I first felt on the island when first greetings were done. At the time, my stomach was in knots, butterflies swarming into every part of it. When he and Ann shared a meal, I felt as if I wanted to rip her a new one.
'I like Jamie better anyway sister dear. Blue may be hot, but cowboys…' Athena lets out a low whistle of appreciation in my head. I roll my eyes, tapping my noggin as if she would feel it.
'Keep off for this matter sister. I need a clear head but thank you for your fascination with cowboys.' I can hear her laughing lightly like wind chimes, fading into the back of my mind.
"Yo." A voice startles me out of the conversation with my sister. I spin around, coming face to face with yet another part of my complication.
"H…hey." I reply, feeling the butterflies form within my stomach. Jamie smirks, shoving both hands in his pocket. His face is back to the colors it should be and although his hands are still slightly bent out of shape, he can work with them a bit it appears. The wind blows his purple strands in a perfect line stuck under the cowboy hat that looks like it can be taken easily by the wind. His shirt is a simple black wife beater clinging desperately to the abs he produces underneath. His baggy blue jeans hang underneath with matching black cowboy work boots.
'He looks so yummy! Let me out! I will kiss him back from last time!' Athena squeals in delight, hearts radiating from every corner. I can practically see her struggling against my barrier to get out and claim Jamie's heart.
"Would you like to join me for lunch?" Jamie glances around at the ground; a smirk forms as a smart ass remark passes his lips.
"Are you a cow? Cause all I see here to eat is grass and that is not food for humans." Fire burns under the skin of my face as I turn away with a 'humph!'.
"I meant in Basil's cabin there is lunch. But since you want to be a smart ass maybe I should leave you out here to graze." A shadow looms over, blocking the sun from my face. A rough yet gentle touch strays around my waist, grazing it slightly but not fully settling. In the background of my mind I can hear Athena screaming about how great he is, but it is just gone with the wind. The scene is set with a perfect clear summer day, not to hot with a slight cooling breeze. Flowers already in bloom swirl and dance with the wind bringing a floral scent to the air. A man, gently holding is woman as if she were a delicate flower ready to wilt at the slightest wrong touch.
"Jinx," His voice brushes the rim of my ear; the hairs on the back of my neck stand erect as a shiver passes down my spine. I turn my head slightly, glancing up only to gape. Jamie looks down with a small smile on his face. It is one of those rare smiles that when it happens, it takes the breath right out of you. The ground just falls out from under my feet. He begins to lean down and I bend my head in response, feeling my face fuse up like a tomato, eyes squeezed shut. A feather brush of something soft hits my forehead and his shadow leans away. I look up, peeking out from behind the eyelids to see his usual smirk back in place once more. Jamie removes his hands from my waist and spins on his heels, beginning his descend down the hill.
"Was that a yes?" I call to his retreating figure. He stops in midstride, turning slightly with the same smirk plastered on his face and utters one word.
"Hn."
"I invited Jamie to lunch," I smile awkwardly as we stand in the open doorway. Everyone gives a questioning glance except Gina who beams a bright smile. Alex merely shrugs; Ray is too busy gawking at the food to notice, but Basil and Blue both stare at me. Basil has a look that says "We will talk later" while Blue is seething with rage. Jamie takes notice to the fired up boy and gently places a hand on my waist. I can feel the fire burning underneath my skin only fueling Blue's desire to murder more. Basil raises a questioning eyebrow, a playful smirk on his face. The blush deepens.
"Hope I am not intruding." Jamie flashes a smirk Blue's way, tension quickly escalating.
"Of course not! Come! Have a seat next to Jinx!" Gina moves over one seat to allow Jamie in next to me, of course the seat is right across from Blue. We sit down, helping ourselves to the food ahead. Knowing I hate fish, a perfect medium-rare burger sits happily on my plate with a bucket full of fries. As the bun slips into my fingertips, I can feel the juice slipping into the bread soaking it through. My mouth instantly salivates. I take a bite and an audible moan slips out from the back of my throat. The burger practically melts with its juiciness mix of salt, pepper, and some garlic seasoning. There is a spike of heat from the slices of pepper jack cheese melted on top only to be slightly muddled by the taste of mozzarella.
Everyone at the table lets out a small laugh much to my embarrassing expense. I throw a fry in my mouth, missing about half of it as it sticks out from my mouth. Jamie quickly leans over, barely touching my lips as he bites the other end of the French fry off.
"It is good." He smiles, continuing to eat his food. Gina gives two thumbs up with a light blush before she too returns to her meal. I do not look up from my burger, knowing Blue is digging Jamie's grave and wondering why I did not freak out. This continues on for awhile with Jamie stealing food from me until the meal is done.
"Excuse me," I breathe out, feeling queasy all of a sudden. Basil stands up with me, ushering me to the back master bed room. He closes the door, leading to the bathroom where he knows what is going to happen next. I kneel down in front of the white porcelain throne, Basil holding my hair back. The feeling rises, running up my ribcage and up past my breastbone until the contents of my stomach spill out into the awaiting toilet. Thick, black liquid runs out at a rapid pace; images burning through my skin in an intricate pattern I know all too well. I continue to heave out the liquid until it finishes the first round, allowing air to fill my lungs.
"Ah shit." I curse.
Time passes. I could not tell you how long I spent emptying everything and then acid from my stomach. The images burn the top layer of my skin like branding, tracing circlets around the neck, wrist, and ankles. They are black as night, swirls like the sea tracing and connecting together in one link. Various shades of purple and blue are splotched across my ashen face; my lips tint with a deathly pale grey.
Basil sits patiently behind me, rubbing circles on my back. With each passing he washes the vomit off my face with a damp cloth right before the next round hits.
I just hope, for the sake of Blue and Jamie that this passes soon.
(Blue's PoV)
I cannot help but to glare as Jamie steals yet another kiss from Jinx. What infuriates me more is her lack of reaction to it. It is as if this has happened before. The mere thought of that burns the already burning fire higher up. I can see the smug little bastard smirking at me from the other side of the table to purposely wave her in my face. As if to say "You cannot have her but I on the other hand can."
I can see Jinx's face pale all of a sudden, voiding of all color and life. She looks as stiff as a board and Basil picks on it instantly, pushing his food away.
"Excuse me," she stands up, Basil going with her into the back room. The door to the bedroom shuts, and instantly I can feel some sort of rage overflow towards Jamie.
"What the hell is your problem?!" I scream, slamming my hands onto the table. The entire table shakes from the force, and everyone but Jamie looks up. This angers me more.
"The only problem is you right now."
"No you are! Who do you think you are kissing her like that?!" Jamie finally puts his utensils down and looks up. Finally a reaction!
"I can kiss her as much as I want. Unlike you she is currently single." He smirks, that annoying smirk that pisses me off to no ends. My mind leaves me as I lunge across the table, throwing my hands around his neck as we both go down to the floor. I hear his head make a sickening crunch against the ground as he throws his own fist into my face. My head gets thrown to the side, but I tighten my grip around his neck. I feel Alex and Ray prying my fingers from his throat and peeling my body off of him. I let go for a fraction of a second, throwing both boys away from me and begin to pile drive my fists into his ugly fuck face. All I can see is red; the punches he throws back feel like nothing compared to the rage that consumes me. I want him dead. I want him buried six feet under. Most of all, I want her to love me over him. Alex and Ray keep the punches at bay; a disapproving look promptly stares in my direction once I have a second to cool the red away.
The table is split in two, wooden spikes jetting down into the floor from the break. The lunch made splatters in between the cracked table into one conglomerate mess. I glance at Basil who merely shakes his head as he begins to pick up the white shards that use to be the dining plates. When did he get here?
"What is going on out here?!" Jinx screams, fury radiating behind her. I try to shrug the two boys off; their arms fall away from my frame. She is in a different outfit now, a black hoodie covers her arms and neck while a long pair of overly sized pajama bottoms cover her toned legs. Her face, although not as pale as it had been still remains void without color. In fact, it is a deep purple and blue as if I had beaten her up instead of Jamie.
"Jinx I…" She gives me a glare and I instantly shut my mouth. She turns toward Gina who is busy addressing the head injury on Jamie.
"Gina what exactly happened." Gina looks in my direction with a disapproving look as she recalls the events up until she walked in. Through the whole story, I can see her face darken and the darkness radiating towards my direction. I do not even try to plead my case, but Basil recommends I leave immediately. As I walk out the door, I hear her tired voice that breaks my heart.
"I thought you were better than this Blue." She whispers the last words as I walk out into the afternoon summer air alone.
I walk alone in the dark towards the only sanctuary I have ever known. The Moonlit bar. Where booze never judges you and the bartender is a beautiful angel by the name of Eve. Although she is not interested in the low farmer class here, she always listens despite the number of drinks through my system. The little bell chimes as I push the wooden door into the air condition building. Dark wood paneling lines the floor with stools and chairs matching in similar color. Wallpaper hangs up around the room, but it is of little interest right now. The shining bar with another random occupant glows with an intense light as my safe haven.
Eve, noticing my arrival with her sharp ruby red eyes shakes up a purple concoction in a metal shaker, pouring it into a cocktail stemware adorned with a fresh cut lime slice. With every sip, I can taste the bitter fruit slide down my pallet morph into a sweet finish on my taste buds. She says no words as I down one after another, drowning out any chances I have left.
She is done with me.
She does not love me.
I am a major ass.
I lost all of her respect and trust.
The most important thought, the one that makes the tears brim to my eyes assaults any other words that wish to form.
She cares for the little fuck Jamie.
Time is illusive. I could not tell what time it is or who has come and gone. The only thing I remember is stumbling into the night and right into my bed. Something feels amiss in the air, I can remember that, and a new face that would not take their eyes off me.