Chapter 12 Marks aren't what they appear

Well into the night I was still awake and pacing, I was going over every little detail in my head and peicing things together. So far I knew that I had met her when she was eight, then I re-met her again when she was thirteen, and thats where I get lost. I put that part away for a moment and went to the other side of the spectrum, Shawn had retired from wrestling after his daughter Iziah had commited suicide, two days after his other daughter went missing and was presumed dead. I tried to ring Shawn and ask about it, but he said there was no point in discussing it and refused to say anything. So all I had was she was killed and apparently I could still save her.

It was obvious that only two people knew what happened to her, and neither of them could tell me. Sighing I flopped backwards on the bed, at least I wasn't drinking or getting fucked up with drugs, I had too much on my mind to even think about drugs. I shut my eyes and just cleared my mind of all thoughts.

"Stop it! No! Stop it!"

I raced as fast as I could to her screams, no one was going to hurt her, not while I was here. My feet wouldn't move fast enough and her screams only got more impatient and needy. I got to her room to find the guard on top of her, ripping her clothes, whispering that it would be better if she stopped screaming. He hit her in the face, that was all he could do because I grabbed him and threw him against the wall, anger reaching the deepest parts of my soul, I kept slamming his body against the wall, blood and whimpers falling from his lips, his comrades showed up, threatening me with tranks, I let the little weasel go and like a sack of wet cement he dropped to the floor. I looked to his friends, they didn't want to get any closer, not even with all their tranks.

"If any of you put your hands on her again, you die. Got it?"

They all looked at me, I thumped my hand against the wall, it shook to its very core creating a small hole, I was that angry. "I said, if you touch her again you die, got it?"

"Yes Kane" They all said meekly,

"Good. Now leave, I want some time alone with my girl"

They all left as I turned back to her, shaking and crying silently. Her top was ripped and her bra poked through, she tried to cover herself up but not quite suceeding. I took off my shirt and gave it to her.

"Put that on"

"Thank you" She said quietly, her body still shaking from nothing but fear. "I'm sorry"

I took her chin and made her look at me, "You have nothing to be sorry about, it wasn't your fault" I wiped her tears away, her skin smooth under my fingertips,

"I'm sorry I was late, I didn't mean to let them hurt you"

She finally smiled, through her tears and pain, a little smile that made my heart ignite. "You were right on time as always. What am I gonna do without you?"

"You won't ever have to find out Raven"

My eyes snapped open, I wasn't sure if that was real or a dream, but now I had a name, Raven and now that I knew her name, I remembered everything, I had promised her that I would always be around for her, but I wasn't and now because of it, she was dead. I shook my head and settled down on the bed properly, now that I knew how we were connected and why she came to me, all I had to do was figure out the second part of the murder-mystery, how she was killed and why was she stuck in between. I rolled over and there she was beside me looking at me. I would of jumped if I wasn't so happy to see her.

"I am so sorry" I whispered, just looking at her I felt guilty for letting her down. I had promised her always that I would protect her, but I didn't, I couldn't.

"Don't be sorry, you've done nothin wrong"

"I was meant to protect you"

"You did, and pretty soon you're gonna save me again, I know you are"

I just looked at her, and I realised the disturbing truth, I hated to admit it even to myself, I was in love, with a ghost. Raven was who I wanted all along and I had missed the chance. Figures.

"I wanna tell you something but you have to promise me you won't get upset"

"Why would I get upset?"

Raven shrugged, "I don't know, men tend to do that. I've been holding on for so long, and I was just about to let go and go with the guardians until I saw your name, I knew you would save me. I should of told you this when I had the chance, when I was alive. I love you"

"Don't say that" It hurt hearing it, we both hoped that their was a chance that she would somehow come back to life, but I think we both knew that deep down, there was more chance of winning the lottery. I hated it, but it was true.

"Its true, I loved you from the moment I saw you. I couldn't help it, but life had to get in the way. See thats why I hate life sometimes"

I smiled at her, everything I wanted was right in front of me and I couldn't even touch her. I had to change the subject before I lost it completely, "Why do you always wear a hood?" It was a medi-ocre way of changing the topic but I needed anything to distract myself.

Raven looked at me, scared and silent. I didn't think it would be a big deal. "You're not gonna like it"

"It can't be that bad"

Raven sat up, with shaky hands she took her hood and lowered it slowly, man was I shocked to see two nice little devil horns sticking out of her skull.

"Your...evil" I couldn't believe it, no way could she be evil, she was so sweet and innocent but there was the evidence clear as day that I had been tricked yet again.

Raven got up, her face no longer sweet but etched in anger "Oh sure, one pair of horns and suddenly your evil. You know just because I have these things, doesn't mean I'm evil, I only have these because I made a mistake" Raven pulled her hood back on, still very upset that I called her evil.

"I'm sorry, I just got shocked, I didn't want you to be evil"

"I'm not evil, its ironic really. I'm the nice twin, the fair twin and I have horns, Iziah who should be Satan, has the fucking halo. She's broken several rules including commiting suicide and yet I kill one guy, and suddenly I'm the devil, complete with horns"

"Raven lie back down with me"

"Why? So can you tell me I'm evil again?"

"Raven I'm sorry I called you evil, I didn't mean to upset you"

She let out a sigh and thankfully for me, she laid down next to me. This was something I wouldn't forget, and I hoped that I would always have this. "I have these because I killed the guy who killed me, I drove him crazy and made him kill himself."

"How did you die?"

Raven pursed her lips, before speaking "He came round lookin for my Dad, he started saying that I was pretty and started touching me. I told him to stop it and then he attacked me, he banged my head against the floor until I passed out, he raped me and when I came too, he freaked and banged my head again, I died on the kitchen floor."

"Wait if you died at home, why doesn't Shawn know what happened? He would of found you, no doubt he would notice his daughter on the kitchen floor"

Her eyes lit up as I came to the conclusion on my own, "He moved your body, he took it away so Shawn wouldn't know. Thats why you're stuck, because your body hasn't been viewed, therefore no one knows your dead, they only presume." I was starting to get excited now, the thought of giving her new life was starting to be real, if I found her body, then? I didn't know, but right now finding her body was the only thing to do.

"What happens when I find your body?"

"Then I reclaim it, and if I've got enough life left in me, I come back to your world"

"Ok, where is your body?"

"That I don't know, he moved me and the next thing I know the guardians are trying to take me to my resting place, however me being me, I wouldn't accept I was dead. I'm still holding on, wherever I am"

I thought about what she said, and I realised I was back at a dead end, only one person knew where she was and he was dead.

"I guess I really screwed that one huh" Raven said sadly, I put my hand on her face, well as close to her face as I could get.

"Not yet, we still have a chance"

"First thing tomorrow we work, right now, you need to sleep, shockingly so do I"

We lay side by side, just staring into the eyes, I didn't tell her but I think she felt it, I was starting to have fresh hope, if I saved her and she somehow became alive, well I would be eternally happy, I loved her and I think I always had. I stroked my fingers down her face imagining what her skin would feel like,

"I wish I could make love to you" I breathed out before I could stop, never had I said that in my life, but with her it was the only way to describe it.

"I wish that too" Raven shut her eyes for a moment, "I love you Kane, always"

"Always?"

"Always"