~Chapter Three~
Trick or Treat
The tension is thick in the air, making it hard to see
The fear of what is to come and what will become of me…
I say a prayer: "Help me not run away."
Will you please hold me?
Sing me a love song again.
Say the words that heal my heart.
Sing me your love song and then…
Let your words remind me who I am.
~Sing Me a Love Song, by BarlowGirl
Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.
A pair of glowing green eyes flickered in my direction. The light of the setting sun was reflected in their depths, even as the sun continued its descent and slipped through the empty panes of the broken, paper door. There was a cunning intelligence present in his gaze, and it frightened me. I had the strangest feeling that he was staring straight into my frantically beating heart, especially after he had spoken the next words.
"I am suggesting that we take you to meet with Akito."
Sammy's P.O.V.
"I don't believe you."
Blankly, I stared up at the effeminate man. It has been said that the eyes are like windows into the very soul of an individual. With this man, however, I would not know. His dark, black hair was covering his eyes; thus, I was without a proper way to gauge his mood. The only other method of doing so was to examine his physical appearance. His clothes – a traditional yukata and a pair of long, white socks – were rumpled. His posture was relaxed, as well.
But, I knew that looks could be deceiving, and something inside of me was screaming that Akito was a naturally deceptive person. Ayame might be the snake among the cursed members of the Zodiac, but this man…
He was far more dangerous.
And, damn! I didn't have any antivenin handy either. Silly me, I hadn't thought to pack it when traveling to Japan. I mean, honestly! There are loads of poisonous creaturesin Japan. No warnings had been given, either. None at all! The travel agent had only mentioned that the mosquitoes were a bit of a nuisance at this time of year. He'd said absolutely nothing about poisonous natives. And one would think that this would be an obvious to mention to an ignorant tourist.
Cursing wildly at my bad luck, I muttered, "Damn that Priceline Negotiator. It's the devil incarnate, that one! Tricking me into buying tickets because they were cheaper this time of year…" I snorted derisively. "Have a nice vacation, my ass! Ha!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I observed the reactions of my supposed caretakers. Shigure and Hatori were exchanging strange glances, per usual, which may or may not have been related to sexual tension. And Ayame had dozed off without a care in the world, his back resting against the screen that led into the garden. Not a one of them offered me their help whilst I suffered at the hands of Akito.
Take me to your leader, indeed! I scowled, brow furrowed in anger as I continued to grumble to myself. Seriously! Who died and made you king, buddy? Japan isn't even a monarchy! So, what gives you the right to challenge me, infidel? I KILL YOU!
Akito openly stared at me, seemingly amused with my silent fuming. The main reason for this was probably due to his ignorance; he was blissfully unaware of my Achmed impersonations. Thankfully, he wasn't a telepathic waitress known by the name of Sookie Stackhouse. She tended to attract trouble, that one, and I was able to do that all on my own – thank you very much!
His smile widened, and he cocked his head to the side. "Are you not going to defend yourself, Miss Steel?" he asked.
"Sorry, but I'm not very good at karate," I lazily drawled in response to his question. At the sight of his startled expression, however, I placed a hand over my mouth and gasped, "Oh! That was so racist of me!"
You damn kamikaze…
A delicate twitch of his right eyebrow was the not the only visible change in his appearance. His shoulders were also hunched, and a section of his yukata was sliding down his shoulder; it hooked over his elbow as the man fought to keep his shallow breathing under control.
I cocked my head to the side and asked, "…what? Was it something that I said?" My blue eyes were wide with feigned innocence.
Akito was silent for a moment, and then – he emitted a small, weary chuckle. His voice was painstakingly resigned as he mused, "Why must you stupid girls keep making an appearance in our lives?"
It surprised me that Akito did not appear very angry anymore, as it was not in correlation with the warnings Shigure had given me before we'd entered this room to speak with the head of their family. Instead, Akito merely sounded curious, and tired. He was very, very tired. And while that was understandable, to an extent, his question was not.
I hesitated, before murmuring, "I beg your pardon?" Honestly, I could not decipher his meaning.
Jaw clenched in irritation, Akito turned and muttered, "Stupid girls. The two of them must be in cahoots with one another…" He raised his voice to be heard. "Honda Tohru is living with these men, as well. Am I correct in thinking that you know her?"
"Yes, but not very well," I said slowly in response, trying to display my utter lack of comprehension. "May I ask what that has to do with anything?"
Blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and a smile twisted his lips upwards, into a smirk. A wicked glint was present in his eyes. He took a small step forward, another, and yet another – closer and closer to my seat. I almost fell backwards in my attempt to get away from the unpredictable man and place a greater distance between us once more. It took every ounce of my willpower to not scream like a little girl, jump to my feet, and run for the door, into the night and never to be heard from again.
The urge to flee was prevalent in the weak.
"Do I scare you, Miss Steel?"
The words were whispered in my ear. I shivered as his warm breath crawled across my pale skin. Every last bit of color drained had already drained from my face upon the realization that, in my haste to escape, I had backed myself into a corner. I was in desperate need of some blush, maybe a touch of mascara. Even a Crayola Crayon would work wonders at this point in time!
I flinched, visibly shying away from the bitter man and his question. My silence was an answer in itself, however, and Akito cackled wildly at my skittish response. His laugher mocked my very existence. You'll never be a part of this family. Now, heed my warning, and leave! Get out! Tears were brimming in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Not in this lifetime.
This game that the two of us were playing was unfamiliar to me at the moment; however, I'd always been a quick learner. Of course, I meant that mostly in regards to games like Clue or Monopoly, perhaps Mario Party. Yes, these games involved critical thinking skill, but none of them instilled within a person the skill to defeat a leader of the Yakuza.
Even so, I would not lose to Akito! No way!
"…is she even paying any attention to me?"
Shigure offered the man a weak, timid smile. "I'm not certain, Akito-san," he finally admitted.
"I'm sorry. Were you saying something, sir?" I asked in an apologetic manner, truly miffed at my unintentional rudeness.
Akito snarled. "You are an insignificant, little brat! I demand that you pay me the respect that I deserve!" Blue eyes were wide, and his lips were taut under the strain of baring his teeth at me.
I blinked owlishly at him, a confused expression on my face. Hesitantly, I reminded that I wasn't a member of his family, and that this respect was earned in my case. Akito slowly smiled at me, and my stomach churned uneasily at the sudden change in demeanor. His entire face had transformed in mere seconds – it was as though someone had flicked a switch on in his brain.
The light bulb finally flickered to life, ladies and gentlemen! That means that we have a winner!
It was then, as that sarcastic thought processed, that I realized my fatal mistake. I'd finally admitted – aloud, and in his presence, no less – that I was not a member of his family. Akito had been hinting at this fact for the last two hours in order to ensure his victory; now, he was about to come and collect his prize.
"You don't belong in this family," he purred darkly. "And you never will…"
And those words were spoken in the exact same manner as in my dream, the one that occurred roughly five days ago, at the start of this mess. The words from my nightmare echoed eerily in my head – over and over and over – until I began to wonder if my brain was stuck on repeat. Not that there was an iTunes program installed in my head or anything, but it was rather odd for me to experience such a strange phenomenon.
Perhaps, I was being possessed! Or, Akito might have been attempting to try a newly discovered form of hypnosis: You will obey me!
Yeah, that's not very likely, buddy.
"Now that this little matter has been cleared up, may I leave?" I cheerfully inquired with a bright smile on my face. "There's a football game on tonight that I don't want to miss – the Auburn Tigers are playing the Gamecocks."
"…what?"
Katie, that prophetic childhood friend of mine, would now happily scream, "Awkward silence has ensured!" She was so strange, that one. And, while we were both strange, neither of us were stupid enough to tempt fate and attack a vicious, unpredictable man with a taste for cruelty.
It was Shigure that finally spoke up, asking the question – "Is that really all that you have to say to him?"
Disbelief colored the tone of his voice a lovely shade of orange. I stared up at the ceiling, biting my lip and fighting the urge to ask for a pencil and some scrap sheets of paper. Inspiration sometimes hit me in odd situations, but this was ridiculous! Note to self: must remember to find my sketchbook and colored pencils upon returning to the hotel…
"Miss Steel, you must answer him," Hatori whispered, and he continued practically begging me to say something nice at this point. "Please!"
I was unsure of how to continue; it was hard to dig oneself out of an awkward situation. Smiling nervously up at them, I timidly suggested, "…go Tigers?"
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say at this point in the conversation, as it was had absolutely nothing to do with what we were discussing. I received several different reactions, some bordering on exasperation, and others – anger. I'd been hoping for a bit of praise for my entertainment, or a prize of some sorts; however, this was not a box of Crack Jack. There were no little paper puzzles, costume jewelry, or the likes.
Oh, well! I would admit to finding their individual responses quite amusing, though. That was almost a prize in and of itself.
Firstly, Hatori sank to his feet, a pained expression on his face. He stared up at the ceiling in silence. Praying to God, perhaps? I wasn't certain, to be honest – Japanese religion was not something that I was overly familiar with, if at all. The only noteworthy knowledge that I held in correlation with the subject matter was that most of the Japanese referred to their god and/or gods as "Kami-sama." If there was any truth to the countless episodes of anime that I watched, that is…
Secondly, Shigure appeared to be resisting the urge to pin me to the ground and strangle me. Or, so I thought. The repeated clenching and unclenching of his fists – and that motion of wrapping his hands around my throat – could very well have meant something along the lines of good job and congratulations in Japanese sign language.
And lastly, we must not forget the vibrant Ayame! (As if that were possible…) The snake of the Zodiac was currently waving a homemade banner in the air, which appeared to read – GO TEAM! This could have been in reference to my awesome acts of rebellions, like those of Luke Skywalker; or, the snake might also be supporting my favorite football team! Yay!
I stared at him in amusement, thinking to myself: Is he serious…? The banner fluttered in the breeze and smacked Akito in the back of the head, and he snarled at the white cloth. Where did he get that thing, anyway?
Of course, Akito was not happy in the least. "Do you truly to expect to skip merrily away from this estate, in spite of the fact that you now know our secrets?" He snorted at this, which was probably not a very good sign.
"Well, it wasn't exactly in my plans to skip away from the Sohma Estate," I admitted, honestly, and with a cheerful grin on my face. "I envisioned more a…brisk walk, to be honest."
If Akito's next reaction was the standard of comparison within this family, my mischievous humor was not appreciated. Then again, most people had a nasty habit of reacting badly in response the airing of their dirty laundry – figuratively speaking, that is. I had no intention of raiding his clothes hamper.
One might wonder, of course, what his reaction was to my apparent lack of concern in regards to his threats and posturing. Well, to put it simply…
Akito snapped.
"Your story is stupid!" Akito vehemently hissed. "It makes no sense for someone as lowly you to be able to touch the members of this family provoking a change in a single one of them." Spit clung to his clenched teeth, all of which appeared to have been bared at me – again.
Ah… I mused. It appears that he's still pissed off that I managed to pass his little test earlier – and with flying colors! My shoulders lifted upwards in a careless shrug. Oh, well.
It really should not have come as much of a surprise that I was able to come in contact with the Zodiac members of his family, nor should it have been unexpected that each and every single one of them – male and female – was immune to my touch. I'd warned Akito ahead of time that curses were a specialty of mine. But, no! He didn't listen. And it served him right for being such a provincial asshole.
A faint aura of magic suddenly drifted into the room through the open screen door, and it swirled around Akito in torrents. The power of the magic grew in response to the intensity of anger; the more words that he spoke – er, screamed – the stronger the magic became. I was shocked at this development, to say the least. It had been several long years since I had last encountered such a powerful curse. And, if I were being completely honest with myself, I might even have said that this was the strongest curse that I'd ever encountered!
"Stupid!" Furiously, Akito stomped his feet and kicked at the tatami mats. "Everything about you is stupid! No one should be able to touch this stupid family without the appropriate reaction from the stupid, cursed Zodiac!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "Stupid!"
Honestly. I had the strongest urge to offer the man a thesaurus. It might be beneficial for him to improve his vocabulary – someone might pay actually pay attention to him and listen to his rants, then. As it was, I personally found myself distracted by the wonderful smell of raw, dark magic. I inhaled deeply through my nose, savoring the rich taste of the powerful magic as it brushed against my own. It tasted sweet, like a handful of candy corn.
Halloween was coming early this year.
"Is that so? I must apologize, then," I murmured softly, feeling vengeful at the moment; it was time for this nonsense to come to an end.
The cluster of blue tattoos on my shoulders, all of which were clearly visible with the aid of my black camisole, was beginning to glow brightly in the growing darkness gathering the room. My magic absorbed a fraction of the power that fueled the Sohma curse, and my eyes had also lightened in color – the irises were nearly white. Magic fizzled within my soul.
Clearly, I was not human. The others, however, were still unaware of that little detail.
"And for what must you apologize, you little brat?" Akito demanded, again with a small, accompanying hiss.
I offered him a deceptively sweet smile and said, "Apparently, I missed the memo. I must not be on your mailing list." My smile widened. "Shoot me an email next time, instead. Okay?"
Behind me and a little to the left, Hatori was drawing in a shaky breath. He was clearly uneasy with the situation – and with my apparent lack of manners. But, I was not going to bow to this false prophet that stood upon his dais with his nose pointed haughtily in the air. I would not do so, even if it saved my life. Hatori was sorely mistaken if he thought me capable of bending to another person's will. I was my own person, and I was a rebellious one, at that. I bowed to no one.
Blue eyes flashed angrily at my defiance. "I do not believe you are capable of overstepping the bounds of this curse," Akito reiterated, darkly. "This is some form of trickery on your part."
With another careless shrug, I asked, "And what should that matter to me? I was merely asked to provide you with my reasons for crossing paths with your family." I stuck a finger in my ear and heartily scratched. "No one ever said anything about my having to convince you of the truth in my words."
I was beginning to lose my patience with the situation at hand. My control over my raging temper was not short by any means. No, it was nonexistent. Not to mention the fact that I was currently tired, and hungry, and immensely irritated with this harsh treatment. One should also take into account the fact that I resembled a scarecrow at that moment, with my blonde hair sticking up in every direction like loose straw, and my forehead stitched tightly shut.
Akito smiled, teeth glinting faintly, and he finally said, "A proper young lady would not hug every man that she came in contact with, my dear."
The thin, crimson thread stitched in my forehead was quite the eyesore. I'd been branded with my own personal Scarlet Letter A. Needless to say, I felt like a whore.
His dark smile was challenged by my sadistic grin. "Oh, but this one is already twenty-seven years old!" I pointed a finger at the dog of the Zodiac. "That isn't very young, now, is it?"
Shigure glared at me with dark, gray eyes, both of which were narrowed in mock anger as he playfully whispered, "Who are you calling old, kid?"
My mouth dropped open in shock, before clicking shut again. "Hey, I am not a little kid!" I protested.
Gray eyes glittered with mischief. "'I'm a nineteen year old virgin!" he mimicked in a high, nasally voice; it reminded me of Fran, a nanny from, well, The Nanny.
My lower lip jutted out in a pout, and I doggedly insisted, "I don't sound like that! My voice is much deeper, you crazy mutt!"
I huffed in irritation and did my best to ignore the incessant buzzing in my ear that signified Ayame had clambered back on his soap box again – lovely maiden this, and lovely maiden that. In my efforts to tune the voice out, it dawned upon me that I hadn't protested his statement. The crazy mutt had insisted on quoting my words, the ones that were spoken to his fuzzy alter ego. My only response was to claim that his impression of my voice was a very, very bad one; thus, I did not deny the fact that my virginity was intact.
I cringed. Blue eyes widened to the veritable size of dinner plates, and a blush spread across my cheek like wildfire. My ears were practically burning as I mumbled something about preserving my innocence for the sake of propriety. Virgins were rare.
Hatori pried us apart – I'd angrily tackled Shigure after the horny mutt had the nerve to exclaim that he would be happy to rid me of such a heavy burden – and threw us several feet away from one another. My magic fizzled into nothingness at the sudden lack of an enemy to fight. We both blinked stupidly at the doctor, neither one of us quite sure how it was that he'd had the strength to accomplish such a feat. Hatori was such a lanky fellow, after all…
And then, we heard it: the Sound of Music. Er, laughter. It was soft and breathless, as if it was such a rare occurrence for this person that he no longer knew how to laugh. If one were to consider that the person emitting the sound was actually Akito, well, that might actually be true.
Finally, Akito caught his breath and whispered, "To think that I almost let you get away…"
His thin arms were wrapped around his equally thin chest, almost as though he were afraid it a possibility that he might fall apart, should he choose to let go. It was frightening, in a manner of speaking. There was this uncertainty hanging in the air, and it was beginning to make me sick to my stomach.
"What are you talking about, Akito-san?" I hesitantly asked, trembling with fear and no longer trying to hide the fact, either.
A wide smile spread across his lips. "It is quite simple, my dear," said Akito, "If you one is aware of the prophecy…" He shrugged. "…which you are not."
"I'm so very glad that my ignorance amuses you, sir," I muttered darkly, eyeing the man with mistrust – he was smiling. And I was not eager to find the reason behind his sudden good mood.
Akito continued, almost as though he hadn't heard me. "You see, it was foretold many years ago that a young woman would come to save us, to rid us of the evil spirits that claimed our bodies as their own. And it was predicted by the very sorceress that cast the curse upon the Sohma family in the first place!"
The crazy man cackled wildly, head thrown backwards and arms thrown up in the air, as if he were asking the gods why such a thing had happened to his family. He was wondering what he had done to deserve the position of martyr within their ranks. Nonetheless, he saw the irony in the situation – a witch was here to save them from wrath of another of her kind. It was almost poetic, like The Illiad.
I slowly edged away from him, steadily inching my way across the room. My only thought was to place a greater distance between Akito and myself. I inched closer to Shigure, bit by bit, in an attempt to shield myself from the madman. Surprisingly enough, the older male held his arms apart in an open invitation to come closer, motioning for me to accept. I gratefully climbed in his lap, where I would be safe from any and all harm. Don't look at me like that!
Honestly, I was scared – very, very scared. Terrified might be a more appropriate description, come to think it. And if Shigure was willing to offer me a little comfort and safety, I was going to take it, even if it did kill me a little inside to accept his help. I mean, this was the horny man that kept offering to sleep with me. Seeking refuge in his arms might not have been the best decision of my short life.
"Shh…" Shigure softly whispered in my ear. "It's would be best if you stayed quiet and let him rave. Ha-san and I will see about getting you out of here, okay?" He smiled kindly at my short, frightened nod. "Don't worry. Aya is capable of distracting him for at least a half hour, so we'll use that time to escape."
His minty breath mingled with my own as he spoke soft words of comfort against my cheek. I shivered at the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around my waist, and some part of me relished the unfamiliar sensation, despite the fact that Shigure was ultimately a stranger. Nonetheless, I felt safe. I nodded my consent because, well, what other choice did I have? It wasn't as though Fang and the rest of the Flock were going to burst in here and save my ass. I was not Maximum Ride!
Although, it would be rather cool to have such strong, pretty wings like that…
"A virgin just out of adolescence – she would have the freedom to touch us at will!"
I made a face. Oh, but I don't particularly want to touch you! It was a disgusting thought, and it gave me the creeps to consider the concept of my embracing him. Blech! I seriously need a bath now…
"And she would be born of a long line of witches, granted with the knowledge and power to lift the curse that had been placed upon us!" Akito crowed, finally reaching the end of his seemingly infinite speech.
That description irked me. "I've no idea as to what you are referring, my dear Akito-san," I boldly denied his words, but my shoulders were stiff with tension, and my stomach was in knots.
"Yes, you do! You stupid girl," he snarled viciously, clearly unaware that insulting a real witch would most assuredly be the last thing that he ever did. "Why else would I permit your filthy presence in my home?"
I stared at him with a blank expression on my face, before calmly suggesting, "Perhaps, it is because your taste leaves something to be desired?" With a raised eyebrow, I pointedly glanced around the sparse room.
His eyes flashed angrily at the thinly veiled insult. "How dare you imply that I am such a sad, worthless, pathetic creature?"
Someone certainly has a low self-esteem… I thought, somewhat amused at the discovery.
"I implied nothing of the sort, Akito-san," I said, amused that he was taking my words so literally.
A single, shaking finger was pointed in my face. "Yes, you did! Because you are a liar – a pretty, little liar!" he declared with a triumphant grin plastered on his sallow face.
"Aw!" I squealed, channeling my inner country bumpkin. "You think that I'm pretty? That's so darned sweet of you!"
I suppose that this response to his little temper tantrum was really racist and overdramatic, as he was already working himself into quite a state; however, it was necessary. This was all a part of my big plan. And, bonus! It was working, too!
Smack…!
Okay, it might be working a little too well.
My head cracked to the side with the speed of a bullet. The impact was painful, and I felt my blue eyes widen accordingly. Not a single tear fell from my stinging eyes, however, because that would be an action akin to admitting defeat. No, I would not cry. I would be strong and hold my head up high, because that was one of the things that the great and powerful Akito appeared to fear most in this world – strength.
Very slowly, I turned my head back to face the front of the room. None of its occupants had moved so much as a facial muscle, but all three of them were staring at me. I was fine. My cheek was sporting a newly inked Native American tattoo in the shape of a red handprint, but I was essentially fine. And I loved the war paint; it appeared as though I was a warrior, readying myself for battle.
Akito, on the other hand…
"Bitch! Slut! Whore of Satan!"
…had finally lost his marbles.
I burst into laughter, clutching at my stomach and howling at the fact that he was resorting to such crude measures in an attempt to anger me, as well. He was merely tempting the magic within me, the power that was literally clawing its way to the surface as it rushed through my veins and into the open air. It shifted, dancing around me, frenzied. He was so close, and yet so far away from the truth.
Akito froze, paralyzed by the sound of my cheerful mirth. My laughter echoed through the room like a song, whispering to him over and over and over again that he had lost this battle. It was unbearable for him.
"You are such a little bitch!" Akito screeched, absolutely livid and beyond reason at that moment.
The infuriated man dove after me in a fit of rage. His arms were outstretched – fingernails clawed at the air, mere inches away from my face, and they sought to tear at my skin. But, Akito did not land another hit, because Hatori and Ayame were now restraining him with their combined weight. At the same time, I was pulled into a tighter embrace, and it made me feel as though I was about to spontaneously combust; Shigure was currently squeezing the life out of me, trying to shield me from the wrath of his God.
Damn! It's really rather sweet of you that you are trying so hard to protect me, but who the fuck is going to save me from you, Shigure? I thought at him in exasperation. His next words, however, ripped me from my thoughts, and caused my jaw to slacken in shock.
"I will not…stand by again…as you hurt someone else…that I care about," Shigure hoarsely said. Obviously, he knew what was to come – no one was allowed to speak against the Head of the Sohma family without suffering the consequences.
"And you care for this girl, Shigure?" Akito bit back a laugh, because such a declaration was ludicrous to him. "You do not even know her! You nothing of her! Absolutely nothing!"
"But, I want to," he whispered the startling response, so softly that I was not sure any of us had heard him correctly. "I want to get to know her."
My heart stopped and, with it, the raging magic that was roaring around my body, like the eye of a hurricane. I was completely, utterly frozen. It was almost as though time itself had stopped in that one, precious moment.
And then, all Hell broke loose.
Both Hatori and Ayame were shoved aside with a surprising series of counter attacks – the former was punched in the gut, and the latter was thrown to the floor. Akito lunged at me once more, but he never even came close to hitting his intended target. Instead, the vengeful man was slammed into the magical shield that surrounded my small form like a thick sheet of ice. The power exploded inside of my soul, through my heart, and into the air: Snap, Crackle, and Pop!
Akito was thrown backwards and across the room. His body slammed into the opposite wall with a surprisingly hollow thud. He slowly slid down to the floor, seemingly unconscious. The yukata that he wore drifted open, in order to reveal the new mark emblazoned upon his chest – a small, black heart, through which a sword was thrust. It was the symbol of me and mine, the Broken Blade Coven.
And that particular symbol marked him as our unwilling slave.
No one moved, and nothing was said in response to this strange phenomenon. Silence was golden, after all, and a picture was a worth a thousand words. I'd just incriminated myself a hundred times over; there was nothing in the world that would change that. It was impossible to reverse time. Yes, I was young and powerful, but there only so much that magic could do. Not many people realized that there were restrictions for my kind, just as there were rules set in place for the rest of the world.
And the members of the Sohma family would not be aware of that little fact, either. They would only see me as a danger to themselves, and perhaps the entire world. This witch was a threat to be destroyed – eradicated. I was going to burn for my actions, much like my ancestors had centuries ago in Europe and, much later, in Salem, Massachusetts.
Those thoughts were my undoing, and my lips began to tremble. I was afraid to look a single one of them in the face, uncertain of what emotions were rippling across their faces – fear, repulsion, disgust? Not knowing was the worst part. It was for this reason that I hadn't wanted them to know my secret. I did not want for them to stare at me in horror, fearing for their lives because they believed that I would only use my magic to harm them. Another witch, another curse.
It was like being a leper. Not many wanted anything to do with us, too afraid of what was not understood. Magic, and mischief, and mayhem were hard to deal with, even for the most accepting people in this world.
"Sammy-chan…"
I cringed at the sound of my own name and refused to glance up at Shigure, despite the fact that his voice was calm – one might almost say gentle. Soft hands made their way to my face, and I felt my chin being lifted upwards, towards another face. I raised my eyes to meet his, knowing that it would be best to just get it over with, to meet the rejection with guns blazing.
Once again, I was lost in the whirlpools of molten silver. It was like magic.
Shigure tapped me on the side of my nose and murmured, "I am not going to judge you for what you are, as I have no right to do so." His gray eyes flickered over my face, patiently searching for…something. "But, I need to know – are you really a witch?"
In response, my tattoos began to glow with thick, powerful magic – so powerful that it was visible to the naked eye. He visibly startled. I smiled sheepishly at his surprise, my lips curling up ever so slightly at the corners, and my nose crinkling along with the motion. I was comforted at the familiarity of the action.
How to put this gently, so as not to frighten him away…?
I leaned forward, pressed my lips against his ear, and whispered, "Trick, or treat…"
***Author's Note***
Again, this is one of the updated chapters.
Not much was added to this particular one, however, so feel free to skip it if you've already read it once before. XD
I hope that you all are enjoying the story! Review and let me know if you don't understand any of the references, okay? :)
