By the time I woke up, Torrin already had everything packed up and ready to go. The sun is barely up, yet you can see the horizon getting ready to form. I rise to my feet and twist my body to the point where everything cracks. Sleeping in the sleeping bag is really displeasurable. I hope to never have to sleep in one ever again.
Releasing a breath of satisfaction, I decided to hop in the back of the car. "My body is sore from sleeping in that bag thingy. I'm gonna lay back here for a few hours." I tell Torrin as he gets inside the car.
"Whatever." He mumbles. I'm guessing he's not a morning person. But if we're being technical, he's always like this. Torrin starts the car and drives off, onto the road. As usual, a silence takes place in the car, making it awkward.
My eyes close and I try my best to think of something that'll help me fall asleep, but it's a fail. My mind is all over the place, which doesn't make any sense. I'm always calm and collected when it comes down to my thoughts, it never takes me this long to focus. My eyes begin to check my surrounding, which causes me to have a mental break down. I'm not doing any of this. "We got a problem," I say lowly.
Torrin glances back at me with a frown on his face. "What is it?" He asks.
"Do you know sign language?"
"Yes." He answers, confused as to where I was going with this.
"Good," I whisper. I close my eyes and lift up my hand, signing to him, "There's someone in my head."
"How do you know?" Torrin asks.
"I can feel them trying to get our location." I sign.
"I can't ever catch a break," Torrin says to himself. The car comes to an abrupt stop and he gets out, opening my door. "Keep your eyes shut." He tells me, before yanking me out the car.
"Do you have to be so rough?" I ask angrily, not having a clue where his face is. Torrin doesn't say a word, he only scoffs. Before I can say anything else both his hands are on my waist, which instantly shuts me up. I can feel his body close to mine, his breath hitting the surface of my chest. His hands start to move downwards as he begins to pat me down. Biting on my lips, my eyes stay shut feeling his hands roam my body. Torrin reaches back up and his hands lightly touch the bottom of my breast, which causes my eyes to flicker open.
"Eyes shut." He commands. Unwillingly I close my eyes and he continues. He starts again, this time his hands lightly touching my face. Torrin stops. "Open your eyes." I do as told. "Did you let the fairies kiss your face?" Torrin signs.
"Yes." I sign.
He begins to sign fast. "Whatever that was on their lips, they used it to get inside your head."
"Does that means, they were working with Rahul this whole time?" I ask. Torrin nods. "How do we stop it?"
"There are only two ways to stop it." He signs. "The first one is, a lover has to kiss you to make it go away. And the second one is blood mixing." When he says lover, Claire's face is the first thing that comes to mind. I shake my head, getting her out of my thoughts.
She's moved on, she'll never kiss me again.
I lift my hands up and sign, "Let's do the second one." I suggest.
Torrin nods, before pulling out his blade from his pocket. He motions for my hand and I give it to him. "This is going to hurt."
I roll my eyes. "No shit captain obvious," I say sarcastically.
Torrin glares at me. "Watch your mouth." He says. The blade meets the flesh of my skin, and thick blood flows freely from the palm of my hand. Torrin glides his blade against his skin, slicing open the palm of his hand as well. He latches onto my hand, combing our blood. "Say what I say."
"Okay," I respond.
"оно што је твоје је моје и оно што је моје је твоје." He says.
I look at him crazy. "What the hell does that mean? Is that even a language?"
Torrin glares. "Just say it!" He snaps.
"Fine." With a huff, I lift my other hand up in surrender. "оно што је твоје је моје и оно што је моје је твоје." I repeat. The feeling of having someone in my head vanishes leaving me back to my normal state. Closing my eyes for a minute, I open them looking at Torrin. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." By the way, he says it, I know he's serious.
"You're an asshole," I mumble.
Torrin glances at me. "And you're a bitch." He says getting back into the car.
My face forms into a glare as I sit in the passenger seat. "I'm tired of your shit."
"I am too." He replies back, before starting the car. "You talk way too much and you're annoying." He drives off. "And let's not forget, you act like a child."
"Well, your one to talk. You're grumpy, sexist and let's not forget racist." Torrin frowns. It's the first time I've ever seen a different emotion other than anger and boredom on his face. Makes me wonder what he'll look like when he's sad.
"I am not racist."
"Yes, you are. Last time I checked supernatural creatures is a different race, a race in which you hate. So, therefore, that makes you racist." I explain. When Torrin stays silent, I smirk knowing that I've won this argument.
"Wipe that stupid smirk off your face." He mumbles. "I'm not racist."
"So you say." I lick my dry lips. "What's it like being a fallen angel?"
And just like that, Torrin's whole mood changes. "Don't ask me that ever again. In fact, just stop asking questions about me in general." He glances at me, before turning back to the road. "Change back into your normal self, this appearance you have on is displeasing."
"How is it displeasing?" I ask. "I happen to like this appearance very much."
"It's displeasing because it isn't you." The car goes completely quiet and I feel the heat rise to my face.
Was that supposed to be a compliment?
Why am I blushing?
"Is that your way of wooing me?" I ask, trying to lighten up the mood. "Oh Torrin, your words have moved me. Let's grow old together." I say in a dramatic pitchy voice.
Torrin shakes his head. "You were definitely dropped on the head as a child."
I chuckle. "Not necessarily dropped, just hanged upside down." Torrin rolls his eyes at my lame attempt of a joke, only it wasn't a joke. My mother seriously hanged me upside down, as soon as I came out of her womb and she realized I was albino. She made sure to remind me all the time. "Where are we headed next Scarface?"
"We are headed to the island Zuford, to get the Manriite. Aka the Wrath stone." Torrin informs me. "We can't let things go sideways as it did back at Adeslens. Therefore keep your legs closed and your mind on the stone."
I shrug. "I'll try my best to keep my legs closed, but I'm not making any promises. Also, Zuford is filled with a bunch of angry batshit crazy Hawaiians. How the hell do you expect to get on that island?" The Zuford island belongs to the Minotaur. They're half man, half bull creatures, with a horrible temper. I gave them the island because It was the only peacefully place I could think of on earth. They keep to themselves, not really involving themselves with the outside world.
And because of that, we made a treaty together. I supply them with the things they need and they promise not to release havoc on earth. It's a win, win if you ask me.
"You're their queen, I'm sure they'll allow you to come and go as you please," Torrin says.
I shake my head. "That's not how it works. I only go to the island at a specific time of the month, which is only the fifth of every three months. They'll know something is up and I really don't feel like dealing with no angry Minotaur. They're hard creatures to kill."
"There's no other way around this Natasha." Torrin turns around and looks at me. "Change back to your normal self." He commands.
"Make me," I say, glaring at him. "You are such a control freak."
"And you're such a child." He responds. "Just do what I tell you to do. It's honestly not that difficult. Do I need to dumb it down for you?" He asks. "Change... back," Torrin says slowly.
"Fuck you, Torrin!" I snap.
He looks at me disgusted. "No thank you. Having someone's sloppy seconds really isn't my thing."
"Oh yeah, well... well. Shit!" I say not having a comeback.
Torrin smirks. "Go ahead Queen Natasha, change back."
"I hope you know, that the only reason why I'm changing back is because I want too. Not because you told me too. I don't take orders from you or anyone else that's below me, so remember that Torrin. You fuckin jackass." Leaning back in the seat, I take a deep breath. "Quae quondam erat, et qui tunc ego, ad me convertere et Ego vere sum." I chant slowly. My body starts changing, my albino skin and natural features coming back. Avoiding looking at myself, I look down at my shoes. I hated this skin. It's nothing but disgusting filth and no matter how much power I get, I could never change that. "You happy now?"
"Very." Torrin mumbles. "It's gonna be a while till we reach the island. I suggest you find something to do in the meantime."
"Gladly," I mumble. "Ostende mihi quid me vis videre." I chant. My eyes stay open as my mind takes me to the past.
*
I was sitting on the beach lulled by the languid flowing of the tide. The waves carelessly dribble onto the sand and I couldn't help thinking about the place I once called home. It was the smooth twilight of September, the sky just above the horizon. A soft breeze comes, gently stroking my face. The gurgling and the gushing of the waves brings me back to reality.
"What are you thinking about?" Someone asks.
"Everything and nothing," I respond, not daring to look back.
"You did a bad thing," Odessa tells me.
I look down at the water, tears threatening to fall from my eyes. "I know and I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't fix what you did Natasha." She says. "You killed people, not just people but innocent people at that."
"I'm sorry."
"Are you really?" She asks. "Because it doesn't seem like it. Instead of fixing what you did, you're on a beach."
"Please go," I beg.
Odessa sighs. "Sooner or later your gonna have to deal with what you did or the guilt will overpower you. You're one of my best creations Natasha, don't make me regret creating you." She takes a step forward. "I wish you took my warning when I said stay away from her."
"Yeah, me too."
*
The sound of Torrin's voice snaps me out of daydreaming. "You're freaking me out." He says. His face is stern, yet peaceful. "I don't like being freaked out."
I turn to him, looking at him like the fool he is. "How so Scarface?"
"Well for starters, you're eyes are glowing red and you've been staring at the dashboard for a while," Torrin explains. "Did you cast a spell or something?"
My head tilts to the side, trying to figure out why he's all of a sudden interested in talking to me. "It's none of your business Torrin." I bite my lips. "Why the sudden interest?"
He glances at me, before scoffing. "I wasn't interested. I was just annoyed with you freaking me out." From the corner of my eyes, I see him touching where I bit him. The bite is starting to irritate him, which could be part of the reason why he's so bitchy today.
"You say I never listen to you, yet you never listen to me. I've told you far too many times to let me heal that bite, but you don't listen. That stupid pride of yours is very annoying, you know that right? Just let me heal you. It doesn't even take that long."
Torrin grips the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. "Why are you so interested in healing me?" He asks. He doesn't let me finish. "Don't answer that. Matter of fact, why don't you just not talk about the bite at all. "
"You know what? Fine." My shoulders shrug. "I don't care anymore and I won't bring up the bite ever again. But when you start hallucinating, don't expect me to do anything for you." Torrin stays silent, his eyes looking oddly at the road. "What is it?" I ask looking at him confused. He didn't have to answer my question, I could see it for myself. The smell of wood smoke drifts throughout the island. My eyes widen at the view before me, taking off my seat belt I get out of the car.
I could not breathe, nor could I hear my heart in my chest.
Everything is burning.
"He did this," I whisper. "Rahul did this."
Anything that is bright turns black and ascends in the air in the dark gray plumes of darkness, and misery. The fire holds its head up regally and proudly as its destruction spread while glowering at the surrounding daring them to challenge its fearful power. It eats everything in its path. Yellow, red and orange. Smoke releases out of its flames and boyishly dances around the island, trying to dispose of all its anger from within. There was no escaping it, the pain, or the death it's causing. The piercing screams of the people on the island can be heard from a distance.
My eyes connect with Torrin, his eyes are unreadable. "Don't." He says, already knowing what I'm going to do.
"I have to help them," I say, walking closer. My nose catches the scent of death and I already know who it is. "Rahul is still here, I can put a stop to him right now and end all of this.
Torrin shakes his head. "You're not ready, you need all the stones to defeat him. You'll get hurt without the stones."
I send him a small smile. "I'll heal."
"You won't Natasha." He says seriously. "Rahul can kill you, he's an original with the wrath stone. You don't stand a chance." I look from him and back at the burning island. "Please for once, just listen to me. You don't know Rahul as I do. He'll end you."
I gulp, feeling my heart beat rising. "Whatever happens, happens Torrin. I at least have to try." I release a breath and close my eyes, before chanting. "Hic et Nunc, ut ego mihi ad locum." A wave of heat hits my body, causing my eyes to fly open. I was now on the fiery island, no site of Torrin anywhere. Looking at the burning pits of fire, my fist balls up.
Time to be a queen.