Hero & Villain

Calen | 1540w

   I shifted in the middle of my shower, and to say I was confused would be an understatement. It didn't even occur to me immediately that the last thing I remembered was being chained up in Masquerader's basement.

  I only just now remember more of what happened. I vaguely remember being unchained, then having a nightmare about... I don't know, probably about while I was being fostered. And then I remember Lance walking me out of a random house, but he seemed... odd. And I remember complimenting his eyes, that's embarrassing. Wait... his eyes. He has blue eyes, I know that, but they seemed almost unnaturally bright.

   "He really does have pretty blue eyes, doesn't he?" I murmur, mostly to myself. Despite thinking about his nice eyes, I can't help the frown that spreads over my face. Something just seems... wrong.

   Of course, everything seems wrong when large chunks of my memory are missing. Lance brought me here and then left, according to... what's her name? I know she told me, I think it's something with an A? Alice? No, definitely not Alice...

   "I'm sorry, I don't remember your name?" I say, looking at her apologetically. Too many people have seen and had to deal with my worst form recently, and I'm equal parts angry and embarrassed about it.

   She chuckles lightly, sending me a reassuring smile. She seems nice, but I don't miss the calculating look in her eyes or the way she's poised and ready for anything. Not to mention, she seemed to intentionally ignore my comment about Lance's eyes.

   "My name is Amelia, Dear," I internally cringe at what she called me. I don't necessarily dislike it, I'm just so not used to it. "I don't suppose you would tell me your name?" She adds hopefully.

   I laugh softly, shrugging. "You already know enough about me to ruin me, my name won't make much difference. My name is Calen, and it's nice to meet you Amelia."

   She smiles, and it seems more genuine than before. "That's a lovely name, Calen. It's nice to meet you too."

   I smile back, awkwardly looking at my lap after there's a second of silence. "Well, um, thank you for hosting me Amelia. I apologize if I'm a burden."

   She's quick to protest. "No no, it's quite alright," There's a pause, then, "You don't seem too concerned about me 'ruining' you, as you say I can."

   I shrug, picking at a loose thread on my hoodie. No, Lance's hoodie. "I'm practically already ruined, aren't I? I failed to keep Macer from murdering a man, people obviously saw my wings flickering out of existence, and there have been too many random happenings around this city in the last few days. If there weren't any Hunters here before, there sure will be now," I rant, then drop my head into my hands.

   Guilt only has to gnaw for a short second before I murmur, "That came across a bit harsh, I'm sorry."

   "It's okay Dear, I understand your frustration. Are you hungry?" She asks randomly, causing me to wrinkle my nose. I don't think I've eaten recently, or if I did it was barely anything, but the thought of food right now makes me sick.

   I shake my head quickly. "No, I'm not hungry. Could I just get some water?"

   She chuckles and stands, motioning for me to follow her. I walk behind her into the kitchen, feeling awkward as she gets me a glass of water. I try to hide my yawn, but she sees it anyway and smiles. "I'll show you to the guest room, Dear," she informs while I sip at my water.

   "Okay," I mumble, unsure if she heard me as she sashays past the bathroom door and through another.

   I walk in to find her fluffing up a pillow and frowning slightly. I hesitantly sit at the foot of the bed, waiting for her to say something until I realize she's not going to. She sighs, looking at the bed with what I think is a sad expression. I can't tell for sure, despite normally being very good at sensing emotions.

   I slowly reach out and touch her hand, which is resting on the covers. "Are you... okay?" I ask when she looks at me.

   She sighs again and nods, smiling softly. It doesn't seem fake, so I accept that as an answer. "I'm fine, Dear. You get some rest, and I'll wake you when Lance gets back."

   I ignore the uncertainty that washes over me at the mention of Lance, and instead pay attention to the way Amelia suddenly seems intent upon tucking me in. She pulls back the covers and waits until I've hesitantly crawled in before laying them back over me and fussing for another second before folding her arms and stepping back.

   "You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago," she says randomly, then turns and exits the room. I'm thankful when she shuts the door behind her.

   I wonder if she has children. I get the feeling she was a very good mother, if she ever was one. I bet Lance sees her like a mother.

   My brows furrow when I think about him, and I'm not even sure why. Maybe it's because I've only known him for about four days and I already feel an odd pull toward him. It has been about four days, right? Oh well, close enough.

   Or maybe it's because as my eyes close and I'm pulled into a dream filled sleep, I finally realize what I've been missing.

***

   "Darling I'm sorry but I can't hold you the whole drive," Lance says softly, then rests his head on mine.

   He can't? Why? Does he not want to? Is he going to abandon me? "N-No please, wanna st-tay with y-you!" I plead as I frantically shake my head.

   "Sh... you're going to, I'm not letting you go Baby. I'll hold your hand the whole drive, I promise okay?" He soothes, slightly rubbing my back.

   I can hold his back the whole time? He can't leave me if I'm holding his hand, but... no, he wouldn't lie to me. I nod reluctantly, pouting as he sets me in the passenger seat and helps me buckle, then closes the door with a thump.

   In the second it takes him to get to the driver's side, I come up with more than ten reasons for him to not climb in next to me. When he does I can't help a mewl of relief as I reach for his hand like he promised. To my annoyance, he doesn't give it to me immediately. I know he needs it to start the car, and I frown when I realize how stupid I'm being.

   Still, I can't help the contentment I feel as soon as I'm tightly holding his hand in both of mine. I pull my knees up and wrap my tail around my cold ankles, angling myself toward Lance so I can look at him.

   He shakes his head and ruffles his hair, causing it to fall in my way of seeing his eyes. I want to reach out and push it back, but I'm unwilling to let go of his hand. I tug it closer, holding it near my face and closing my eyes.

   I feel Lance pulling on his hand and instinctively tighten my grip as I open my eyes to look at him. I meet his gaze and hold it for a second before closing my eyes and humming happily. "Lance has pretty b-blue eyes..." I murmur, then giggle to myself .

   Lance is so nice and handsome. Especially when his eyes are glowing such a bright blue.

***

   I jerk awake, distantly hearing a muffled cry that I eventually realize was made by me. My jaw is clenched as tightly as my hands, which are clutching the hoodie Lance gave me. I hear a door open down the hallway, then footsteps hurrying toward my door.

   I scramble out of bed so frantically I fall to the floor and hit my hand hard against the bed frame. I ignore the painful throbbing as I leap to my feet and run to the door, barely stopping in time when Amelia opens it in front of me. She puts her hands on my arms, obviously sensing my distress.

   "Calm down, Dear, what's wrong?" She asks, but I barely hear her over the pounding of my heart. I don't know how it's still beating when it feels like it's been ripped out of my chest. Maybe that's why I can't seem to breathe.

   "No.... can't stay here... you don't understand..." I manage blurt out, then I push her out of my way and take a fraction of a second to make sure she doesn't fall before I full on sprint toward the front door.

   Tears well in my eyes and partially blind me, causing me to fumble with the doorknob as I desperately hold back a sob. Finally I fling it open and stumble out into the pitch dark, not caring where I'm going.

   I only make it five steps before I stumble into the nearly invisible form of Macer.