Little Red Robin Hood

XIX - Names

Cloud arrived not long after I hung up. The words I had spoken had shaken me, so much so I couldn't force myself to get off the bed to open the window for him. I shivered when he slipped into the room. He quickly closed the window behind him.

"Hey," Cloud whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Hey," I breathed, clutching the pillow.

"You okay?" He gently asked.

"...I don't know," I whispered, shrugging. "I guess.... I don't know."

I was silent for a long time. In that time, Cloud removed his layers and shoes, scooting over to sit closer to me.

I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts, "I.... I came here to get away from the people that hurt me. I came here to start over, to get a new life. Why the fuck did it have to follow me like this?"

"Some people are just unlucky," Cloud sighed. "The best thing we can do is remind ourselves that... it's not our fault." He moved closer, slowly wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "I-is this okay?"

"Yeah," I whispered, a smile pulling at my lips. "Did your grandfather really say that I'm beautiful?"

"Yeah, he did," Cloud softly replied with a smile.

"Huh," I breathed. After a few moments, I said, "Cloud, when Amber got shot, you said wolfsbane wouldn't affect you. I thought it was because you're a god but... you said it was because you're not a werewolf. What did you mean by that?"

Cloud deeply inhaled, "Well, the original werewolves weren't shifters like you see today. Shifters and omega shifters--the ones that only change at night and have no control over their wolf forms--are the product of...," he thought for a moment. "Actually, weren't not really sure. I think it came from wolf morphs like me breeding with the original werewolves."

"Wolf morphs?" I echoed.

"This is gonna sound crazy but," Cloud slowly said, "every animal you see is a morph. They can turn from animal to human, yet still keep animal features. Most, if not all, stay in their animal forms for symplicity. Every animal you see can probably understand you to some extent. That's why wolfsbane won't affect me; because I'm not a werewolf. I'm just your normal, everyday, godly grey wolf morph." He paused for a moment, then said, "But yeah it was mostly because of my god status."

We were both silent for a few moments.

Cloud softly said, "Would you be okay with giving me the names? I can write them down and give them to Amelia."

I took a deep breath, "I know I probably should but...," my voice cracked, "even thinking about them...."

"Okay, okay, it's okay," he whispered, clutching me a bit tighter.

"Th-they need to be arrested," I breathed. "I-I need to. But.... I'm not sure if I can't. I'm barely keeping together as it is." I deeply inhaled, voice cracking, "Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Shh, this isn't your fault, you were just unlucky," Cloud held me tight. "Raine, I really hate to push but.... If you tell me the names, I'll get them to Amelia, and Ivory Tower's police force will arrest them. I promise, they will be brought to justice. You do know how child molesters are treated in prison, yes?"

I lightly laughed, "Yeah, yeah. I just.... I'm not sure I can say their names. I.... I can barely even think about them without...." My stomach and chest felt tight. He held me a bit tighter.

"They can't hurt you anymore," Cloud gently reminded me. "But I'm not going to push you if thinking about it makes you uncomfortable."

"O-okay," I whispered, nodding. "C-can you tell me about your family?"

"Ooh, that's a lot of stories," he sharply inhaled.

I leaned on his chest, gently smiling, "We got all night. If I fall asleep now, I'll probably just have nightmares. I don't want that. You know nearly everything about me, but I still feel like I don't know anything about you."

"Okay, well...," Cloud thought for a moment. "Damn, there's just.... There's a lot of stories. A lot of information. I don't think I could sort through it and tell it in a way that's understandable whatsoever." He lightly laughed. "There's a lot I just plain don't remember."

"Then tell me about the other gods," I sighed. "You mentioned Hades earlier. Do you know him? Like, personally?"

"Sorta," he shrugged. "I mean, Greece is pretty hot and I hate the heat but the Underworld's pretty nice. Nice and dark and cold. He's not, like, the creepy goth guy that the Western world often makes him out to be. He's not the villain. Compared to Zeus, Hades is...," he shook his head. "He's actually an okay dude."

"Yeah, I know about Prometheus," I lightly laughed.

"However much the Western world attempts to make him appear evil," Cloud deeply inhaled, "he's just... not. Yeah, he can be a bit... odd at times. But, overall, I think he's a pretty good guy. And, by the way, he and Persephone do love each other very much. And, he's not the god of death."

"He's not?" I mumbled. "Really?"

"Yeah, Thanatos is the goth of death. I mean, god of death," it was clearly a purposeful mistake. "Well, peaceful death, that is. Hades is just the guy that does the paperwork. He's the god over the dead. Their ruler. Also the god of riches."

"What about Persephone?"

"It's been a long time since I've seen them but...," he hesitated. "If I remember correctly, she can be even more terrifying than Hades." He was quiet for a moment, "I never really liked Greece. Besides, my family doesn't commune much with the other gods anymore. At least, not that I can remember."

"What other gods exist?" I softly asked.

"...Pretty much all of them," Cloud replied. "From Greek to Hindu to Norse and everything in between. Even the King of Heaven exists.... My family actually raised him." He gently smiled at the memories.

"Your family... raised... the King of Heaven?" I slowly said. "What is the story behind that?"

"Oh, don't worry, the archangel Gabriel wrote a book about it. I'll get it for you if you want," he breathed. "Let's just say, it didn't really end well. Well, it technically did end well, but we kinda had to go through a whole war. That was fun."

"Is.... Is that when you lost your ear?" I hesitantly asked.

"No, no, that wasn't until the Rebellion Wars," his voice faltered.

We were both silent for a few moments. Leaning against him, his arm around me, I had never felt safer.

I slowly sat up, tears brewing in my eyes.

"What's wrong?" Cloud sat up, concerned.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment. I moved closer to him, and he took my hands.

"Raine, what's wrong?" His tone became a bit harsher.

"Kai Andrews was the one I killed," I whispered, gripping his hands. "George Hendrick. Doctor Harvey Davis. Doctor Corey Baxter." My chest was tight. I struggled to keep my breathing somewhat calm. My hands were sweaty. "Deputy Christopher Gibbon. Officer Kamron Sparks. Owen Hudson. Aiden and William Dixon. Carter Larson and...." I swallowed, letting the tears fall. "Sheriff Roderick Wilson."

Those were them. The eleven men who had robbed me of half my life.

I leaned over, "I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Okay, okay, come here," Cloud pulled me off the bed and to the bathroom. My knees--my entire body--were trembling. I collapsed next to the toilet. Cloud held my hair back. My throat burned. My stomach twisted. I coughed and choked, more tears streaming down my face.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I choked.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," he whispered, hugging me. "It's okay. I got you. You're okay. I'm here. Everything's okay."

I leaned on his chest, closing my teary, tired eyes.