The Vigilant Yaksha

Chapter 18

After Vena had calmed down again, she apologized profusely, knowing she'd overstepped his boundaries because of how everyone always talked about how much he disliked human contact in general, and especially avoided physical contact, but he simply brushed it off quietly.

"Think nothing of it."

He was avoiding making eye contact with her.

Everything in her body screamed that she'd messed up, that she'd made him uncomfortable, that he probably hated her now.

I'm always saying and doing the wrong things. If he didn't hate me before, he definitely does now.

Feeling the panic and anxiety rising as her body tensed, the girl quickly spun around on her heels and headed out the door, nearly sprinting out onto the roof in the Inn as the cold night's air squeezed her lungs, nearly taking her breath away.

With shaky hands, she gripped the edge of the railing tightly, frantic eyes desperately looking out at the landscape below, trying to focus on anything besides her racing thoughts.

She took deep breaths in through her mouth, exhaling through her nose as she tried to fight the inevitable panic attack beginning, not wanting Xiao to continue seeing what she considered some of her worst traits.

Her inability to control her mind, herself being her own worst enemy, feeling like she can never do or say anything correctly, always burdening those around her.

—————————————————————

"What the hell are you?" The question was laced with venom, the words stinging just like the wound from a dagger, causing the girl to visibly flinch as her eyes widened in shock, mouth now agape as well.

"What do you mean..?" Came her sheepish reply, clearly deflecting the question.

"It's been nearly twenty years and you haven't changed... you haven't aged a day. You haven't gained or lost a pound. Not a wrinkle. You haven't grown an inch. You're the spitting image of yourself from all those years ago. Explain to me how." Her brother spat, tossing down a photograph onto the table between them, Vena's gaze immediately focusing onto it as she stared in horror.

"I almost didn't believe it until I found this. This isn't natural. This isn't just good genetics. This is something... inhuman. Monstrous. This isn't normal." The man stood from his chair violently, gripping onto the back of it with a shaky hand as his other covered his face, awaiting her response.

"EXPLAIN, VENA." Suddenly, the chair he had been gripping previously was now launched across the room as her brother tossed it at the wall in anger.

Tears began to well in the girl's eyes, unable to even explain herself, knowing this day had only been a matter of time, a long time coming.

And now that it had finally arrived, she still found herself frozen in fear, unable to find the right words to explain it.

"I-I don't know-" Vena quickly began to babble, shaking her head softly as the tears slid down her porcelain cheeks.

"Don't try to feed me some sob story!" He slammed his hands down on the table harshly, evoking yet another hard flinch from the girl as she almost ducked away from him in fear.

"You aren't my sister. You are not my mother's daughter. You're some abomination- someone else. You aren't welcome in this family anymore. After today, you will never see any of us again, or so help me god- I will take your life myself. Keep whatever witch craft or deeds you managed to make with the devil away from the rest of us. Get out." He flung his hand out toward the door, finger pointing as his body shook with anger, eyes emotionless and empty.