Purple Blooded

Mathew

She looks at me. I wonder what she's thinking. Her red hair falls into her eyes, her ears twitch. We would never work, I killed so many of her kind, probably some of her friends, her family. There's no way for us to move past that. She was covered in their blood when we found her, not a speck of red on her. She's lost everything. We destroyed her whole world, her whole society. All of the horrible things we've said about her kind run through my head. I destroyed her whole world and she responded to that by saving my life on multiple occasions. She was basically royalty, and I destroyed that... We destroyed that. "You were basically royalty, and now your people have no home. How can you act like none of that matters?!"

"Because I hated it. Everyone expected perfection. If I made a mistake they'd act like it was the end of the world. I told you the forest was my home because where my kind resided wasn't home. I don't care that my kind has no home because I never did. You three have been more my friends than anyone of my kind ever was. Do you know what it's like to be constantly surrounded by people and always alone?!" Her voice shakes, her eyes search my face. Kaiden puts a hand on her shoulder. His face matches hers, rage, fear, pain. The silence is deafening. We are all quiet. The silence seems to last forever. Kaiden finally breaks the silence.

"So where are you heading? I assume you three don't want to travel with either of us." He somehow broaches the two things none of us wanted to ask.

"We were gonna head to nearby villages and towns to look for work. Personally I don't mind if both or either of you join us, You'd just have to cover your ears around other humans," Cody answers.

"I don't mind if you join us either." Justin inputs, he's been quiet for a while.

"Five means we can keep watch in one hour shifts, that seems easier than two hour shifts to me." I throw in.

"I don't know..." Lyra says, her voice seems to ooze guilt.

"What's wrong, you sound... like... Are you blaming yourself for something unnecessary?" I ask her.

"What are you talking about?" Her face has a painted smile, Her voice raised by two octaves.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"No I don't."

"You feel bad about something... I don't know what it is, but there's something wrong."

"I lied to you, to all of you. I had convinced you that I was human, I...." It seems to be weighing on her.

"Who cares?" I almost yell. "What are you really upset about?"

"YOU DONT CARE ABOUT ME!!! NOT REALLY! YOU JUST WANT ME AROUND....cuz I'm strong, you only want me for my strength." She storms off into the trees and disappears into the darkness.

"LYRA!!" She doesn't respond. I try to chase after her. As I get out of the light of the torch I trip on a tree root and immediately eat shit.