The Would Be Death of Josephine Taylor

My ugly ass scars are revealed.

          The healer lady led me through the castle's halls, I was hobbling, not walking. She was wearing black dress pants, a white collared shirt under a pink blazer. Her blonde hair was done up into a bun.

Apparently, my body is supposed to heal faster, now that my anatomy is Fae. I honestly didn't feel a difference, I felt a bit taller, my perspective changed, but that's it, the pain was definitely still there ripping through my thigh and arm. I still think this place is a cult.

"My name is Tessa." The healer/servant (who knows what Dark Lord has them for) told me. "Tomorrow, you'll learn our history and laws with, Sir. Reed." The girl or maybe a teen basically whispered.

"I don't bite, y'know." I grumbled to her.

"I'm sorry M'Lady." She said more loudly and clear this time. I sighed, absolutely done with this utter bullshit.

"I'm not a lady." I stated, glaring at her. She apologized again.

"After your lessons with Sir. Reed, you'll go to training. The Legion of Skulls is wary of a human on their team. I thought to let you know." Tessa gave me a meaningful glance. "They can be a handful and rude, due to the fact that they are also here, not wanting to be." She padded to a door and held it open for me, gesturing to it. "You'll be staying here tonight." She walked in and I followed. "The Queen is informing the Legion of your presence. She wanted to give them a day to digest the information." Tessa pointed to the bathtub. "Bathe yourself. I will be back in half an hour to bandage you and get your measurements for dresses."

I held my hand up to stop her. "1, I don't wear dresses. 2, what the hell is the Legion of Skulls?"

This time she glared at me, "The Legion of Skulls is the Queen's select group of spies, that the Queen herself hand-picked. They-"

"I don't give a rat's ass about the Queen. I just wanted to know what it was." I grumbled, heading into the washroom. Meanwhile, Tessa turned a shade lighter than white.

"Miss Taylor! You could be tried for treason if anyone hears you say those things!" She reprimanded me. I grumbled again. "Please, just bathe yourself, and I'll be back." She said quietly and left the room with a click of the door. I sighed with relief and undressed fully. The bath was already running and halfway full. I looked in the mirror at my naked body, and it finally hit me. How deep of shit I was actually in.

There was blood all over me, splattered all over my tanned skin. My brown wavy hair was a rat's nest, and I was so scrawny. Yes, my time on the streets had made me stronger and Wyatt had taught me how to defend myself, but I hadn't eaten in days. Wyatt taught me self-defence, to ward off homeless men trying to take advantage of my curves. He didn't know that my father had taught me not only self-defence, but also how to operate a gun at the age of 7. Not to mention that I knew almost everything about every Cartel in the Sacramento area. Okay, well I didn't know that warehouse was the Mexican Cartels stash house. If only my father was here.

I slid into the bath with a sigh of relief. I scrubbed and scrubbed, removing all the dirt and blood from my skin. After, I slid under the water and snaked my hand over my scalp, untangling and cleaning my disgusting hair. I resurfaced and took deep breaths, unbelieving that I was now a fucking Faerie. Like what the hell, I thought Fae were fairy tale creatures, but I guess they aren't. My eyes burst open.

I guess I was finally accepting it. It still didn't make sense, but from what I've seen today I think it's starting to register in my brain.

A knock sounded at my door. "ONE SEC! I'M THROWING ON A ROBE!" I yelled to Tessa, most likely. Sure enough, it was her. She barged on in with a measuring tape and a medical bag.

"Please sit on the bed, so I can assess your wounds." She demanded as she marched on into the bathroom. "YOU USED MY FAVOURITE AND MOST EXPENSIVE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER!" She hollered from the bathroom. If she was mad that I had only used it, she was definitely going to be much more mad that I- "YOU USED HALF THE BOTTLE!" Yep.

She stormed out, stopped, and it looked like she realized that she had just yelled, and then proceeded to calm herself. "Lay down on your back against the pillows.

I did as I was told and positioned myself in a half sitting, half laying down style. She pulled a blanket up over my chest and pulled my arms carefully over top. "Please, remove your robe, so I can clean up your wounds." I again did as I was told. She began to scrutinize my bullet wounds and pulled the blanket just over my leg, so she could see them there too. "For the grazes I'll just be applying just the healing ointment, but for the others I'll need to stitch them." I nodded in approval as she set to work applying the ointment and starting the stitches. I didn't notice that a bullet had grazed my back in all the panic, but Tessa did. Unfortunately, for her to apply the healing ointment I had to roll over, which exposed my many small but thick scars, slashed along my back. One in particular stood out against the rest, due to the fact that it went up the length of my back-up along my spine and curve around my right shoulder. It stopped just short of my right collarbone. It was thick, angry and white. I got it two years earlier, at the age of 17. I had only told Wyatt what had happened. Not only that, but I didn't even tell the nurse who stitched them up what happened.

I felt Tessa hesitate when I turned over. Her hand movements much more gentle and soft. Many people-mainly men, may I add- had seen my scars. I never told them how I got them. Tessa finished applying the ointment and started to stitch me up. I rolled back over and funny enough Tessa wasn't looking me in the eye as she asked how I got the bullet wounds, not the old scars.

After she finished, she stood up and told me to get my rest and that she'd just do my measurements tomorrow. Before she could leave my side, I grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Please don't tell anyone about my back." I pleaded, "It's not like I don't want them to know or that it's a secret. I just don't want everyone's damn pity." I looked her in the eyes. "I also don't want to explain what happened." I explained more quietly this time. Tessa's eyes widened and then hardened.

"I will keep your secret. I won't tell a soul." She whispered, just by the look in her eyes I knew she wouldn't tell anyone. I nodded at her and let her go. She walked over to the door to leave, but just before, she turned her head and said, "You can trust me." She nodded and left, leaving me to sleep in a new world.

I felt determination left in Tessa's wake.