How we meet

Chapter 40

The wind was sharp, it bit your skin but you didn't mind. The silver bell was always colder than this. You stared silently at your father. His eyes looked down at you. At this point, you had accepted the fact you weren't a good person. Perhaps you should experience it yourself, you had extra anyways, it would only be fair. You deserved it more than him anyway. You deserved to have bitter nightshade shoved down your throat until you vomited up your entire being. You had seen it a while ago, the purple flowers quite a walk away from your cottage, you didn't think you would find it, you expected it to be long gone until the summer but somehow the coin had landed correctly.
"That was intentional." you didn't realize it would be that bad, you were legitimately shocked, you felt disgusted with yourself. You hated yourself for it, you hated how he had agreed to it.
"And here I thought you were nothing like me," he laughed a bit, "Now I suppose I should tell you what I was going to, a few years back I had gotten word of ancient texts being found. I know you know that I have a bit of a passion for old language and archeology, but this was such a glorious find that I put it in my personal collection."
His personal collection was not big, but it was more than impressive. He would sometimes let museums showcase items for a large sum, or for publicity. You had seen it a few times, tucked away in locked and heavily secured containers and cabinets.
"I kept this more hidden. It was such an old language and such a strange piece of history. I started an investigation with my company, yet when we had started problem after problem started. My men got lost, over and over, Mechanical issues would happen daily. I refused to stop searching. I needed to find the artifact myself. Then I had finally decided to get some others involved and explained the ancient city I was sure was buried into a large mountain cave system. When those professors saw the large wall of sprawling thorns and glowing vines they requested outside assistance especially when wild pokemon started to attack the workers and researchers. It took so long for them to find someone to study the plants, then of course my kid had to be the one to swipe the bell out from under my nose."
You stiffened, you had no idea why you even had the thing.
"Awkward, I guess you just weren't fit to have it." you didn't mean to say it out loud, but that expression was funny for the few seconds it crossed his face, but you very quickly wished that your impulse control was better.
His hands reached out for your neck, his hand was pulled back and you stumbled back. Your feet kicked up dirt and dead grass and you turned to run. His hand gripped you and the other landed with such force you screamed. Your fingers desperately scratched at the hand grasped around the back of your neck. His hand came down again, pounding into your skull. Your hands were gripped, crushed in his grip and a bone snapped. It echoed and you choked on the scream, you coughed trying to gasp for air as the pain pushed it from your lungs. The silver bell jingled sweetly. You landed on the misshapen fingers. You dry heaved at the purple-green color. Parts of your hand looked like you had crushed olives under your skin mixing with blood. You blinked, tears running down your cheeks.
"Step away human." a familiar voice made you sigh in relief as you pushed yourself off the ground even as your arms buckled under the pain. You screamed as sharp claws dug into your legs pulling your back down into the dirt and leafless branches.
You lashed out in return, slapping the damned cat across its fluffy face. Even as it bit into your arms you wrestled with the thing. As its claws dug and it kicked, shredding your shirt and slicing your skin. You pushed it away, kicking it off, and dashed off into the mansion, blood dripping down your leg and soaking your clothes. The cat was fast and Liepard slipped through the door giving chase. You reached out, biting down a scream of pain as you forced an overly expensive and exquisite painting off the wall. The heavy frame broke the table and vase underneath it. You turned, making sure you stuck to the halls with well-placed cameras. You pulled the tablecloths down, raining picture frames and expensive pottery down onto the wooden floor, now slippery with water for ornate vases and littered with glass shards you only could hope it slowed the bitch down. All the blood was making you queasy.
You finally turned again tumbling into an unlocked door.
You laid against the floor, the blood might stain it but it's not your problem to deal with right now. The library shelves were still so gorgeous to look at even though you hated this damn house. You could hear the paws, you hear the way they were damp and slapped against the hard floors like a rag. You knew the door was still open but you were so tired, and your head was spinning. You didn't want to move, you couldn't move.
Simple black heels turned, an iron-pressed skirt twirled, and the cat made a pained noise before crashing to the ground behind you. The sleek furred cat was down. Then warm hands turned you over. They pressed down on the slashes, and you finally let out a laugh laced with tears and sobs. You couldn't make sense of the surroundings. You didn't really realize you were being lifted away from that sweet maid that you never got to say goodbye to the first time. You're sure that her always perfect hair was now just a little bit messy with a few loose hairs framing her face.