Bitter Revenge

Chapter 10

Warning!

Of course I'd noticed the table next to the door with my belongings on it. My phone, my beanie, my keys, and my wallet. I rested my back against the wall, feeling the small holder of my handcuffs peeking out from the wall poke my lower back. It looked like a rounded rectangle with a hole in the middle, and the chain of the handcuffs passed in between. She had left hours ago, and I knew it was night from the window to my right. I may be strong but I can't break steel. I never worried too much about my strength since I'm naturally stronger than your run-of-the-mill human. Maybe if I had leverage I could break free, but I already tried. I can't break free from pure strength. I stayed up all night just in my thoughts, just thinking about everything that's happened in the last 48 hours.

Next thing I knew, it was morning. She walked in with the same clothes she had on yesterday, must be her pajamas. She held out a mug of coffee and I just looked at her, feeling a heaviness on my eyes. "I can't reach." I deadpanned, and she just blushed. "Right, sorry. I'll go get you a straw." I smirked, feeling the manic return. "Or you could free my hands." She didn't even respond to that as she left the room, later returning with a straw. I pulled my left hand far back, all the way to the cuff holder, so my right hand could reach forward and grab the mug. I brought it up as much as I could and left the straw between my lips after sipping it. "Wow. That's a lot of sugar." I admitted, but she got it just right. "Sorry, I tried getting it just right." We sat in a comfortable silence, sipping both our coffees. When I finished, I carefully placed the mug on the ground and flexed my left hand that had been hurting from the cuff. "Thank you for the coffee."

She looked a little harder at me, as if she was assessing what I was feeling. Then I remembered, oh! Maybe I can command her to let me go. I tried to get in her brain, feeling a buzz start ringing through the back of my head. I hit a mental blockade and felt a shock in the back of my head. I hissed, feeling the pain start to subside. Wonderful, I can't control her. If I had to guess why she's the first person I can't control, I'd have to say it's because of the matehood. But I don't know for sure. Damn! "Ugh, I feel a migraine coming on. Anyway, I need to go to work. Will you go hungry while I'm gone?" She stood up, letting her orange hair down. "No." I kept it short, I'm honestly stumped. What should I do? I'm stuck here, I can't think of a way out, and I'll most likely be killed if I confirm whatever the Royal Coven wants to know from me. Fuck this sucks! Above everything else, this is going to be boring as hell! If I'm going to die soon, I wish I were having fun now.

***

I stood on the pavement, watching the flames burn and destroy my home. My dead sister laid on the grass next to me. I crunched the match box in my hand, feeling that ache in my chest spread to the rest of my limbs. My parents were in that house, but they must be dead by now. The whole second floor had collapsed, the ashes reached up to the pitch black sky. My beanie sat on my head, a reminder of my father. My mother was too much of a bitch to spare us a thought, so to hell with her. My father too, for playing along. They deserve to die by my hands. For the living hell they put me and my sister through. An empty can of gasoline sat next to Violet, alongside a knife. I felt a numbness consume my body, something else controlled my muscles. I watched, a spectator in my own body, as my hand reached down and grabbed the knife, seeing my reflection in the blade. I just saw dried tears on her cheeks, her white-blonde hair a mess around her face. Her eyes. Haunted with trauma and a drive of adrenaline.

With a knife pressed against my neck, my last thoughts couldn't have been any simpler. I wish I'd had more fun. I should've spent more time with Violet. Hmm. I wonder if I'll see my parents in hell, if it even exists. I slashed the knife across my neck, feeling warmth covering my chest. My eyes closed, and the world beneath my feet turned until the ground met my body. The last thing I saw was my sister next to me, leaving a small smile on my lips. The pain in my chest is gone... That's nice.

I opened my eyes to find myself in the remains of my living room. I groaned as every muscle in my body felt sore and tired. I pushed myself up on my knees and hands, feeling my hair falling around my face. Wait, this isn't my hair. It's black. I reached up and pulled my fingers through my hair, seeing matte black strands weaving in between my fingers. I rushed to the remainder of the downstairs bathroom, and picked up a piece of the broken mirror. I saw my reflection and gasped loudly. My once peachy skin took on a pale, olive tone. My freckles still showered my face and body, though. My once white-blonde hair was now a matte black mess on my head, alongside my once light eyebrows and eyelashes. The scar on my eyebrow still remained, but some other scars that once showered my arms and legs were gone. But not the deep scars on my back and the scar on my neck from where I cut myself. I can't believe it was me I was staring back at. What the hell am I?

***

I awoke to the sound of the front door closing, my heightened sense of hearing catching her footsteps. I looked at the curtains, seeing orange streaking the sky. Oh goddess, I need a shower. She walked in and smiled at me, but I tried to keep a straight face. "Hey! Are you hungry?" She wore a white T-shirt with an overall skirt, her hair falling around her shoulders. "I'd enjoy a meal. But I need a shower." She puckered her lip, probably thinking about my request. "How would it work? I don't know if I could trust you to shower and not escape." My face scrunched in a grimace as I cringed at the thought of not showering at all. "Let's make a deal then." I felt my pupils dilate, not exactly ready to hear her request. "One shower equals one answer." I didn't even take a second to think about it. "Not a chance." She hummed, probably thinking of a way to compromise with me. "One shower and you tell me something. Anything. That has to do with you, obviously. I don't want to torture the answers out of you, I want you to willingly tell me. If this is gonna work, we need to work together. I haven't been too horrible have I?" I sighed, seeing that this deal gave me the upper hand. "Sure. I'll tell you something about myself every time I shower, so basically, every day."