ALL US VILLAINS

Chapter Five

The cottage at the edge of the city looks as it had four years ago. The yard is decorated with wildflowers of all sorts of colors. On the side of the house is a garden full of late summer fruits and vegetables.

From her spot on the outskirts of the woods, Diana is well hidden. The thick trees prevent the home's inhabitants from seeing Diana as she watches them live their lives from afar.

In the kitchen window, a woman washes the dishes. Her face is more weathered than Diana remembers and is a lot darker. Her summer shade makes her appear to be as dark as midnight. The woman's hair is styled into braids, which are pulled back into a high ponytail.

She is just as beautiful as she was four years ago and she is just as full of life.

"Octavian!" The woman shouts. She glances over her shoulder. "Could you pick some tomatoes for tonight's meal?"

The front door to the house bursts open, revealing a boy near the age of thirteen. He holds a light brown basket in his brown hands. "Do you know how many tomatoes you want, Aunt Megan?"

Megan gives him a look that indicates that he should already know the answer to that question.

Octavian is so much taller since she had last seen him. He's almost an entire foot taller, at an average height for a child his age. His dark eyes are full of life and happiness, untouched by the cruelties of the world.

Diana knows that she should leave before she is spotted, but there is at least one more person she is hoping to catch sight of. The only person to have ever visited her while she was in jail other than the royal monarchs.

Her arm begins to burn and the skin around her mark itches. Liam is summoning her, which means she has to go to him.

Irritated by the interruption, Diana turns to leave so that she can teleport away. Behind her, someone gasps. There's a slight thud from an object falling to the earth.

Slowly, Diana turns to face Octavian. She prays that her cloak covers enough features so that the boy won't recognize her. Though he was fairly young when she was locked away, her features are very recognizable.

The boy stares at her with wide, confused eyes. He practically trembles before her. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Many years ago, one of the house's previous owners casted a spell that prevents unwelcome guests from coming onto the property. Only family members and those they invite can have access to the property.

It's easy to understand Octavian's confusion, since Diana obviously wasn't invited on the property.

The pain on her arm intensifies, reminding Diana that she cannot stay any longer. She teleports to the palace in a cloud of white smoke, finding herself standing inside of her bedroom. At the moment, Liam is pacing about her oversized closet.

"What are you doing?" She questions.

Liam jumps at the sound of her voice. He takes a moment to calm himself down before facing her. "Where have you been? I have been calling you for the past ten minutes."

Glancing about the room that does not quite belong to her, Diana takes in the mostly barren room. She has not yet had the opportunity to add her own flare to the room, so it looks boring and uninhabited.

She moves to the black chair and drapes herself across the arms. "I've been out exploring the town. I wanted to see how things have changed in four years." When she sees how Liam's face pales, she rolls her eyes. "Don't worry. I was wearing a hood to cover my hair. No one recognized me."

He blows out a breath of relief. Then, he gives her a scrutinous look. "Have you considered dyeing your hair? It will make you less recognizable when we have to go out in public."

Diana studies her nails as if she is looking for dirt. Since her nails are unreasonably short, there is no possible way for dirt to accumulate. "When I was eight, I used to get bullied for my hair. I begged my mother to let me dye it."

The bullying was always extreme. They would pull her by her hair and drag her to the river to try and drown her. They would throw rocks and sticks at her and claim that she didn't belong. Other sorcerers would cast spells to get woodland creatures to attack her or to throw her up into trees.

Liam crosses his arms and leans against the doorway leading to her walk-in. "Let me guess: she told you to embrace it and wouldn't let you."

The sorceress shakes her head. "Quite the contrary. We attempted to dye it black, but the color immediately washed away. As did every other color we attempted to use to stain it." She runs her fingers through her hair, appreciating the way that they can actually flow through it. It has been a long time since her hair has been untangled and unmatted. She has gotten so used to its unmanageability, she thought that it would look like a rat's nest for the rest of her life. "The magic that flows through my veins has already stained my hair permanently. There is nothing I can do about the color, short of wearing a wig."

Liam uncomfortably shifts his weight and looks away from her. The strength of her magic makes him uncomfortable.

It isn't something new to Diana. People have always been uncomfortable or terrified of her capabilities. Her grandparents had even told her mother to leave Diana out in the woods to protect the world from her.

There are very few people that have made Diana feel normal and not a freak of nature. Her siblings were two of them since they only looked at Diana with admiration and love. She has never felt like a freak around them.

Prince Andrew is another. He had sought her out for her abilities and the pair became fast friends. Very soon after the start of their friendship, a relationship had blossomed. He had loved everything about her, including her powers. Andrew had never feared her or felt uncomfortable by her magic.

Yet, it was her magic that had ultimately ended his life.

"Is there something that you had wanted? Or were you just summoning me for no reason?"

His gaze hardens. "I came to inform you that I will be assigning you a personal guard. They will be for your protection since you have a lot of enemies."

Diana wouldn't consider her potential enemies dangerous. Now that she has her powers back, she has the strength to take down anyone who is stupid enough to threaten her. "I don't need a guard."

"It wasn't a question." He darts his gaze toward the door, where the guard of his choice is likely hiding.

Since the moment she stepped foot in this palace over four years ago, Diana has only been surrounded by men. The guards who watched over her were always men, the people she has been surrounded by since leaving her cell have been men. She wants to have a change in pace.

If she has to have a guard follow her around everywhere, she should at least get a say as to who that guard is.

"I would like a female guard, then," she claims.

Liam appears to be startled by her request. His blonde brows furrow and he purses his lips. "We don't have any female guards that work at the palace."

With a sigh, Diana goes back to looking at her nails. "You better figure it out, then. Any male guards assigned to me may be found to be terrible at their jobs." She pauses for a moment as if she is considering something. "Or turned into small little creatures."

Huffing in frustration, Liam makes quick strides across the room. "Very well. I will see what I can do." He pauses by the exit to send a quick, pointed look. "In the meantime, try to stay on the palace grounds. I want to ensure that no one starts a witch hunt because they believed you escaped."

"Careful, little mouse," Diana comments. "If you worry about my safety too much, you may grow to actually care about me."

He pulls open her bedroom door with more force than what's necessary. The door slams behind him as though he is attempting to escape from her words.