Anachronistic: Endless Masquerade

29 | Aphelion

- 29 -

"I'm such a stupid bitch."

        Pandora pulled her werewolf cloak tight against herself and tried to sleep. Falling asleep was typically easier in a cool place, but the winter air seemed to cut right past the fur. She curled up into a ball to fight back against the shivering. The deck chair's steel bars dug into her back in half a dozen places, the lumps only pressing in deeper as she concentrated her weight across a smaller area. But those were just excuses. As a hunter, Pandora had practice falling asleep in less comfortable places. The real problem was that she couldn't calm her mind.

        Sleep was proving impossible, but the starry sky greeted her each time she opened her eyes again. Every glimpse served only to keep her mind in a constant loop of recollection. Stargazing had led to that boneheaded confession; led to that fucking kiss. Pandora squeezed her eye shut before stargazing could ruin her life any further.

        Lily's horrified face met her in the darkness. Her winced eyes. Her scrunched nose. The slight bite of her bottom lip. She had looked about to vomit, and Pandora felt the same way remembering it.

        The nausea intensified as a familiar voice called out to her, "Come now, Pandora. You'll catch your death sleeping out here."

        The last person in the world she wanted to hear from. That rat bastard, Gamal, had found her at her lowest point. She already felt empty, and now he was here to kick the husk around. She didn't even have the energy to fight back.

        "No need to pretend to be asleep. It's quite rude don't you think?"

        Pandora gritted her teeth. There was no escape from the pain. She had been trapped in a constant cycle of misery for the past five years. Why did she think she could suddenly escape?

        "Though I suppose it's in your nature to be rude. Wait... Don't tell me that's why you're sleeping out here. Did you have a fight with that little girlfriend of yours?"

        His shrill voice scraped against her mind like nails on a blackboard. Since she had met him, each of his words had been akin to physical pain. But now they hurt worse because there was nothing to argue against. He was right.

        "What a shame, but you were always fighting against time. Can't hide your personality forever."

        "What do you want me to say? That I'm a sad, miserable, raging bitch and no one will ever love me? Fine, it's all true; you win. Now please, just leave me alone."

        She didn't know why she was even bothering to beg. That's not how this worked and she knew it. Life was going to drag her as far down as it could manage.

        "Pandora, I'm hurt. Is that the type of man you think I am? I couldn't just leave you here like this. Why don't you stay in my room tonight?"

        "Spend the night with you? I'd rather freeze to death."

        "With me? No, no. We can trade. You stay in my room, and I'll go keep little Lilith company."

        Unbearable tension pulled Pandora's muscles taught against her bones. A rush of heat overtook her body. If he says one more word I'll fucking kill him.

        "With you out of the picture, maybe she can finally learn what an orgasm is."

        Pandora was standing before her mind finished processing the sentence. Her body moved on its own, fueled by the pressure of her blood boiling. By the time conscious thought caught up to her, she found herself pinning Gamal to the wall; forearm against his throat. Though her actions hadn't been her own, she approved. Her only complaint was that her body hadn't squeezed harder into his windpipe, a mistake she quickly corrected.