Howl~ Ruby Lucas x OC

Chapter 2

I groaned, blinking and shielding my eyes with my arm, as bright sunlight streamed into them from between the trees, slowly sitting up. Leaves stuck to my hair, and my bare skin was covered in dirt and something dark brown with a red hue, a metallic taste on my tongue. I slowly started stumbling back to the Mayor's house, half asleep, every inch of my body aching, and climbed back through the bedroom window, only to find the Mayor digging through my things. My eyes narrowed, and I slammed the open window shut, getting her attention. "And just what, exactly, are you searching for, Madam Mayor? Hmm? A gun? A spell book, maybe? Some sort of trap? I told you, revenge isn't why I came here.." She held up a leather bound book, her own eyes narrowed and icy. "Where did you find this? I had every single page burned in the kingdom."

I snatched the book out of her hands, cradling it to my chest, and swallowed hard. "None of your business. What? Afraid your precious little son is going to find it, read it, and know the truth? So what if he does? It's not like my story matters to anyone except for me.. Or did you somehow forget what happened, since Snow White was filling your every waking thought with revenge? I haven't. I remember every single painful detail like it was seconds ago, and it haunts me in my nightmares." I saw her face grow pale, and frowned, seeing something like a flash of regret and guilt in her eyes, before she flung a towel and some clothes at me. "Here, you're embarrassing yourself. And I won't have you walking around this house naked, while an eleven year old does his homework. Take a shower- You smell of wet dog and blood." With that, she walked off, leaving me to myself.

I was confused, and followed her, hearing her sigh in annoyance. "Wait- Why are you saying that like I'm gonna be staying here another night?" She stopped walking, and turned to face me again, her jaw clenched, as she avoided my gaze. "You can stay here as long as necessary. There are plenty of empty rooms at Granny's inn, but we both know she would never allow you to stay there. And anyone else you may recognize in town won't allow it, either- So the only options are for you to stay here, where I can keep a close eye on you, or have you sleep outside, where you'll do God knows what to my town." I chuckled darkly, and sighed. "I can't believe, for a second there, I actually thought you gave a damn about what happens to me.. But you just want me where you can see me." I saw her eyes widen slightly at the hurt that flickered in my voice, but before she could say anything, I stormed into her bathroom, and locked the door, taking shaky breaths as I held back tears. A few managed to escape my eyes, but I ignored them, turning the hot water on in the shower, and got in, letting the scalding water wash over the many scars coating my skin, clenching the locket that I wore besides the silver bullet necklace tightly with a shaking hand.

I washed every inch of my body, scrubbing until it was red and raw, as if doing that could erase the pain and suffering I couldn't ever forget enduring for so long. I must've lost track of time, because the water began turning icy, and the bathroom door unlocked, seemingly on its own, the door swinging open, and the Mayor walked in, the fogged up glass of the shower blurring the image of her. "There are other people in this house who require a restroom, Bella. Do you plan on staying in here all day?" I couldn't answer her, the tears I'd managed to hold back for so long coming out in rivers, silent sobs wracking my body as I sat in the corner of the shower, though a few noises slipped out of me, and I only snapped out of it, as the shower door slid open. I looked up, and saw the Mayor, or rather, Regina's, face drain of all color, her eyes trailing across the deep scars across my body, the water from the shower not hiding my tears from her. "I-" Genuine concern laced her voice, and I immediately turned the water off, before shoving her out of the way, wrapping the towel around myself, trying to ignore her.

As I dried myself off, then began tugging on the clothes she'd given me, I could feel her eyes boring into the back of my skull. "Bella.." I shook my head, clenching my jaw. "No- I won't talk about it." Her voice grew a bit louder and more demanding, as she replied, "We need to talk about it. If you're going to be staying in this house, we can't let the past affect our seeing each other, or things will get messy, and scare Henry." She went quiet again for a minute, before she almost whispered, "Those scars- We definitely need to speak about those." That caused me to snap, and I turned on her, getting in her face. "Why, Regina? As if you care! I don't know what sick game you're playing now, but I won't be your little toy.. Not again." The locket slipped out from under my shirt, along with the silver bullet necklace, and as she reached for both, I slapped her hand away, causing her expression to darken. "You still have those, after all these years? I thought you would've burnt them by now.. It seems you aren't as easy to understand as I thought."

That caused me to chuckle, and I shook my head. "You never understood me. You never even tried.. You don't get to pretend to care now, because I know better. I know better than most what you are, even more than Snow White, and all the people in this town. I wonder what Henry would do if he knew? Would he still hug you, and smile at you, and call you Mom? Or would he see the truth? Don't worry, I won't tell him- But you know, he's smart. He's gonna figure it out. And when he does, maybe, just maybe, you'll finally know how I felt, and how I still feel. Just do what you've always done, and pretend I'm invisible, and stay away from me. I'll try to find somewhere else to stay.. I wouldn't want to ruin your perfect little home here with my presence, like I did before." She had an unreadable expression on her face, and walked out of the bathroom without another word, and as she disappeared from my view, I closed my eyes, my anger fading, replaced by sadness once again. The rest of the day, I never once saw her, and I mostly just stayed in the room she lent me, until I heard her call me downstairs for dinner, which I found ridiculous.

As I sat down at the dinner table, I saw steak and potatoes, along with green beans, the scent of fresh apple pie hanging in the air, and I glanced at the steak on my plate, seeing the blood on it, before glancing at Regina. She had a forced and nervous smile on her face, as she said, "I thought you might enjoy your steak a bit.. On the rare side. I made apple pie for dessert, too. I thought the three of us should have a nice dinner together, and get acquainted." Henry awkwardly glanced between the two of us, as he spooned mashed potatoes into his mouth, being smart and staying quiet. "Really? Who would've thought that you're into sentimental things like that?" I could swear I saw her flinch, but knew better, and picked up my knife to cut into my steak, instantly dropping it, and hissing in pain, as I cradled my hand to my chest, the stench of burning flesh and smoke filling the air, as I tried not to cry. I felt honest surprise, as Regina shot up, and practically ran over to me, grabbing my hand. "Let me see.. Bella, let me see it, damn it!" She forced my hand into the light, revealing the blistered and bloody burnt flesh on my palm, smoke still rising from it. "I am so sorry. I had forgotten about your.. Silver allergy. Here-" *She yanked me to my feet, and forced me to the sink, running the burn under cold water, until I yanked my hand away. "Just forget it.. I'm fine. I've lost my appetite." With that, I raced upstairs, not seeing the tears in her eyes, or the guilty look on her face.