Becoming Rogue

1:0 royal pain

Chapter one                 

I cursed as I opened the door to my small but comfortable apartment and noticed the pieces of shattered glasses all over the place and remembered that I had not cleaned the place up.

The place was a mess and with the way I felt now I knew there was nothing I could do about it. I would clean it all up after I had a much needed sleep. I entered my bathroom and settled for washing my face; my body would be washed after I was well rested. I looked at myself on the mirror.

I looked like a scary mess but it was not something that I was not used to. I looked on my right arm and saw the incarnate tattoo that began on my wrist and covered my skin until my elbow. The tattoo was a replica of an ancient drawing that aimed to protect. It had taken a long time for this piece of art to be completed; after all convincing a tattoo artist to mix his ink with some crazy powder was not an easy job.

It had taken me seventeen days to find one who had agreed to do so (for some reason he liked wearing leather and shitkickers), and twenty one hours to finish everything. So saying that I was tired and feeling like my bed was my only saviour was an understatement. My skin was under the tattoo was still reddened but it was all worth it. This tattoo was a shield for me. It would serve to protect me. The ash that I had mixed with the ink was of a rare tree known by witches and others to offer protection against all lesser evils. The tree had taken me forever to find it but once I got it, nothing pleased me more.

It had been five months since that fateful day in the hospital where I had learned of the repercussions of my action. Five month that seemed to flow into the past so swiftly. I had moved into a new town but reluctant on going back to high school and so I had settled for finding the tree, branding myself with the tattoo.

And now that was done, I thought as I looked at the mark.

I closed my eyes sighing and moved to my bed. It was comfortable and that is all I needed. I closed my eyes then willing sleep to lure me in its grasp but I knew it would not come soon. No matter how tired I ever got sleep did not come easy for me. It had been like this for the past five months, something I was getting used to.

The image of my father came to mind. “I hate you for all you did to me.” I said silently to myself and I meant every darn word. Without him I would have never confronted the... I closed my mind to the thoughts. I did not need to think of him or the way life had been with him in the picture.

All I needed to remind myself was that I was. He had not followed me or sent men after me because he must know very well that I meant it when I said I would kill him and make him suffer for everything he did.

The knock on the door shook me from my thoughts. It got louder until I could not ignore it anymore.

When I opened the door, the person standing on the other side was smiling and no one on this earth was as surprised as I. “Hey Nikola” Her eyes light up with some emotion I did not care to decipher. “You look like shit.” She told me

I smiled. It was not one of those smiles that could charm an army of men but after all these months of unhappiness, the least I could do was smile even if it was just a curve of my lips. “Ruby?” I spoke my eyes trailing her body.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Ruby daughter of Hosea asked looking behind me. Her flawless red hair shorter than the last time I had seen her.

“As if you’d take no for an answer.” I replied, stepping aside to let her in. I couldn’t wonder as to why she was here and how she had managed to find me not that I had gone to any lengths to make myself hidden.