The Inured Villainess

Chapter 42

I sit on a large rock and watch Zandrina closely.

She sits not too far from me, staring at the ground. She is deep in thought about everything I've explained to her.

The evil. My gift. The sorcerer king. Everything.

"Zandrina..." I try.

"Father poisoned Mother," she says as if she's in denial. "Because she found out that he was working with sorcerers?"

I nod, my eyes falling on my burnt wrists.

I don't know what to say. It's all up to her now whether she trusts me or not.

"You..." I lift my head as she starts again, her eyes set on me. "You knew that we were corrupted and you still tried to help." She frowns at me. "You're foolish to have gotten involved, Estella. Was this your way of proving something?"

I replicate her expression. "What do you mean? I only wanted to save our family."

She scoffs, standing up. "No, you're surely after something. What do you gain from taking the sorcerer's influence off me? Or Father? Is this some sort of revenge against us?"

"What? No, Zandrina. I only wanted to help you. To save you from them." I stand up as well. "I'm telling the truth, I want to save my family."

"Your family?" She says gruffly. "When have we ever been your family, Estella? We have never treated you like that. What you want is nothing more than fantasy?"

"And what's wrong with dreaming?" I take a step towards her. "I want to fix what was broken by the sorcerers. We may not get Mother back but I can still work for you and Kylo. You're my sister for Lucia's sake. I don't want hate to live between us."

"And you think we can achieve a family after everything? Father," she hesitates, "is no longer himself anymore."

"I know." My expression is firm. "He's possessed by the sorcerer king now, isn't he?"

She looks away from me with a grim face. "Yes."

I take another step towards her, only a few feet separate us. "Let's start over, Zandrina. I don't know what your reason for hating me is but please put it aside for now."

Zandrina lifts her head. "Why work so hard to build up what was broken? Don't you have a new family now?"

The words unintentionally sting.

She is right. I do have a new family but that didn't mean I didn't want her to still be part of it.

I want to make it up for the real Estella. To fix what she died for.

"I do have a new family." I speak cautiously. "But I also have an old family. Kylo is part of that family and so are you. Please, Zandrina."

She reddish-brown hair flows softly in the dry wind. As it flows, it reveals the small scratches on her face from the tumble.

"What do you want me to say, Estella?" She narrows her stunning eyes. "That I admit that I was being used. That I am weak. That I want to be your family again. That's impossible after everything that I've done. Kylo is softer than me. You know that."

Zandrina was always the one to torture me the most that is a truth. Kylo might have used his fists, but Zandrina used both words and her gift.

That jealously that she harbored for me was what fueled it all, even if she doesn't admit it.

"I don't care about what you've done to me. That isn't important right now," I contend. "What is important is that we stop the sorcerer king. Help me save our home, that much we have in common." My eyes plead.