The Broken Ones

Chapter Seven

Mattheos POV

We were silently walking through a forest and finally, I asked "Where are we going?" She scowled at me "You asked where we are going to stay, so that's where I'm taking you" I rolled my eyes "Why are you in such a bad mood?" I asked and she stopped and whirled around to face me "Maybe because I'm in the middle of a forest that I spent a good chunk of my childhood in and where there would normally be creatures running around and birds singing it's silent and the trees look sad" What? "The trees look sad?" I ask looking at her like shes crazy "You don't get it" she huffs and goes to turn around. I grab her arm "Then show me" She scowls and then walks over to the tree and rubs her hand over the bark and I swear the leaves got brighter. Her eyes sparkle "Everything in this world is enchanted, it all flows perfectly when treated properly" She takes her hand away and the leaves dim "When treated improperly the balance goes away and everything does work the way it's supposed to," She reaches into her bag and pulls out a niffler and places it on the tree branch. "Find what is wrong," she says and the niffler runs and she quickly follows "Are you coming?" she yells from a couple of feet away, running as fast as she can to keep up with the niffler, I run after her. After running for a while she stops dead in her tracks and I almost bump into her. "Wha-" and then I see it. There are hundreds of animals in cages. "is this where all the creatures have gone?" She looks at all of them and then turns to me. "I thought so too but I know all of these creatures, none of them are new," she turns to the cages and walks up to go unlock the doors "What are you doing Salem," I ask in a hurried tone "Some of those are dangerous" she looks at me and her eyes sparkle with mischief, and at this moment I have never seen something more beautiful than Salem Scamander about to do something dangerous "There not dangerous, there misunderstood, and besides I'm more dangerous" and she opens the cages, one by one the Creatures run past me. There are Mooncalfs and dricawls, Theastrals and Hippogrifs, Kelpies and Occamy. Thunderbirds and Billywigs. Hundreds of creatures, run into the forest, the trees get brighter and fuller and the sky Gets a more colorful shade of blue. Salem runs with them, I try to follow her but she quickly disappears, it takes me a while to find her but when I do, she's dancing with the mooncalfs. Spinning and dancing, she looks magical, like a dream. I stand there staring at her in awe. She finally notices me and stops dead in her tracks. "Why'd you stop?" She goes to say something but we hear " Salem! I've got lunch ready" Her dad's voice fills the forest. Salem's face drops a little, She's back to her cold exterior. We walk back out of the briefcase and back into their quaint little house. Their dining room is quite... mundane. I guess I made a face because Salem looked at me and rolled her eyes "I know it's not like the Mansion that you grew up in but, it's the only place I've ever felt safe and at home. We made do without having much." Her eyes sparkle in memory but that quickly goes away when we hear her voice "I just don't understand why she has to be here, she's dangerous and She is a reminder of that woman" She is trying to whisper but she is horrible at it, or she simply wants Salem to hear. " I don't care how you feel about her, she's MY daughter and you will not talk about her or her mother in an ill manner." I feel utter respect for her father as those words leave his mouth loud enough that he knows she heard them, shortly after they enter the dining room. Tina won't even look at Salem or me, I've always been aware of where I stand in society, the dark lord's bastard son who did anything he was asked. I had gotten used to being looked at in that way however it wasn't just me, Salem was being looked at in the same manner as me, Salem has always been cocky in everything she does but for the first time since I've known this raven haired girl, with messy curls. She shrank into herself, she looked... ashamed, and that look on her face made me bloodthirsty, but I had to not care, because if I let myself care about her I would burn the world down if anyone hurt her, and I could not do that. So I cooled my exterior and looked utterly bored. We sat down and started eating. "so-" Tina starts but Salem cuts her off. "why were my creatures in cages?" She snarled, "Your creatures? Last I checked they were my husband's creatures, they probably don't even recognize you," Salem's eyes start glowing purple but Tina doesn't realize so she continues "And as for why they are in cages, is because one of the occamy attacked me so I decided that it was no longer safe to have them roaming around" I look at Salem's dad and give him a look and he gives me a look that he knows how angry Salem is but he won't get in her way, the only person in the world who he cares about more than anything is Salem and he will always be on her side. I respect him more by the minute. I turn my attention back to Salem "I let them out, How about we go down there and see who they attack first, I guarantee it won't be me, I respect them, you see them as nothing but My father's dangerous hobby, news flash he loves those animals more than he could ever love you, and they would never turn on me I grew up with them and they grew up with me." Her eyes are glowing fully purple and the air around us turns ice cold, I can see my breath. Tina gasps when she finally looks at Salem, Salem's dad and I are sitting there eating occasionally glancing and making sure no one going to kill anyone. "Newt claimed you were this nice kind-spirited girl, But all I see is a brat who didn't get disciplined enough." I thought maybe she would live through this conversation but she struck a nerve. I immediately grab Salem as she's lunging for Tina. Normally, I wouldn't care enough to stop Salem, but I know that her dad would sooner die than have to harm either of the women in this room, but if he had to choose he would choose Salem. every. time. and the guilt would eat him alive. Salem is clawing at me drawing blood trying to get free so she can rip Tina's head off. "Newt! shes trying to hurt me, I want her out of my house-" Salem's dad grabs Tina and calmly walks her out of the room, and then 5 minutes later he returns alone and Salem is still livid. "there's a house in the briefcase and I think it would be best if you stayed down there instead of here so that no one dies tonight." I nod and he walks out. Salem has stopped fighting me now "Are you calm enough that I can let go and not have to worry about you killing someone" I purr in her ear. her body language softens "The only person I will kill is you if you don't get your hands off of me." I let go of her and back up she huffs " I'm tired, grab our bags and follow me" I do as she says and soon we are standing in front of a quaint cottage in a snowy biome. we walk into the cabin and I soon discover that there is only one bed and no sofa. I snort "Who has a house without a sofa?" she scowls at me "We built this house ourselves and didn't have the extra cash for a couch, we barely had enough for a bed. Plus, Me and Dad used to come out here and make blanket forts so a couch was unnecessary" I chuckle and she raises her brow in question. "I can't imagine the fearsome Salem Lestrange, one-half of the deadly duo, one-third of the Treacherous Trinity. In a blanket fort," I burst out laughing and she hits me in the back of the head "I used to be sweeter than sugar, I wouldn't hurt a fly, But I've always felt too much, been too much for everyone, so after a few crucio's from your father and my mother, I learned to be less, but once a month I would go out to the forest behind the manor and scream and just let everything out, one time a death eater followed me and I killed him without even trying. That was the last time I went out there, it wasn't the first time I had killed, but every other time I had killed it had been for survival, that was the first and last time I killed on accident." she sounds mournful. "you take the bed I'll sleep on the floor." she looks like she'll object but she just nods and walks into the bathroom, tina's words affected her a lot. I find some blankets and make a makeshift bed on the floor and when I'm finishing up Salem comes out of the bathroom in an oversized sweatshirt and some short shorts and I realize that the shirt is one of my old shirts, her hair is wet and messy. I look her up and down and she notices me staring, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. and damn it, I couldn't take my eyes off of her, I subconsciously move closer to her, while holding eye contact, I'm at arm's length from her, she backed up, the backs of her knees touching the bed, and I step closer our body's touching, Shes still staring at me with intensity. Our lips are now inches apart, I go to close the distance but she breathes "your making a mistake." I move my head to the side and whisper in her ear "Probably" I look back at her holding eye contact. "definitely" she breathes and then grabs the back of my neck and crashes our lips together.

Word count - 1793