Something Lost, Something Gained (BEING EDITED)

Chapter 18: Band-Aids and Boo Boos

I sit on a chair in Elan's kitchen with Luke and Lilith beside me. Lilith's face is a blank slate, numb with complete and utter shock. Luke stares at me with excitement in his eyes. Neither of us are up to talking so the room is eerily silent other than the sound of band-aid wrappers being opened. Sebastian's movements are repetitive as he swabs my skin with alcohol, puts on antibiotic ointment, opens band-aid, puts on band-aid, and repeats. His eyes are full of anger as he mutters something like I can't leave you alone for two minutes... 

"So," I begin. All three sets of eyes make their way to me. "What tattoos did you guys get?"

Sebastian groans and flicks me in the forehead, "Seriously? That's the first thing you say after almost getting your friends killed?"

"Hey! It's not her fault!" Luke defends me. I turn to look at him and shake my head. 

"I am really sorry guys," I say. "I had no idea this would happen. I don't even know who that woman is."

"Oh but I do," Elan says entering the kitchen. He holds mugs of tea in his hands for my friends. Lilith and Luke take the cups gladly and sip at the steaming liquid. "Lilith I called your mother, you will be staying with us tonight. There is a lot we need to talk about."

"T-thank you," She says taking a drink of the tea.

I watch my father start coffee in one of his three coffee pots. Lets just say coffee goes by quickly in this house. Instantly the aroma fills the air, calming my nerves. I look over to see Bash studying me intensely. I glare at him and raise an eye brow. He looks away instantly, his face turning red. The wounds on my arms begin to itch. I sit on my hands so that I do not scratch them. Once the coffee is done I walk over to the brown wooden cupboards and grab my favorite mug that is covered in mustaches. 

Leaning back against the counter I watch as Elan tries to explain to Lilith the events that went down this evening. I see her eyes widen at certain parts of my fathers story. So, my friend is a Necromancer. Who would have known that my little Strawberry is one of the rarest supernatural creatures to walk the earth. She is able to talk to, conjure up, and control the dead. Who the hell knew?  I sip my coffee, its aroma nothing compared to the actual taste. Luke, Bash, and I leave the room so that my father can explain tonight as best as possible. 

I head to my room and Luke goes in the direction of the basement. My room is across from the bathroom upstairs. It is painted a soft lilac with two large windows. My walls are covered in various punk bands to keep up my whole facade. The closet is large, and so is the bed. Overall it is a cozy room but nothing like my room in Louisiana.

There's a soft knock at the door. "Luce, can I come in?"

I open the door to see Bastian leaning up against the wall opposite to my room. He has a smirk on his face and his arms are crossed. His smirk turns into a full blown smile. "What do you need?" The pissed off look on my face must be what's fueling his smile.

He pushes his way into my room carrying more alcohol, bandages, and ointment. "Shirt off."

"Um, excuse me?" I am shocked at his blunt demeanor. 

"Take. Your. Shirt. Off." He slows down his speech to enunciate each word. My absolutely horrified face causes him to laugh. "Oh don't look at me like that."

"Please, explain to me why you think I'm just going to take my shirt off because you asked me to?"

"Because," Bash begins, "I am incredibly hot guy, also I need to check to make sure your tattoo didn't infected."

"Ah," I let out a sigh of relief, "That makes so much more sense." I slip my arms out of the sleeves and take off my baggy shirt. Underneath I wear a nude colored camisole. I pull the straps down my shoulders exposing the entirety of my tree. The Oak was half dead and half alive. The side that was dead had small bird skeletons sitting in the branches, while the side that was alive had birds flying around it.

"Holy crap, this probably the coolest tattoo I have ever seen. You drew this?" Bash traces the skin around my tattoo with his finger. It sends shivers down my spine.

"Yeah," I say breathless. 

He softly wipes my skin with the alcohol. I grit my teeth in pain. "I'm sorry," He whispers. Bastian takes his hand away, giving my back a break. He then smears the ointment on my skin and pulls my shirt straps back onto my shoulder. His hands rest lightly on my neck.

"Can you feel it?" I ask. It was like I had lost my train of thought. I knew I was still mad at him yet I let his hand rest on my shoulders. 

"Yes," Bash whispers back. "I feel your heart beating, beating for me." He tilts his head down and plants a soft kiss on my neck. 

And then he was gone. All that Bash left behind was a soft whooshing noise and the smell of his cologne. 

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If anyone has any suggestions on where they'd like to see the romance between Luce and Bash go I would love to hear them!

Thanks!! xoxo