Monster Under My Bed

Chapter 4

I lay there, waiting for him to take advantage of me. My eyes squeezed tight, so tight that I felt pain, but I was too scared to open them.

I prayed, wanting this to be over and done with quickly. I know that I was going to be cast out by the town, but in that moment, I didn't care.

A sad sigh reached my ears. "You can sit up now."

I jumped a little, not expecting him to speak. When I jumped, I realized something: He wasn't sitting on me anymore.

I cautiously opened my eyes. I was met with his, mostly, bare muscular back. 

He turned his head to the side to look at me. I expected his eyes to be brimming with humor, but, to my surprise, they were sad. Almost like I hurt him.

"Are you gonna lay there all night?" he asked.

I sat up on my elbows, but waited, just to be sure he wasn't messing with me. When he made no move, I fully sat up.

We sat in a strange silence for a few minutes. 

"Why do you do what you do?" he suddenly asked.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Why are you and your people so keen on killing us? We don't provoke your kind, so why?"

I let his question rattle my brain for a bit. Why do my people kill monsters? What is the point? 

Before I could say anything, he stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait!"

He paused, his hand on the doorknob. 

"Why did you stop?" I asked. "You could have raped me. Hell, you could have killed me. But you didn't. Why?"

The question hung in the air for a little bit. "You first."

"Huh?"

Turning around, he crossed the room and stood in front of me. He sat crossed-legged on the floor and crossed his arms. "I asked you a question first, so you should answer me first. It's only fair."

Despite the fact that he was supposed to be my enemy, I smiled. "All right."

I faced him so that I was also crossed-legged. I stared down at my hands, feeling ashamed. "I honestly don't know. Tonight is the night when I would officially become an adult here. This ritual has been around before I was born. We aren't told much. The only thing we are taught is how to fight and that monsters are the enemy."

"And you blindly obey what they tell you?" 

I shook my head. "I've never felt right about it. Everyone else finds joy in killing monsters, but I could never bring myself to do it. Even as a child, I never wanted this life."

"Wait, so you've never killed a monster?"

"No. I've only used dummies or fought sparring partners. Whenever someone asked me to go on a hunt, I managed to find an excuse not to go."

"If you never felt right by it, then why were you going to plunge that knife into my heart?" he questioned.

"Because if I don't kill you, I will be exiled from here. The thought of never seeing my family again is the only thing that kept me from turning around," I replied. 

He nodded. "Does anyone know this is how you truly feel?"

"My dad knows, but he doesn't want me to talk about it."

"Why?"

"He's afraid I'll be exiled," I said, remembering how serious he was when he told me.

"Does your mom know?"

I looked away. "She did. She praised me, saying how proud she was that I thought for myself. She wanted me to never falter in what I believed in. She was the only one that understood me."

"You're using past tense," he observed. "What happened to her?"

I took a shaky breath. "She died. She was killed when she left for a mission."

He stayed silent for a little bit."I'm sorry you lost your mom," he said, placing his hand on mine.

Something inside was telling me to pull my hand away, saying that this was wrong. At this point, I don't think it really matters. I'm spilling my guts for him for goodness sake! 

I squeezed his hand. "It's been five years, but it feels like she never left. She was always so strong, but she could also be very kind when she wanted to be."

I felt tears gather in my eyes. I hate crying, especially in front of others. I coughed and wiped my eyes. "Now you answer my question," I demanded.

He sat back and looked up at the ceiling, thinking. He cocked his head to the side a little bit. "Because I was bored?" 

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously?"

"Fuddy-duddy," he mumbled.

I crossed my arms and stared him down.

"All right, all right, I'll tell you! Just stop with the eyes, they burn!" he pleaded, shielding his eyes.

I knew having an older sister would come in handy one day, I thought, smiling.

He scratched his head. "Something told me not to."

I thought he was still messing with me. "Do you really want another death glare?"

"I'm being honest," he replied. "When I went to kiss you, I heard a voice tell me to stop."

"And yet, my obvious rejection wasn't enough to make you stop?" I asked, still angry with him.

He shrugged. "I'm an incubus. And I wasn't kidding when I said I was starving myself."

Heat rushed to my cheeks. "Don't get any funny ideas."

"Who? Me? Never!" he said, sarcastically. 

"All joking aside," he continued, "I didn't hear a random voice. It was someone I knew. Someone who died."

"Who?" I asked.

He shook his head. "She never told me her name, but she treated me like her child. She was a human, but she didn't see me as a monster. She saw me as her own child. I had a hard life, but what little time I had with her are some of my happiest memories."

His eyes gleamed with admiration and love. 

"She sounds amazing," I said. "What was she like?"

He chuckled. "For one, she was a total badass. She wouldn't take any nonsense from anyone. And she knew how to kick ass. 

"But she also knew how to be kind and caring. She had a habit of scolding me for stupid things I did, but she would always hug me and tell me that she would always love me, regardless of what I did in the past."

He placed his elbows on his knees and held his head with his hands. He had a dreamy look in his eye."And she was so beautiful. She was just a human, but her beauty rivaled that of a goddess. She had auburn hair that resembled a fire when hit by the sunlight. Her jade eyes, fierce like a dragon, but could also be soft." 

He drew a heart in the air with his finger. "A heart is the only way I could describe her face. Oh, and she had a mole on the upper right corner of her lips."

When he said that, I froze. Why did that seem so familiar? I imagined the woman in my mind, but there's no way she could be-

"D-Did she have a scar? On her left eye?" I stuttered.

He thought about it. "Yeah, actually. I was so used to seeing it I guess I forgot about it." 

My eyes widened. No. No, it can't be!