Deviant (Blendling Trilogy #1)

Chapter Five

I shoulder my backpack and walk towards my locker besides Cam, keeping my head down. School just closed and I welcomed the reprieve. It's been three weeks since Macy tried to kill herself in the girl's locker room, three weeks of blaming myself. Macy's family moved to Colorado after the incident and I was glad not to face her in school but that didn't lessen my guilt. Her attempt made me more popular in school; people either wanted to cheer me up or get the inside gist on why my girlfriend would want to end her life. Some believed it was drugs but I knew it was my rejection. I'd been fairly popular before but now, people seemed to gravitate towards me; the attention was nauseating.
"Hey guys" someone called. I'd been fiddling with my locker while Cam leafed through the pages of a comic book besides me
"Andre" Cam greeted, bumping fists. I grunted a greeting
"So I heard tomorrow was your birthday" he said. One person I didn't want quizzing me was Andre. He's the editor of our school paper which is widely popular among the student body and their parents.
"Any plans" he asked smiling his shark smile
"No plans, it's a school night" I say angrily
"Oh" he sounded disappointed " see you around then" he said, taking off
"I still don't get why you don't want anything. You never want anything"

I never celebrate my birthdays because of the tragedy of my birth. I didn't see the point in commemorating a day a live and property were lost. I also have nightmares the night before each birthday. Each year I remember more about the fire even though I hadn't been born when it happened. I remember the woman's panic as she hurriedly threw together a bag. Every sound from above made her jump in fright. She'd gotten out the door that led to a dark alley when she heard the chuckle. Looking around fearfully, she made a mad dash for the street and just when she made it out of the alley into the street, she was violently pulled back to the basement. I never saw the face of her captor but I heard his voice, cold and sinister, as he asked why she thought she could hide.
"Hey" I hear from a distance and I shake myself from the memory. I could feel that my skin was filled with goosebumps
"You know why I don't want anything" I say quietly and walk away. He let me go

***
"Foolish foolish woman" the voice says "You thought you could hide"
"Please" she whispered, immobilized by her own fear "Let me go"
"Where's the fun in that" he replies "Where did you think you'd hide? If you traveled across seven seas or climbed the highest mountain to evade me, I'd find you." He said, she whimpered as he leaned in to whisper in her ears "Even if you died, I'd still be able to find you"
"What do you want" she trembled, she could feel wetness suddenly spreading on her dress, her water just broke.
"You stole from me and I'm here to punish you" he roared, pointing at her stomach "That thing you're carrying is mine, you stole it"
"I didn't steal from you, you kidnapped and raped me"
"Doesn't matter. I'm doing you a favor by ensuring that abomination is not born. You know that it will be hunted down by both Councils the minute they find out about it. They will even kill you too for bringing it into the world"
"My baby is not an it!" She said, shaking herself in determination. "He will be strong and fierce. He'll have the best in life and live to a ripe old age with his great great great grandchildren surrounding him." She folded her arms on her huge belly and glared at the man "You will not hurt my baby" she said fiercely even though courage was not what she felt. He laughed
"I forgot how feisty you are. That's why I didn't kill you along with your little band of hunters when you hunted me. Little cat did you know I was watching from the shadows that day as you and your friends searched?" He smiled darkly "I enjoyed picking your friends off one at a time. But you, you fascinated me. You fought valiantly when you saw your dead friends. I loved it"
"You're a mad man"she cried
"I know!" He laughed. "Isn't that what you say about me, that I'm a madman who bathes in the blood of my victims? The Odda Reaper? I won't bathe in your blood little cat" he said, reaching out to stroke her chin mockingly. She recoiled and clutched her belly tighter, then grimaced in pain. "Ah, it's coming, show time!" he smiled, giving a mock bow.

She watched in fear as he lifted his hands and began muttering. She doubled over in pain as a contraction seized her, crying out but he ignored he. She felt the room getting hotter and looked up, an eerie green flame was spreading round the room. He stopped suddenly and watched her with a smile. Black smoke curled around her, forming a circle round her and when she reached out, she felt that the smoke had solidified into a wall. She started struggling, pushing and punching the smoke to get out. The green fire climbed over the smoke and her clothes caught on fire.
"Don't fight the flame little cat" he mocked "There's nothing as arousing as watching someone in pain."

She could feel herself choking even as the flames danced on her body. Her screams were drowned out by the wailing of a siren and pandemonium from the apartments above but all she could think about was that it was too late. The last thing she thought about before succumbing to the fire was how she was wrong, her son wouldn't live long enough to have the best.

I woke up weeping. Tears poured down my face and my shoulders shook violently as I sobbed. I felt arms wrap around me and I leaned into them. The arms might have not belonged to my birth mother, but they belonged to the only mother I knew; the mother that waited each year by my bed to hold and comfort me after my nightmare. Usually I woke up screaming, thinking I was burning, remembering only the fire and pain. But this time was different.
"I remember" I whisper and I continue sobbing in my mum's arms.