Beautiful Darkness

➵The World Between Us

The dull sound of laughing pulls me from the drug-induced sleep my body put itself into. All I do is sleep lately. I motion to rub the sleep out of my eyes but my wrists burn against the rough material of ropes. The events of yesterday flood throughout my head. The white clouds mesmerize me with their unique shapes. Wind flows throughout the clearing with a determined capability. The trickling air breezes through my skin, causing my hair to lightly fly in the air. The feeling makes me feel as if I am floating. The thought sends a flare down my spine, reminding me that I have to return to the guilt ridden disaster that has become my life.

"Morning, Princess." Roman's sarcastic attitude makes a reappearance. Hooded eyelashes filled with sleep deprivation raise to his. His eyebrows crease slightly then straighten quickly.

"Maybe you should go pet it." Natalia's snide comment simply causes me to roll my eyes. Nobody laughs at the joke except her, though she doesn't seem to mind. Daniel makes his way over to where I am sitting and begins to soundlessly cut the ropes. Once my hands are free I achingly rub my wrists. Burns arch around both of them. I imagine they will remain on my hands for a decent amount of time. I pull myself into a standing position. As I stretch everything pops as my muscles relieve themselves of their stress. My body actually feels somewhat normal surprisingly.

"Woof." I say to Natalia, directing my comment towards her earlier remark. She manages a glare that is easily seen as half-hearted. Maybe she doesn't hate me as much as she claims. I find myself wondering if there is more to her than she allows to be seen.

"I think we have a mutt problem." She mumbles.

"A mutt is a more preferable companion, compared to it." Collin adds himself into the conversation.

"Her name is Arailia, not 'it'." Roman's voice genuinely shocks me. Why is he defending me?

"Her name is whatever I decide it is." The challenge behind Collin's word is obvious. Roman clearly outranks him. It wouldn't even be a competition. Roman's eyes narrow dangerously.

"I think you're forgetting your place, Collin."

"I think my place is the best tracker the Light has. I think my place is the head of this group, considering you wouldn't even begin to know how to get to the capital without me." The capitol has various wards that make it extremely hard to locate. Most of the Light Elvin avoid it considering it is largely thought of as dark territory. 

"Enough." Daniel's firm voice breaks the estrogen and pride filled disagreement. Collin spits at my feet on his way to his bag. The blatant disrespect pushes my nerves. One disagreement may have just ended, but I quickly feel another coming on.

"What the hell is your problem?" I can't help myself. Collin stops dead in his tracks. He takes his time to turn his head and make direct eye contact with me.

"What did you just say?" His voice is ice. Pure frozen ice. Or perhaps he is a snake, waiting to strike his prey.

"I said, what the hell is your problem?" Taking back some control over the situation gives my mind a shred of relief. I was beginning to go crazy. With three brisk steps he is directly in front of me. Roman puts a defiant hand against Collin's shoulder, preventing him from coming any closer. The amount of rage behind Collin's eyes is one I rarely see people openly display.

"Careful, little girl. It'd be a shame if that pretty little head of yours wasn't attached to your body anymore." The threat is direct with no room for misinterpretation.

"I'd love to see you try."

"Arailia, be smart." Roman whispers.

"No. I'm sick of this. I didn't ask to be dragged across the province, shot up with drugs like an addict, than tied up. Yet despite all of that, I did not say a word. Then, you arrogant self-absorbed prick, spat on me. I think you're the one who should be afraid." A warning look from Roman causes a light bulb to go off in Collin's head. His smile is purely evil without a single ounce of good intention.