Deviance and Destiny

Chapter 4

Unbeknownst to Achenarii, just minutes before, there was a mild pounding in Rue's head, and she hissed through her teeth trying to suppress a groan while pulling out a tray of bread in the oven. The pressure grew at every passing moment, she set the tray on the counter and cupped her head with hands still in gloves.
Whimpers escaped her mouth as her body slowly succumbed to the pain in her head. She held on the counter edge, her grip slipping, and the clanks of the pots, trays, plates sent Lori running into the kitchen.
There was an eerie sound, she could hear her blood pulsing in her ears. Lori was trying to say something but she couldn't make out what the words were. The pain was raging to the extreme that she curled herself into a ball, leaning against the nearest counter, and tears rolling down her cheek.
Lori took her hands away from her head and forced her to look. Lori's eyes were full of concern and panic plastered on her face.
Rue stared at her hands and slowly breathed in and out, in and out, in and out. She shut her eyes and clutched her hands in a fist.
A second after, like a bubble that popped – the pain was gone.
Her breathing was uneven. Her hands, arms and legs were covered in sweat. The exhaustion clung at her, it was odd – she never experienced such ache. There were times that she was sick but it wasn't like before, not even close – never made her cry.
Rue stood up and her legs wobbled under her weight. She wasn't heavy, she was lithe and petite and sinew – body toned through her training with Zion and the others.
Lori offered a hand but she refused. She was alright, she had been through worse; muscles strained and bones broken. This was not going to stop her, she was strong and she will not be afraid of a petty headache.

Rue Avalon was standing in an unknown backyard. There were children playing, together they formed a circle and danced and sang with crowns made of flowers atop their heads. Rue smiled, it was a sweet sight to see.
The song – unknown but somewhat familiar to her, it was sung in a different language.
She stepped toward the children as she hummed the tune. When she was close enough for ears reach, all the children turned to her.
Their faces were grim, like life has been sucked out of them. All of them had their lips in a straight line. The atmosphere was getting chillier every second, their eyes – they looked lifeless, an empty shell. She couldn't tell what was her reaction, she just stood there.
One of the children, the one with the honey gold hair in a ponytail, mouthed the words, run. They all ran, leaving Rue behind.
She chased after them, she was desperate with no particular reason. But she felt so alone and she needed company.
"Wait, don't go... Don't leave me."
Her words echoed, like those in a cave. She ran and ran and ran until she tripped. Flower petals began to fall and she caught one in her hand.
Still on the ground, unable to pull herself up. She stretched her free hand outwards and reached to the direction where the all the children went.
"Please... Don't go." She pleaded with tears rolling down her cheek. The petals continued to fall and she took out the one in her hand. It looked pretty.
She could hear static, her vision changing. Blood. The petal was dripping with blood. There was blood, everywhere. She was lying on a pool of blood. Whose was it, that she doesn't know. The backyard, the road, the petals – were all smudged and dripping with blood.
She screamed and screamed until she heard a screeching sound, and her whole world shattered and fell apart.

Rue jolted upright on the bed, the wheels of the carriage passing their street screeched. She was drenched in sweat, a dream. That had been it. She was dreaming but it felt so real. Her breath was also unsteady and she had to open the windows to chill her raging blood down.
She tried remembering how she wound up in her bed asleep or how is it that her last memory was in the kitchen cooking. She had this terrible headache and then – Lori, forced her to go and rest. The moment she went up to her room, she collapsed on the bed without a care.
The clock hung on her wall, across the bed read nine in the evening. She had been asleep half of the day and she sighed through her breath. The moonlight was shining into her room and it shone specifically to her desk, she wondered if she could entertain herself through drawing.
She sat on the desk chair and opened the drawers. A folded paper laid on top of the other sheets, it was purposely left there. She opened it and read.

"Whoever you are, thank you for the meal, unfortunate to say, I haven't eaten in days, that's probably why I was beaten. See you around, should we ever meet again."

He actually left something. Rue returned the letter in to its place, she went to the bathing room and washed herself from all the sweat cleansing the foul odor the clung onto her. Now she felt fresh and slid into one of her night clothes. She combed her hair with her hand untangling it.
She went to Achenarii's room and knocked twice, she felt unstable, not because of being nervous around him, rather about the dream she had, which was peculiar and foreign, she had never had such horrific dreams in a long while.
Achenarii slightly opened the door, he was still wearing his blindfold. He opened it wider when he noticed Rue.
"Hey. Sorry for coming late, I need you to come with me." Rue smiled at him.
"No problem." He replied as he ushered his way out of the room. Rue stepped aside giving him room and they both went downstairs. Rue signalled him to go in the kitchen as she began instructing him of the things he needed to know.
She leaned on a counter and crossed her arms. "So yeah. That's about it." She sighed as she stared at the floor.
"You look pale." He asked while he tapped his fingers onto the counter like a pianist fiddling with the keys.
"Do I?" She replied and looked at him, her eyes fixated on him.
"What happened?" She wasn't surprise when he didn't know, he was probably in his room while she slept.
She told him about her headache and kept the others to herself. It didn't feel right to share her dream, it didn't feel right to have that dream at all. He only nodded to her once, twice and thrice. He probably wanted to show some sympathy. She ended their talk with a good night and politely excused herself to rest, he simply agreed and walked upstairs to his room.

Achenarii entered his room and leaned on the door, closing it. He didn't think that Rue would even answer his question, but he guessed that was good for someone who was cautious. He laid down on the bed and took his blindfold off, putting it on the side table.
She was keeping a lot of things, he wouldn't say that those were secrets but rather she was vigilant. He couldn't blame her, he too wasn't stupid enough to open up to someone he just met.