Every small town had that one family.
That one family parents huddled their kids away from when they passed by, whispering under their breath.
Here, that family was the Griffins.
An ancient family too rich, mysterious and isolated for their own go...
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Devastated, cheated,
betrayed and embarrassed.
Shocked, but unsurprised.
Thick blood trickled down not only my arm but down Demetri's who sat less than a meter away.
I was shamefully certain most of the bloodstains staining his shirt were my own, from when he easily cradled me into the back seat, before stalking to the other side. He had quickly scooped me up when Dad slashed me with the broken glass, giving me a long cut that was sure to scar.
But I didn't care about my arm. I barely noticed it over my adrenaline.
I had plenty of scars, but Demetri. His arm would scar and he was so picture-perfect, so Immaculate. Now because of me, stupid worthless me I've ruined it. Like everything else. I just had to go to his place and have fate pinch my skin even further in a twist. I should've never gone. "Lilith," he said softly. "It's not your fault" Sometimes I swear he could read my mind. I just met his eyes in an emotionless response before tearing them away. Evelyn was still shaking on the wheel, her knuckles poking out unnaturally.
So many things were raging in my mind. I had to hold it all in and sit quietly, it was driving me crazy. How Demetri had to be there. That he had seen it all. Seen something that nobody else had ever seen other than Evelyn. How he had come to defend me, and taken a hit in my place. Why he would do that. How I got there so quickly it should have been impossible. I'm not sure even adrenaline would excuse how fast I had traveled. It was unnatural. Everything I do is cursed. If I dare be happy for one moment...
Demetri groaned loudly, snapping my chain of thought. "Stop that! Just stop blaming yourself," he told me. "How did- I didn't even...what?" He looked alarmed for a split second before going back to his neutral expression, turning away from me again to stare out the window. I imagine I wasn't supposed to see the hesitation, but I did. "I uh. It was written over your face," he added in a blunt scowl.
I held my arm closer to my chest, cradling the injury.
Sighing, he met my eyes and it felt as if I couldn't look away. I was stuck in the brown bliss of his irises, momentarily forgetting the chaos. "Lilith," he breathed. "Don't be embarrassed. It's not your fault. There's no explanation to this so stop overreacting. You'll be fine, it's not your fault". And this time, I believed him.
Evelyn shot a glance in the rearview mirror coldly. "The fault is mine," she lamented. "If I had organized this better and not dragged her into this we would all be fine." "No. No Lilith wouldn't," said Demetri.
